How much annual leave in Saudi Arabia are you entitled to, and can your employer postpone it?
Annual leave in Saudi Arabia is at least 21 days a year, rising to at least 30 days once the employee has completed five consecutive years with the same employer. The leave is paid, it is paid in advance, and it cannot be waived or exchanged for cash while the employee is still working. An employer can postpone it only within the limits of Article 110 of the Labor Law.
This guide answers the questions employees and employers ask most often: how many days you get, how Saudi labor law vacation pay works, who decides the dates, when a postponement is lawful, what happens to unused days when the job ends, and what to do if your employer refuses. It is written in plain language and applies to employees in the private sector under the Saudi Labor Law.
Is your employer refusing your leave, or holding days you were never allowed to take? You can send a short summary on WhatsApp and the Al-Safwa Law Firm team will review your contract, your leave balance and the dates in confidence before you take any step.
Table of Contents
Annual leave in Saudi Arabia at a glance
| Topic | Rule | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum entitlement | 21 days a year | Labor Law, Article 109 |
| After five consecutive years with the employer | At least 30 days a year | Labor Law, Article 109 |
| When it is taken | In the year in which it is due | Article 109 |
| Payment | Paid in advance | Article 109 |
| Cash instead of leave during service | Not allowed, and the employee cannot give up the right | Article 109 |
| Postponement | By agreement to the next year, or by the employer for up to 90 days if work requires it | Article 110 |
| Unused days when the job ends | The employee is paid for the accrued days | Article 111 |
How many days of annual leave do you get in Saudi Arabia
21 days for most employees
The Labor Law sets a minimum of 21 days of paid annual leave for each year of service. A contract or a company policy may give more, but it may not give less. If your contract says 15 or 18 days, the legal minimum still applies.
30 days after five consecutive years
When an employee completes five consecutive years in the service of the same employer, the minimum rises to 30 days. The word “consecutive” matters: the increase is linked to continuous service with one employer, so employees who change employers start counting again. If you are unsure whether your service counts as continuous, for example after a transfer of sponsorship, ask the employer for a written service record.
Is annual leave paid in Saudi Arabia
Yes. Annual leave is paid leave, and the law says it is paid in advance, which means you should receive the leave pay before you go on leave rather than waiting for the next salary date. This is the core of Saudi labor law vacation pay: the employee does not lose income because of the leave, and the employer cannot treat the leave as unpaid time.
If an employee works only part of a year, the leave pay is calculated in proportion to the time worked in that year. The exact amount depends on the wage defined in the contract and the law, so employees should ask for a written calculation instead of accepting a verbal figure.
Who decides when you take annual leave
The general rule in Article 109 is that the employee enjoys the leave in the year in which it is due. In practice, the employer arranges leave dates according to the needs of the work, and employees usually submit a request through the HR system. A sensible employer agrees dates in writing and records them. Problems start when the dates are never agreed and the days simply pile up, which is where Article 110 and the rules on postponement become important.
Can an employer postpone annual leave under Article 110
Article 110 allows postponement in two situations only. It treats postponement as an exception to the rule that leave is taken in the year it is earned.
Postponement at the employee’s request
An employee may, with the employer’s approval, postpone the whole leave or some of its days to the following year. A common example is an employee who wants to combine two years of leave for a long trip or a family event. The law speaks about “the following year”, so the carry-over is not open-ended.
Postponement by the employer’s decision
If work conditions require it, the employer may postpone the leave after the end of the year in which it was earned for a period of no more than 90 days. This is an exceptional power. It needs a real business reason, such as a seasonal peak or a project deadline, and it cannot be used as a general way to avoid giving leave.
Postponement after 90 days
If work conditions still require postponement after the 90 days, the employer needs the employee’s written consent. Even with that consent, the postponement cannot go beyond the end of the year that follows the year in which the leave was earned.
| Situation | Who decides | Condition | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postponement requested by the employee | Employee, with the employer’s approval | Employer agrees | The following year |
| Postponement because of work needs | Employer | Work conditions require it | Up to 90 days after the end of the year of entitlement |
| Continued postponement after 90 days | Employer and employee together | Written consent of the employee | End of the following year |
| Postponement after 90 days without consent | Not allowed | None | Breach of the Labor Law |
According to the explanatory material published on the Labor Law amendments that took effect in February 2025, Article 110 was not among the articles amended. You should still check the current text on the Bureau of Experts platform before relying on any wording.
Can annual leave in Saudi Arabia be carried over for more than one year
No. The ceiling in Article 110 is the end of the year following the year of entitlement. Saving leave for several years does not fit the purpose of Articles 109 and 110, which is to make sure the employee actually rests. In reality, balances do build up. In that case the employee’s right to be paid for the days does not disappear when the relationship ends, because Article 111 gives the employee the wage for accrued leave days that were not used. How far back a claim for very old leave can go is assessed by the labour court on the evidence and the circumstances of each case.
