The Saudi Labor Law working hours rules decide how long a construction worker can be kept on site, when breaks must be given and how much overtime must be paid. Construction is the backbone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 building boom. From NEOM and the Red Sea projects to metro lines, housing compounds and road networks, millions of workers — many from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, the Philippines and Egypt — spend long days on Saudi job sites. Yet many of them do not fully understand the Saudi Labor Law working hours system, or how much overtime they are legally owed.
This guide explains, in plain language, how the law limits daily and weekly hours, what breaks and rest days you are entitled to, how overtime is calculated under Article 107, what changed with the 2025 amendments, and what to do if your employer refuses to pay. If you are still looking for a job in the Kingdom, see our guide to construction jobs in Saudi Arabia.
Quick note: This article is general information, not legal advice. Your contract, your company’s registered work regulations and ministerial decisions can affect your exact rights. For a specific dispute, contact the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) or a licensed Saudi lawyer.
Table of Contents
- Which Law Sets Saudi Labor Law Working Hours?
- Standard Saudi Labor Law Working Hours (Article 98)
- When Saudi Labor Law Working Hours Can Go Up or Down
- Breaks, Prayer Time and the 12-Hour Site Limit
- Weekly Rest Day and Public Holidays
- Ramadan Saudi Labor Law Working Hours
- Overtime Pay in Saudi Arabia: The Article 107 Formula
- Worked Example: Calculating a Construction Worker’s Overtime
- Overtime Limits: 720 Hours a Year
- Time Off Instead of Overtime Pay (2025 Amendment)
- The Summer Midday Work Ban
- Penalties for Breaking Saudi Labor Law Working Hours Rules
- How to Claim Unpaid Overtime: Step-by-Step
- Practical Tips for Workers and Employers
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which Law Sets Saudi Labor Law Working Hours?
Private-sector construction workers — both Saudi nationals and expatriates — are covered by the Saudi Labor Law, issued by Royal Decree No. M/51 dated 23/08/1426H (2005). It is supported by its Implementing Regulations and by ministerial decisions issued by the MHRSD.
The most recent major update came through amendments that took effect on 19 February 2025. These changes touched contracts, leave and overtime compensation, but the core Saudi Labor Law working hours limits stayed the same.
Domestic workers (house drivers, housemaids and similar roles) follow a separate regulation and the Musaned platform. The Saudi Labor Law working hours rules below apply to company-employed construction staff, not household workers.
2. Standard Saudi Labor Law Working Hours (Article 98)
Article 98 is the foundation of the Saudi Labor Law working hours system. It sets the maximum actual working time at:
| Saudi Labor Law working hours standard | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Daily standard | 8 hours per day |
| Weekly standard | 48 hours per week |
| Ramadan (Muslim workers) | 6 hours per day / 36 hours per week |
Your employer chooses whether the establishment runs on the daily or the weekly standard, and this choice is recorded in the company’s work regulations. It matters a lot for overtime:
- Daily standard:Â every hour you work beyond 8 hours in a day is overtime.
- Weekly standard:Â hours beyond 48 in the week are overtime, even if no single day went past 8 hours.
The Saudi Labor Law working hours rules do not fix your start and finish times (for example, 6 am to 3 pm). They only fix the maximum. A contractor can start early to avoid the heat, as long as the totals stay within the limits.
3. When Saudi Labor Law Working Hours Can Go Up or Down
Not every job has exactly the same ceiling. Under Article 99, the Minister may raise the limit to 9 hours a day for certain categories of workers or types of work, or reduce it to 7 hours for work that is especially hazardous or tiring. Some heavy or dangerous construction activities can therefore fall under lower Saudi Labor Law working hours.
For companies that run shifts — common on large infrastructure and 24-hour concreting projects — the employer may, with MHRSD approval, schedule more than 8 hours on some days. The condition is that the average over three weeks must not exceed 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week.
If your site works in rotating shifts, ask HR whether this approval exists. Without it, the normal Saudi Labor Law working hours apply.
4. Breaks, Prayer Time and the 12-Hour Site Limit (Articles 101–102)
Construction work is physically demanding, so the rest rules are just as important as the hour limits:
- No more than 5 continuous hours:Â you cannot be made to work more than five hours in a row without a break.
- Minimum 30-minute break:Â each break must be at least half an hour, for rest, prayer and meals.
- Breaks are not counted: under Article 102, rest periods are not part of actual Saudi Labor Law working hours.
- 12-hour presence limit:Â a worker must not remain at the workplace for more than 12 hours in a day. This covers total time on site, including breaks and overtime.
In practice, a construction worker could work 8 hours plus some overtime, take the required breaks, and still must leave the site within 12 hours of arriving.
5. Weekly Rest Day and Public Holidays
Weekly rest
Every worker is entitled to one full paid rest day of 24 consecutive hours each week. Friday is the normal rest day, but an employer may give some workers a different day after notifying the labour office.
The MHRSD has made it clear that employers cannot replace the weekly day off with cash. A contractor cannot simply say “work every Friday and we’ll pay you extra” as a permanent arrangement — the rest day itself is a right under the Saudi Labor Law working hours framework.
