In brief: For workers covered by the Saudi Labour Law, the usual ceiling is eight actual hours a day under a daily standard or 48 actual hours a week under a weekly standard. Article 107 calculates overtime as the hourly wage plus 50% of the basic hourly wage. Paid compensatory leave may be used instead only with the worker’s consent.
Last checked: 6 September 2026.
Who this guide covers
This is a general guide for private-sector workers covered by the Labour Law. Domestic workers are governed by separate regulations. Special rules and exclusions can also apply to senior roles with employer-like authority, preparatory or supplementary work, intermittent work, guards and cleaners, and certain industries or operating patterns. Check your classification before using the standard calculation.
Standard working hours and breaks
Article 98 states that actual work must not exceed eight hours a day where the daily standard applies, or 48 hours a week where the weekly standard applies. For Muslim workers during Ramadan, the limits are six hours a day or 36 hours a week.
The law also requires work and rest to be arranged so a worker does not work for more than five consecutive hours without a break of at least half an hour for rest, prayer and food. Those breaks are not counted as actual working time, and the worker should not remain under the employer’s authority during them. Technical or operational exceptions can apply.
The weekly rest is normally Friday, although an employer may substitute another day for some workers after the required notification. The rest must be paid and last at least 24 consecutive hours. It is the designated weekly rest day—not every day informally called a weekend—that matters.
What counts as overtime
Where an establishment uses a weekly standard, hours above that adopted standard are overtime. Article 107 also treats work performed during holidays and official vacations as overtime. Exceptional work arrangements exist under Articles 99, 100 and 106, so an unusual schedule is not automatically unlawful or automatically overtime without checking the applicable approval and category.
Keep your own evidence: rosters, clock-in records, approved timesheets, emails assigning work and payslips. Record actual work separately from unpaid breaks. Compare each pay period with your contract and the establishment’s approved working-hours standard.
How to calculate overtime pay
The law distinguishes the basic wage from the actual wage. The actual wage is the basic wage plus qualifying allowances or other due additions. Article 107’s formula is not simply “one and a half times salary”. For each overtime hour it requires:
ordinary hourly wage based on the actual wage + 50% of the basic hourly wage.
Example: suppose the payroll basis used for a pay period produces an actual hourly wage of SAR 30 and a basic hourly wage of SAR 20. The overtime amount for one hour would be SAR 30 plus SAR 10, giving SAR 40. For five verified overtime hours, it would be SAR 200. The example explains the structure only; payroll must use the correct wage components and divisor for the worker’s circumstances.
Do not calculate both parts from basic pay if the actual wage includes qualifying additions. Equally, do not assume every bonus or benefit is part of the actual wage; the statutory definitions and contract terms matter.
Paid compensatory leave
The amended Article 107 permits an employer, with the worker’s consent, to provide paid compensatory leave instead of overtime wages. Consent is important. Ask for the number of overtime hours, the conversion into leave, when the leave can be taken and the payroll treatment to be recorded in writing. Do not accept an unexplained removal of overtime from a payslip.
When to get help
Raise a discrepancy promptly with payroll or HR and attach your calculation and records. If it is not resolved, use HRSD’s labour channels or the official amicable-settlement service. Get qualified advice where your role may fall within an exception, the wage components are disputed, or a large historic claim is involved. This guide is general information, not a legal conclusion about a particular rota or claim.