{"id":8563,"date":"2026-10-12T17:54:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T14:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/working-on-public-holiday-saudi-arabia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T18:02:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T15:02:36","slug":"working-on-public-holiday-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/working-on-public-holiday-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"Working on an Official Holiday in Saudi Arabia: Overtime Pay and Employee Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.usus-tbl{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;max-width:760px;margin:12px 0 20px;font-size:15px}.usus-tbl th{background:#f4eff9;color:#2A124A;font-weight:700;text-align:right;padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:2px solid #C9A227}.usus-tbl td{padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid #e5ddec;vertical-align:top}<\/style>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p>Has your employer asked you to work on Eid or National Day? That is allowed in many jobs, but it is not free. The <strong>Labor Law<\/strong> treats every hour you work on an official holiday as an <strong>overtime hour<\/strong> with higher pay. Here is how to calculate your pay, when you can be required to work, and what to do if you are not paid.<\/p>\n<h2>The rule in brief<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Every employee has a fully paid holiday on the official Eids and occasions (Article 112 of the Labor Law).<\/li>\n<li>Hours worked on weekly rest days, Eids and official holidays count as <strong>overtime<\/strong> (Article 107).<\/li>\n<li>Overtime hourly pay = the normal hourly wage + 50% of the basic hourly wage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Check the current official text of Articles 107 and 112 of the Labor Law.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>A worked example<\/h2>\n<table class=\"usus-tbl\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Item<\/th>\n<th>Value<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Basic monthly wage<\/td>\n<td>SAR 6,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Actual monthly wage (with allowances)<\/td>\n<td>SAR 7,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Monthly working hours (8 hours \u00d7 30 days)<\/td>\n<td>240 hours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Actual hourly wage<\/td>\n<td>SAR 31.25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>50% of the basic hourly wage (SAR 25)<\/td>\n<td>SAR 12.50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hourly pay on a holiday<\/td>\n<td>SAR 43.75<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>8 hours on Eid<\/td>\n<td>SAR 350 on top of salary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure class=\"usus-ig usus-ig-8563-1\"><img class=\"wp-image-8603\" src=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-1.webp\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1095\" alt=\"A worked example \u2014 Working on an Official Holiday in Saudi Arabia (Usus Law Firm infographic)\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-1-768x701.webp 768w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-1-640x584.webp 640w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-1-400x365.webp 400w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-1-367x335.webp 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>The calculation may differ depending on the contract and how hours are counted; try your own case in the <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/overtime-calculator-saudi-arabia\/\">overtime calculator<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>When can an employer require work on a holiday?<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>When the nature of the work requires continuity, such as hospitals, hotels, security and continuous-operation plants.<\/li>\n<li>To deal with emergencies or exceptional workload.<\/li>\n<li>On condition that overtime is paid, or whatever is agreed, as long as it is not less than the legal right.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"usus-ig usus-ig-8563-2\"><img class=\"wp-image-8604\" src=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-2.webp\" width=\"1080\" height=\"945\" alt=\"When can an employer require work on a holiday? \u2014 Working on an Official Holiday in Saudi Arabia (Usus Law Firm infographic)\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-2.webp 1080w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-2-768x672.webp 768w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-2-640x560.webp 640w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-2-400x350.webp 400w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8563-2-367x321.webp 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2>Not paid for working on a holiday?<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Keep proof of your work: attendance records, messages in which your manager assigned you, and the shift schedule.<\/li>\n<li>Ask your employer in writing.<\/li>\n<li>File a complaint through the Ministry of Human Resources channels. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/labor-office-complaint-saudi-arabia\/\">labor office complaints<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>If it is not settled amicably, it is referred to the Labor Court. Read <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/labor-case-saudi-arabia-labor-court\/\">filing a labor claim<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>Can I be given a day off instead of overtime pay?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, if you both agree, as long as it is not less than your right; the default in the law is overtime pay.<\/p>\n<h3>I refused to work on Eid. Can my employer penalise me?