Working hours and rest in the Saudi Labour Law: a guide for shift rosters

The rules at a glance

The limits below are actual working hours. Breaks for rest, prayer and food are not counted in them (Article 102).

Daily and weekly limits (Article 98)

Article 98: a worker may not actually work more than 8 hours a day if the employer uses the daily standard, or more than 48 hours a week if the employer uses the weekly standard. In Ramadan, actual working hours for Muslims are reduced to no more than 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week.

Article 107(2) adds that when work runs on the weekly standard, the hours above it count as overtime. Our reading: under the daily standard, hours above 8 in a day are overtime; under the weekly standard, what counts is the total for the week.

When the limits can change (Articles 99 and 100)

Article 99 allows the daily limit to be raised to 9 hours for some categories of workers or for work that is not continuous, and cut to 7 hours for some hazardous or harmful work. The Minister names those categories by decision, so check whether your sector is covered before planning 9-hour days.

Article 100 matters most for 24/7 operations. Where the nature of the work needs rotating shifts, the employer may, with the Ministry's approval, go above 8 hours a day or 48 a week, as long as the average over three weeks or less stays within 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week.

Our reading on 12-hour shifts: under the daily standard they go past both 8 and 9 hours, so they need the Article 100 route. Under the weekly standard, Article 98 sets only a weekly cap, but Article 101 still caps time at the workplace at 12 hours. We have not found an official answer on whether 12-hour shifts under the weekly standard need Article 100 approval, so confirm with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development before relying on them.

Breaks and time at the workplace (Articles 101–103)

Article 101 (as amended in 1436H): working hours and breaks are arranged so that no worker works more than 5 hours in a row without a break for rest, prayer and food of at least half an hour each time, and no worker stays at the workplace more than 12 hours in a day.

Article 102: these breaks are not counted as actual working hours. During them the worker is not under the employer's authority, and the employer may not require the worker to stay at the workplace.

Article 103: the Minister can name cases and jobs that must run without a break for technical or operating reasons. In those, the employer must still give time for prayer, food and rest, arranged by the facility during work.

• Any shift longer than 5 hours needs at least one break of 30 minutes or more.
• Breaks are not working hours, so a shift spans more than its working time: 8 actual hours with a 30-minute break span 8.5 hours.
• A 12-hour shift uses the whole Article 101 allowance for time at the workplace, so there is no room for a late handover.

The weekly rest day (Articles 104 and 105)

Article 104: Friday is the weekly rest day for all workers. After notifying the competent labour office, the employer may give some workers another day of the week instead, and must let them carry out their religious duties. The weekly rest day may not be replaced with cash. It is fully paid and lasts at least 24 hours in a row.

Article 105: in places far from towns, and in work that has to run continuously, weekly rest days can be grouped for up to 8 weeks, if the employer and the workers agree and the Ministry approves. The grouped rest counts from the hour the workers reach the nearest town with transport until the hour they return to it.

• If your team works 7 days a week with rotating days off, that is the "another day" route in Article 104, which needs a notice to the labour office.
• Give each person a rest of at least 24 hours in a row every week. A rest day cannot be bought back with extra pay.
• Our reading: count the 24 hours from the end of one shift to the start of the next, so a night shift that ends on the morning of the day off eats into it.

Overtime: when it is allowed and how it is paid (Articles 106 and 107)

Article 106 lets the employer go past the limits in Articles 98 and 101 and the Friday rule in Article 104(1) only in these cases: annual inventory, preparing the budget, liquidation, closing the accounts, preparing for discount sales or for seasons (no more than 30 days a year); preventing a dangerous accident, repairing its damage, or avoiding a certain loss of perishable materials; facing unusual pressure of work; and Eids, seasons, occasions and seasonal work set by ministerial decision. In all of these, actual hours may not go above 10 a day or 60 a week, and the Minister sets the yearly maximum of overtime hours.

Article 107 (amended by Royal Decree M/44 of 8/2/1446H, in force from 20/8/1446H): overtime is paid at the hourly wage plus 50% of the basic wage. With the worker's agreement, the employer may give paid compensatory days off instead of overtime pay; the implementing regulation sets the details. Under the weekly standard, hours above it are overtime, and all hours worked on holidays and Eids are overtime.

Article 2 defines the basic wage as everything paid to the worker for the work under a written or unwritten contract, plus periodic raises. The actual wage is the basic wage plus other increments, such as allowances for effort or risk. Our reading of Article 107: allowances count in the hourly wage but not in the 50% premium, so with no allowances the overtime hour is 1.5 times the basic hourly rate. The law does not fix how to turn a monthly wage into an hourly one.

Turning the rules into a roster

A short checklist to run before you publish a month:

• Pick the daily (8 hours) or the weekly (48 hours) standard, and build shift lengths to fit it.
• Keep work blocks to 5 hours or less between breaks of at least 30 minutes, and time at the workplace to 12 hours or less.
• Give everyone a weekly rest of at least 24 hours in a row. If it is not Friday, notify the labour office.
• Lower the limits for Muslim staff in Ramadan: 6 hours a day or 36 a week.
• For 24/7 shifts longer than 8 hours, check the Article 100 route: Ministry approval, and an average within 8 a day or 48 a week over 3 weeks or less.
• Record overtime and holiday hours separately, so they are paid at the Article 107 rate or given as compensatory leave with the worker's agreement.

Where Rosterna helps

Rosterna builds monthly rosters from your coverage needs, rest rules, fairness and staff preferences, and you can always edit by hand. You set the rules, such as the maximum hours per week, the minimum rest between shifts and the days off, for each staff group, and you can change them for a single month such as Ramadan. Rosterna applies the rules you set; it does not decide for you which article or standard applies to your business.