Annual leave, overtime and public holidays in Qatar: what the Labour Law says

How much annual leave do you get?

You earn annual leave once you complete a full year of continuous service with your employer (Article 79). The law sets a minimum: your contract can give you more, and any term that gives you less is void (Article 4).

• - The employer sets the dates according to the needs of the work. With your agreement, it may split the leave into no more than two parts (Article 80).
• - At your written request, the employer may carry over up to half of the year's leave to the following year (Article 80).
• - You may not work for another employer during any leave. If you do, the employer may withhold your pay for that leave and recover what it paid (Article 84).
• - The employer may not end your contract or give you notice while you are on leave, or give notice that would run out during your leave (Article 85).

How is leave paid, and can you cash it in?

Annual leave is paid at your basic wage on the date the leave falls due. If you are paid by the piece, it is your average pay over the previous three months (Articles 72 and 79). Basic wage leaves out allowances, but your contract may be more generous.

Example: your basic wage is QAR 6,000 and 21 days of leave are due but not taken when your contract ends. The Labour Law counts a month as 30 days (Article 8), so the cash in lieu is QAR 6,000 ÷ 30 × 21 = QAR 4,200.

The law does not provide for cashing in leave while the contract continues. It provides cash in lieu only when the contract ends before you have taken the leave.

What are normal working hours, including in Ramadan?

Normal working hours are capped at eight a day, or six a day in Ramadan (Article 73).

• - Working hours must include one or more breaks for prayer, rest and meals, of one to three hours in total, which do not count as working time. You should not work more than five hours in a row (Article 73).
• - Travel between home and work does not count as working time (Article 73).
• - The employer must post a schedule of working hours, breaks and the weekly rest day where workers can see it (Article 77).
• - The rules on hours, overtime and weekly rest do not apply to senior staff who hold the employer's powers over workers (Article 76). Guards, cleaners, firefighters and staff doing preparatory or finishing work keep the 48-hour and 36-hour limits, with overtime capped at 12 hours a week (Ministerial Decision No. 11 of 2005).
• - From 1 June to 15 September, work in the sun or in open workplaces is not allowed between 10 am and 3:30 pm (Ministerial Decision No. 17 of 2021).

How are overtime, Friday work and holiday work paid?

Overtime means hours beyond the normal hours in Article 73. The law sets the minimum pay for it:

Example: if your basic wage works out at QAR 20 an hour, each overtime hour pays at least QAR 25, and each hour between 9 pm and 3 am at least QAR 30. The law does not say how to convert a monthly wage into an hourly rate, so check your contract and payslips.

• - The weekly rest is paid and lasts at least 24 hours in a row. Friday is the normal rest day for all workers except shift workers (Article 75).
• - Except for shift workers, no one may be made to work more than two Fridays in a row (Article 75).
• - Breaking the rules on working hours, overtime, weekly rest or the posted schedule is punishable by a fine of QAR 2,000 to 5,000 (Article 144).

Which public holidays do private-sector workers get?

A worker under the Labour Law is entitled to ten holiday days a year on full pay (Article 78):

Law No. 9 of 2026 replaced Independence Day with the State's National Day in item 3 of Article 78. Emiri Decision No. 57 of 2025 fixes National Day on 18 December.

Government holidays are longer and include National Sport Day on the second Tuesday of February. But Article 6 of the same Emiri decision says the private sector follows the Labour Law. The Ministry of Labour usually announces each Eid holiday for the private sector.

When should you speak to a lawyer?

These situations are worth a legal review:

• - You have not been given your annual leave for more than a year, or you were asked to give it up.
• - Your final settlement leaves out unused leave, or calculates it on a wage you think is wrong.
• - You regularly work more than ten hours a day, or your overtime does not appear on your payslips.
• - You worked on Fridays or official holidays without a replacement rest day or extra pay.
• - Your contract sets hours, leave or overtime pay below what the law requires.
• - It is nearly a year since your contract ended. Claims lapse after that (Article 10).

Claims for leave pay or overtime follow the same route as claims for unpaid wages. See our guide on unpaid salary in Qatar.

Questions people ask