Can you give up your annual leave or take cash instead
Postponing leave and giving it up are very different. Postponement moves the leave to a later date and the right stays alive. Giving it up cancels the right, and the law does not allow it. Under Article 109 the employee may not waive the leave or accept cash in place of it during service. A paper signed by an employee who is still working, saying that he or she gives up the leave in return for a sum of money, does not match the Labor Law and does not remove the right.
What happens to unused annual leave when you leave the job
When the employment ends for any reason, the employee is entitled to the wage for the accrued leave days that were not used, including a proportional share for the part of the year already worked. This applies whether the employee resigned, was terminated or completed a fixed-term contract. The payment is a separate item from the end-of-service award, so it should appear as its own line in the final settlement. Our guide to end of service benefits under the Saudi Labor Law explains the award itself.
Practical examples of postponing annual leave in Saudi Arabia
Example 1: the employee asks to combine leave
An employee is entitled to 21 days for the current year and wants to add them to next year’s leave to travel for 42 days. He submits a written request and the employer approves it. This is a valid postponement under Article 110, and the approval should be saved by email or in the HR system.
Example 2: a peak season in a retail company
An employee’s entitlement year ended on 31 December and the company is in a sales season. The company may postpone her leave until about the end of March, which is roughly 90 days. If the company needs to postpone until June, it must obtain her written consent.
Example 3: postponement without any approval
An employer postpones an employee’s leave for eight months after the end of the entitlement year without any written approval. The employer has gone beyond the 90-day limit. The employee can ask to be allowed to take the leave or, if the relationship has ended before it was used, claim its wage.
Tips before you agree to postpone your leave
- Get everything in writing. Written consent is a legal condition after the 90 days and it is your evidence if there is a dispute.
- Fix a new date. Do not accept an open-ended postponement. Ask for the new leave dates to be stated.
- Review your balance every year. Keep a statement of your leave balance from the HR system or from Qiwa.
- Do not sign a “sale” of your leave. A signed waiver does not cancel your right, but it can create confusion later.
What to do if your employer refuses or delays your annual leave
- Send a written request. Write to the HR department asking for the dates of your leave, and refer to Article 110 if the delay is longer than the law allows.
- Keep proof. Save the request, the replies, your payslips and the leave balance statement.
- Use the amicable settlement service. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development offers a free amicable settlement service for labour disputes. If no settlement is reached, the case can be sent to the labour court.
- File the claim through the labour court. The steps are explained in our guide to the labour court in Saudi Arabia.
Our labour lawyer in Jeddah team can review your contract and leave records, and our labor case lawyer service handles claims for unpaid leave and other wage entitlements.
What role do your contract and the work regulations play
Article 110 sets minimum limits to protect the employee. A contract or the company’s work regulations may add procedures, for example a standard postponement form or a deadline for submitting leave requests. They may not give the employer a wider power than 90 days without the employee’s consent, and they may not allow leave to be carried beyond the end of the following year. In general, a clause that contradicts the Labor Law is void unless it is more favourable to the employee. A rule such as “unused leave expires at the end of the year” therefore does not cancel the employee’s right to take the leave or to be paid for it when the job ends.
Other types of leave are separate from annual leave
Annual leave in Saudi Arabia is only one of several leave rights in the Labor Law. Sick leave, maternity leave and the paid holidays for Eid and national occasions follow their own articles. You can read about them in our guides to sick leave in Saudi Arabia and maternity leave in Saudi Arabia. For the wider picture, see our overview of the Saudi Labor Law and its key amendments.
Frequently Asked Questions about annual leave in Saudi Arabia
How many days of annual leave in Saudi Arabia is an employee entitled to?
At least 21 days a year. After five consecutive years of service with the same employer the minimum becomes 30 days a year.
Is annual leave paid in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. Annual leave is paid, and the law says the leave pay is paid in advance.
Can my employer postpone my annual leave?
Yes, but only within Article 110: by agreement to the next year, or by the employer for up to 90 days if work requires it. After 90 days the employer needs your written consent.
Can I take cash instead of annual leave?
Not while you are working. The law does not allow the employee to give up the leave or to receive cash in place of it during service.
What happens to my unused leave if I resign or I am terminated?
You are entitled to the wage for the accrued days you did not use, including a proportional share for the part of the year you worked.
What can I do if my employer refuses my annual leave?
Send a written request, keep the evidence, and use the amicable settlement service of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. If there is no settlement, the dispute can go to the labour court.
This guide covered annual leave in Saudi Arabia from the legal side: the 21 and 30-day entitlements, how leave pay works, the limits on postponement under Article 110, and what happens to unused days when the job ends. If you have a question about a real situation, contact us through the WhatsApp button at the bottom of the screen.
Sources:
- Labor Law – Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers (Arabic)
- Annual Leave – Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development
- Guide to Labor Law amendment enquiries – Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (Arabic)
- Amicable settlement service – Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (Arabic)
A legal advisor holding a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the prestigious Cairo University. He possesses extensive experience spanning over 25 years in criminal, civil, and family law, during which he has achieved notable accomplishments that have solidified his reputation as a valuable asset to any legal team