<\/h3>\n<p>It depends on the nature of the work, the contract and the circumstances; outside genuine necessity, they cannot force you without the legal pay.<\/p>\n<h3>Does this apply to expatriate workers?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, the rules on holidays and overtime are the same for Saudis and expatriates.<\/p>\n<p>For the dates of every holiday, read <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/official-holidays-saudi-arabia\/\">official holidays in Saudi Arabia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Want to claim your pay?<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Usus Law Firm<\/strong> team handles <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/service\/labor-cases\/\">labor cases<\/a>: calculating what you are owed, amicable settlement and labor claims, in <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/lawyer-in-riyadh\/\">Riyadh<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/lawyer-in-tabuk\/\">Tabuk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:12.5px;color:#6a6178;border-top:1px solid #e6ddd0;padding-top:10px;margin-top:16px\"><em>This article is general legal information and is not a substitute for advice on your specific case. Court proceedings in Saudi Arabia are in Arabic; the official Arabic text of each law prevails.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"usus-qbox\">\n<h2>Request a quick consultation<\/h2>\n<p>Leave your name and mobile number, and a lawyer from our Riyadh or Tabuk office will call you during working hours. We advise in English.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f6963-o1\" lang=\"en-US\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"6963\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/p> <ul><\/ul><\/div>\n<form action=\"\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8563#wpcf7-f6963-o1\" method=\"post\" class=\"wpcf7-form init\" aria-label=\"Contact form\" novalidate=\"novalidate\" data-status=\"init\">\n<fieldset class=\"hidden-fields-container\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7\" value=\"6963\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_version\" value=\"6.2.2\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_locale\" value=\"en_US\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_unit_tag\" value=\"wpcf7-f6963-o1\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_container_post\" value=\"0\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_posted_data_hash\" value=\"\" \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<span id=\"wpcf7-6ad06374f1fd8-wrapper\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap cf7apps-honeypot-wrap honeypot-qf-wrap\" style=\"position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);white-space:nowrap;border:0;\"><label for=\"wpcf7-6ad06374f1fd8-field\" class=\"hp-message\">Please leave this field empty.<\/label><input id=\"wpcf7-6ad06374f1fd8-field\"  class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text\" type=\"text\" name=\"honeypot-qf\" value=\"\" autocomplete=\"new-password\" tabindex=\"1000\" data-cf7apps-tabindex=\"1000\" \/><\/span>\n<div class=\"usus-qf\">\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-name\">Name<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-name\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required\" id=\"q-name\" autocomplete=\"name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Your name\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"q-name\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-phone\">Mobile<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-phone\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-tel wpcf7-validates-as-required wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-tel\" id=\"q-phone\" autocomplete=\"tel\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"05xxxxxxxx\" value=\"\" type=\"tel\" name=\"q-phone\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-city\">City<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-city\"><select class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-select wpcf7-validates-as-required\" id=\"q-city\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"q-city\"><option value=\"Riyadh\">Riyadh<\/option><option value=\"Tabuk\">Tabuk<\/option><option value=\"Other city\">Other city<\/option><\/select><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f w\"><label for=\"q-msg\">Your case in brief (optional)<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-msg\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"2\" maxlength=\"600\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" id=\"q-msg\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"One or two lines are enough\" name=\"q-msg\"><\/textarea><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"s\"><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-submit has-spinner\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Request a call from a lawyer\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Has your employer asked you to work on Eid or National Day? That is allowed in many jobs, but it is not free. The Labor Law treats every hour you work on an official holiday as an overtime hour with higher pay. Here is how to calculate your pay, when you can be required to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-labor-law"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-8563-1140x445.jpg?wsr",1140,445,true],"list":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-8563-463x348.jpg?wsr",463,348,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-8563-300x169.jpg?wsr",300,169,true],"full":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-8563.jpg?wsr",1200,675,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8563"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8606,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8563\/revisions\/8606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}