Public holidays
Private-sector workers get paid holidays for Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Founding Day (22 February) and National Day (23 September). If you work on one of these days, or on your weekly rest day, every hour counts as overtime from the first hour — not just the hours after the eighth.
6. Ramadan Saudi Labor Law Working Hours
During Ramadan, Saudi Labor Law working hours for Muslim workers drop to a maximum of 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week. For a construction worker on the daily standard, the 7th hour in a Ramadan day is already overtime.
Non-Muslim workers are not automatically covered by the Ramadan reduction under Article 98, although many contractors reduce hours site-wide for practical and safety reasons. Check your company’s announcement each year.
7. Overtime Pay in Saudi Arabia: The Article 107 Formula
This is where most construction workers lose money. Many people believe overtime is simply “basic hourly rate × 1.5”. That shortcut is only correct when your whole salary is basic pay with no allowances.
Article 107, read together with Ministerial Resolution No. 178743 (1440H), says that for each hour worked beyond the Saudi Labor Law working hours limit, the employer must pay:
Hourly wage (calculated on your total wage, including allowances) + 50% of your basic hourly wage
In other words:
Overtime hour = (Total monthly wage ÷ monthly hours) + 0.5 × (Basic monthly wage ÷ monthly hours)
Most construction pay slips are split into basic salary + housing allowance + transport allowance (sometimes food or site allowance too). Using only the basic salary for the whole calculation underpays you.
The number of monthly hours used to convert a monthly salary into an hourly rate depends on your company’s work regulation. A common approach is 30 days × 8 hours = 240 hours.
8. Worked Example: Calculating a Construction Worker’s Overtime
Take a steel fixer with this monthly pay:
| Pay item | Amount (SAR) |
|---|---|
| Basic salary | 1,500 |
| Housing allowance | 375 |
| Transport allowance | 125 |
| Total wage | 2,000 |
Using 240 working hours per month:
- Hourly total wage: 2,000 ÷ 240 = SAR 8.33
- Hourly basic wage: 1,500 ÷ 240 = SAR 6.25
- 50% premium on basic: 6.25 × 0.5 = SAR 3.13
- Overtime rate per hour:Â 8.33 + 3.13 =Â SAR 11.46
If he works 2 hours beyond normal Saudi Labor Law working hours for 20 days (40 overtime hours), he is owed about:
40 × 11.46 = SAR 458 in overtime for the month.
The common shortcut of 1.5 × basic hourly rate (6.25 × 1.5 = SAR 9.38 per hour) would give only about SAR 375. The difference — around SAR 83 a month, or nearly SAR 1,000 a year — is money the worker is legally owed.
Eid example: if the same worker is called in for 8 hours on Eid, all 8 hours are overtime: 8 × 11.46 = SAR 92, on top of his normal monthly salary.
9. Overtime Limits: 720 Hours a Year and Exceptional Cases
Overtime is not unlimited. The MHRSD has stated that overtime is capped at 720 hours per year, and that this can be exceeded only with the worker’s own approval. That is roughly 60 hours a month, or about 2–3 hours beyond the normal Saudi Labor Law working hours on each working day.
Article 106 also allows the employer, in specific situations, to temporarily raise actual working time to up to 10 hours a day or 60 hours a week. These include:
- preventing or repairing the effects of an accident or serious breakdown;
- urgent work or exceptional work pressure;
- stocktaking, closing accounts and similar annual tasks (limited to about 30 days a year);
- religious seasons and occasions approved by the Minister.
Two key points for construction workers:
- These exceptions are temporary — they cannot be used all year round to justify 10-hour days.
- Even under these exceptions, extra hours are still paid as overtime under Article 107.
10. Time Off Instead of Overtime Pay (2025 Amendment)
The February 2025 amendments added a new option. With the worker’s consent, an employer may compensate hours worked beyond Saudi Labor Law working hours with paid days off instead of cash.
This can be useful during slow periods between projects or before annual leave travel home. But remember:
- It requires your agreement — it cannot be forced on you.
- Get the arrangement in writing, including how many hours were converted and when you will take the leave.
- If the leave is never granted, the overtime remains a wage claim you can pursue.
11. The Summer Midday Work Ban for Outdoor Workers
Heat is the biggest hazard on Saudi construction sites, where summer temperatures can pass 50°C. Every year, the MHRSD enforces a midday outdoor work ban:
- Period:Â 15 June to 15 September
- Banned hours:Â 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
- Who it covers: private-sector workers doing work under direct sunlight — construction is the main sector affected
The ban was introduced in coordination with the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. Historically, limited exceptions have applied for oil and gas operations and emergency maintenance, and even then employers must take strong heat-protection measures.
Contractors usually shift schedules — for example, starting at 5 or 6 am, stopping before noon and resuming after 3 pm. The midday ban does not remove your right to the normal Saudi Labor Law working hours limits or overtime pay. If the split schedule pushes your time on site beyond the limits, the ordinary rules still apply.
