Saudi Labor Law Leave Calculator 2026, Annual and Sick Leave

Most private-sector employees in Saudi Arabia don't know their actual annual leave balance, or how their pay changes if they're sick for more than a month. The law itself is clear — the gap is in applying it precisely instead of guessing. This calculator builds the entitlement directly from the text of Articles 109 and 117 of the Saudi Labor Law.

Annual Leave, Article 109

The article's text is explicit:

"The worker is entitled to an annual leave of not less than twenty-one days for each year, increased to not less than thirty days if the worker has spent five consecutive years in the service of the employer."

Additional rules clarified by the law and the Ministry:

• Leave may not be cashed out while employment continues — the employee must actually take it when due.
• The employer must notify the employee of the leave date 30 days in advance.
• Leave (or part of it) may be deferred to the following year with the employer's consent.
• On leaving the job, the employee is entitled to cash compensation for any unused balance (Article 111).

Sick Leave, Article 117

The article's text:

"A worker whose illness is confirmed is entitled to sick leave with full pay for the first thirty days, three-quarters pay for the following sixty days, and without pay for the thirty days after that, within one year."

Key point: the calculation runs "within one year, whether continuous or intermittent" — meaning 15 sick days in January plus 20 more in June within the same year are added together and the tiers applied in sequence, not reset per illness.

Example: an employee earning 9,000 SAR/month is sick for 50 days this year.

• Daily wage: 9,000 ÷ 30 = 300 SAR
• First 30 days (100%): 30 × 300 = 9,000 SAR
• Next 20 days (75%): 20 × 225 = 4,500 SAR
• Total: 13,500 SAR for 50 days of absence

How the Calculator Above Works

• Determines the annual leave balance automatically from years of service (21 or 30 days)
• Computes the cash value of the leave balance on leaving the job (Article 111), if you enter a wage
• Splits the sick days you enter across the three pay tiers automatically (30 / 60 / 30)
• Flags it if the days entered exceed the 120-day ceiling set by Article 117

The calculator runs entirely in your browser and sends no data to any server.

Common Mistakes

Confusing "years of service" with the calendar year: the five-year count in Article 109 is tied to the actual start date of employment with that employer, not the calendar year.

Assuming sick leave resets per illness: as shown above, the count is cumulative within the year — an employee sick for 35 days on two separate occasions doesn't get "30 days at full pay" twice.

Believing annual leave can be swapped for cash while employed: explicitly barred by Article 109; the only exception is leaving the job.

Ignoring the "continuity" condition on years of service: moving between employers, even without a time gap, resets the five-year counter for this specific article (unlike end-of-service gratuity, which is also computed per contract but under its own separate rules).

Practical Questions

Does annual leave include official public holidays? No, public holiday leave (Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, National Day) is separate under other provisions of the law, and this calculator covers only annual and sick leave specifically.

Who decides the annual leave date? The employer sets the date within the limits of the law, but must notify the employee at least 30 days in advance.

Does the probation period count toward years of service for leave purposes? Yes — the probation period is part of the employment contract and actual service duration, and isn't excluded from annual leave entitlement or the five-year threshold.

What if the employer refuses sick leave despite a medical report? This is a clear violation of Article 117 if the illness is confirmed by an accredited medical report, and the employee is entitled to file a complaint with the Labor Office.

Official Sources

• Saudi Labor Law, Bureau of Experts — Saudi Laws Portal
• Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development — Leaves page
• Labor Culture Portal — Leave Conditions and Rules

Read also: End-of-Service Gratuity Calculator · Saudi Labor Law Worker Rights · Saudi Salary Dates 2026, Government Schedule