Annual leave in Qatar: how many days and how it is paid

How many days of annual leave do you get in Qatar?

Article 79 of the Qatar Labour Law (Law No. 14 of 2004) gives paid annual leave to a worker who has completed one full year of continuous service with the employer. The minimum depends on your service:

The law counts leave in weeks, so the weekly rest days fall inside it. That is why 3 weeks are 21 calendar days, not 21 working days. Your contract may give more, and then the contract applies (Article 4). It can never give less.

Parts of a year count too. Article 79 says leave is due for fractions of the year in proportion to the time served. After your first full year, a part year is simple: 4 months at 21 days a year is 7 days.

The first year is the grey area. Leave is earned after one full year, and the law does not clearly say that a worker who leaves before 12 months is paid for the months worked. If your employer does not pay it, ask the Ministry of Labour.

Is leave salary paid on basic or gross salary in Qatar?

On the basic wage. Article 72 says the pay for annual leave, sick leave and the end-of-service gratuity is worked out on the basic wage on the date it falls due. The basic wage is the rate paid for your work plus annual increments only (Article 1). Housing, transport and other allowances are not part of it.

Many websites say leave salary in Qatar is paid on the full salary. That is true only when the contract says so. If yours does, it applies, because it gives you more.

The formula is: basic monthly wage ÷ 30 × leave days.

Example 1: 21 days on a basic of QAR 6,000. Housing is QAR 2,000.

• A day of basic wage: 6,000 ÷ 30 = QAR 200.
• Leave salary: 200 × 21 = QAR 4,200.
• If the contract pays leave on the full wage of QAR 8,000, the same 21 days are worth QAR 5,600.

Example 2: 28 days after 5 years. Basic wage QAR 9,000.

• A day of basic wage: 9,000 ÷ 30 = QAR 300.
• Leave salary: 300 × 28 = QAR 8,400.

The law also says the employer pays the leave salary, and the wage earned up to the day you go, before the leave starts (Article 68).

Can you carry forward annual leave in Qatar?

Only half of it. The employer sets the dates of your leave to suit the work, and may split it into at most two parts with your consent. At your written request, the employer may move up to half of a year's leave to the next year (Article 80).

You cannot give up your leave. Any agreement to the contrary is void (Article 81). The law does not provide for selling your leave for cash while you keep working.

1. 1Ask for your dates in writing
2. 2Get the leave salary before you go
3. 3Ask in writing to move up to half
4. 4Check the balance on your last pay slip

Is unused leave paid when you leave your job?

Yes. Article 81 gives you cash equal to your wage for the leave days due if the contract ends "for any reason" before you have taken them. That includes resigning, the end of a fixed-term contract and dismissal, even dismissal under Article 61. Article 61 takes away the notice and the gratuity, not your leave.

Article 81 says "wage", but Article 72 sets leave pay on the basic wage, and the cash is usually worked out the same way. If your contract pays leave on the full wage, that applies.

Example 3: leaving part way through a year. Basic wage QAR 4,500. Joined 1 January 2023, last day 30 April 2026. All the leave of the first 3 years was taken.

• The new service year began on 1 January 2026, so it has 120 days.
• Leave earned: 21 × 120 ÷ 365 = 6.9 days.
• Pay: 4,500 ÷ 30 = QAR 150 a day, × 21 × 120 ÷ 365 = QAR 1,035.62.

Work out your own leave salary →

The leave cash is part of your final settlement, together with your wages, the gratuity and any notice pay. See final settlement in Qatar.

Other leave rules worth knowing

• No dismissal during leave. The employer may not end your contract or give you notice while you are on any leave, or give notice that would end during a leave (Article 85).
• Working elsewhere on leave. If you work for another employer during your annual leave, you can lose the leave pay (Article 84).
• Public holidays are separate. Article 78 gives 3 working days for Eid al-Fitr, 3 for Eid al-Adha, 1 for National Day and 3 set by the employer, all on full pay. Work on them is paid as overtime; see the Qatar overtime calculator.
• Law No. 9 of 2026. It changed part-time work, strikes and other areas. The Ministry's summary and the law firm reviews we read do not show any change to the leave articles.

Mistakes people make

1. Adding allowances to the leave salary. The law uses the basic wage. Only your contract can give more.
2. Counting 21 working days. Leave is given in weeks, so rest days are inside it.
3. Moving a whole year of leave. Only half can move, and only at your written request.
4. Thinking dismissal cancels leave pay. Unused leave is paid whatever the reason the contract ends.
5. Mixing leave with gratuity. Both use "3 weeks a year", but they are two separate rights.

This is an estimate under the published law, not legal advice. The Ministry of Labour or a court gives the final figure.

Questions people ask about annual leave in Qatar

How many days of annual leave do I get in Qatar? At least 21 days a year under 5 years of service and 28 days from 5 years (Article 79).

Is annual leave in Qatar paid on basic salary? Yes, on the basic wage by law (Article 72), unless your contract pays more.

Do I get my leave salary if I resign? Yes. Unused leave is paid in cash when the contract ends for any reason (Article 81).

Can my employer refuse my leave? The employer chooses the dates to suit the work (Article 80), but cannot take the leave away from you (Article 81).

Does my annual leave increase after 5 years? Yes, from 3 weeks to at least 4 weeks a year.

Sources

• Qatar Labour Law No. 14 of 2004, consolidated text (Al Meezan) (Articles 1, 4, 68, 72, 78 to 81, 84, 85)
• Gulf Times, calculation of leave wage
• Gulf Times, annual leave entitlement
• Crowell, key amendments of Law No. 9 of 2026

This guide is general information, checked in November 2026. Rules can change, so confirm with the Ministry of Labour.