12. Penalties for Breaking Saudi Labor Law Working Hours Rules
The Saudi system enforces working-hour rules through inspections and fines. According to the MHRSD, an employer who makes workers exceed the Article 98 Saudi Labor Law working hours without treating the extra time as overtime can be fined SAR 10,000, multiplied by the number of affected workers.
For a contractor with a crew of 50 workers, a single violation of this kind could reach SAR 500,000. Separate fines apply to midday-ban breaches, unpaid wages and failure to pay through the Wage Protection System.
13. How to Claim Unpaid Overtime: Step-by-Step
If your employer has not paid for hours beyond the Saudi Labor Law working hours limit, there are several official routes. Most are now digital.
Step 1: Collect your evidence
- Your employment contract (registered on Qiwa)
- Pay slips and bank statements
- Records of your actual hours: attendance sheets, site logs, photos, messages from supervisors asking you to stay late
- Any written overtime approvals
Step 2: Check your salary records
Private-sector salaries are tracked through the Wage Protection System (WPS) via the Mudad platform. Compare what was deposited in your bank with what you were owed.
Step 3: File a complaint with the MHRSD
You can file through: – the 19911 MHRSD hotline, – the Qiwa platform or the MHRSD app, or – the hrsd.gov.sa website or your nearest labour office.
Step 4: Friendly Settlement
Your case first goes to the MHRSD’s Friendly Settlement service, which tries to resolve the dispute through mediation, usually within about three weeks.
Step 5: Labour Court
If settlement fails, the MHRSD refers the case to the Labour Court, which can order the employer to pay.
Step 6: Direct enforcement for unpaid wages
Employees with an active Qiwa contract can now seek direct enforcement through the Najiz system for clear wage non-payment, using WPS records as proof. This was rolled out in phases, reaching all indefinite Qiwa contracts from August 2026.
Important timing rules
- Act quickly — labour claims should generally be filed within 12 months of the right arising.
- Do not leave Saudi Arabia before filing. It is far harder to pursue a claim from abroad.
The International Labour Organization’s Saudi Arabia labour profile also summarises the Kingdom’s complaint and dispute-resolution system.
14. Practical Tips for Construction Workers and Employers
For construction workers
- Know your basic vs. total wage. Ask HR for a written breakdown.
- Keep your own record of hours every day — a notebook or phone note is useful evidence.
- Check your Friday and Eid pay. Every hour on those days is overtime.
- Never sign blank papers or documents waiving overtime.
- Use Qiwa to confirm your contract matches what you were promised.
For more on your contract and visa, read our guide to visa sponsorship jobs in the Gulf.
For contracting companies and HR teams
- Declare in your work regulations whether you use the daily or weekly Saudi Labor Law working hours standard.
- Calculate overtime on the total wage plus 50% of basic, not just 1.5 × basic.
- Track the 720-hour annual cap per worker.
- Plan summer schedules around the 12 pm–3 pm ban well before 15 June.
- Put any time-off-in-lieu agreements in writing with the worker’s signature.
- Pay on time through WPS — late wages now carry faster enforcement risk.
15. Frequently Asked Questions
What are the normal Saudi Labor Law working hours for construction workers?
The standard Saudi Labor Law working hours are 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week. During Ramadan, Muslim workers work a maximum of 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week.
How is overtime pay calculated in Saudi Arabia?
Each hour beyond the Saudi Labor Law working hours limit is paid at your hourly total wage (including allowances) plus 50% of your basic hourly wage, under Article 107.
Is working on Friday overtime in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. If Friday is your weekly rest day, or if you work on a public holiday such as Eid or National Day, all hours worked that day are overtime.
What is the maximum overtime allowed per year?
The MHRSD caps overtime at 720 hours per year, which can be exceeded only with the worker’s approval.
Can my employer give me leave instead of overtime money?
Since the February 2025 amendments, yes — but only if you agree. Make sure it is documented in writing.
Do Saudi Labor Law working hours change in summer?
The daily and weekly limits stay the same, but outdoor work under direct sunlight is banned from 12 pm to 3 pm between 15 June and 15 September.
Where can I complain if my overtime is not paid?
Call 19911, use the Qiwa platform or MHRSD app, or visit a labour office. Unresolved cases go to the Labour Court.
Can I be forced to stay more than 12 hours on site?
No. Article 101 says a worker should not remain at the workplace for more than 12 hours in a day, including breaks.
Final Thoughts
The Saudi Labor Law working hours framework gives construction workers clear protections: an 8-hour day, regular breaks, a protected weekly rest day, a summer midday ban, and overtime calculated on the full wage plus a 50% premium on basic pay. The problem is rarely the law itself — it is that many workers do not know how to check their pay, and some employers rely on that.
If you work on a Saudi construction site, learn the Saudi Labor Law working hours limits and the Article 107 formula, keep a record of your hours, and use Qiwa and the 19911 hotline if something is wrong. If you manage a construction workforce, getting overtime and scheduling right is not just about avoiding fines — it is how you keep skilled workers safe, productive and on your projects for the long term. Planning a move? Compare options in our Middle East jobs guide.