Overtime pay in the Gulf: rules for all six countries

By Zulu Calculator · Updated 19 October 2026 · Gulf jobs

Every Gulf country pays overtime at more than your normal hourly wage, but the rules differ more than most people expect. Weekday overtime is plus 25% in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, and plus 50% of basic in Saudi Arabia. Rest-day work ranges from plus 50% to plus 150%. The hourly wage itself is worked out in different ways too: on basic or full pay, and dividing the month by 30, by 26 or by 365 ÷ 12 days. The same 10 weekday hours and 8 rest-day hours are worth 24.5 hours of pay in the UAE and Kuwait and 32.5 hours of pay in Qatar and Bahrain.

This guide puts all six countries side by side. For your own figures, use the calculator for your country: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain.

How do Gulf overtime rules compare?

These are the private-sector rules our six calculators use. They are legal minimums: your contract can pay more, but not less.

"Same overtime rate" means the Saudi and Kuwait calculators have one weekday overtime rate for every hour of the day: the articles their pages follow give no separate night rate.

Why does the hourly wage differ between countries?

Every overtime sum starts with your hourly wage, and the countries do not agree on how to get it. Only some of the divisors are written in the law. The rest is common practice.

hourly wage = monthly wage ÷ days in a month ÷ normal hours a day
overtime pay = hours × hourly wage × (1 + extra %)

• ÷ 30 days: Saudi Arabia (Article 2 counts a month as 30 days unless the contract says otherwise) and Oman (Article 1). Qatar and Bahrain also divide by 30, but as common practice, not a rule in the law.
• ÷ 26 days: Kuwait. Article 67 divides the wage by the actual working days, leaving out weekly rest days: 26 in a six-day week.
• × 12 ÷ 365: the UAE, as common practice. The UAE law does not write out a formula.
• ÷ 8 hours: dividing by your normal hours a day is practice everywhere, not a formula in any of these laws.

On a basic of 6,000 a month with 8-hour days, that gives 24.66 an hour in the UAE (6,000 × 12 ÷ 365 ÷ 8), 25.00 in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain (6,000 ÷ 30 ÷ 8), and 28.85 in Kuwait (6,000 ÷ 26 ÷ 8). Same salary, three different hourly wages.

Does housing allowance count for overtime in the Gulf?

• UAE and Qatar: no. Overtime is on the basic wage only.
• Oman: on the basic wage, which the law defines as the contract wage plus any periodic allowance (Article 1). Housing, transport and other allowances are part of the gross wage and are left out.
• Kuwait: yes, usually. Article 1 counts the basic wage plus what you regularly get for your work (allowances, commissions) as your wage. Some employers use basic only.
• Saudi Arabia: both. The hourly wage part uses your actual wage (basic plus allowances). The 50% extra is on basic only (Article 107).
• Bahrain: unclear. Article 54 pays overtime on your "wage". Some employers count fixed allowances and some pay on basic only. Check your contract and pay slips.

Worked comparison: 10 weekday hours and 8 rest-day hours

Here is the same month of overtime in each country: 10 hours of daytime overtime on working days, plus one 8-hour shift on your weekly rest day, paid in money. Each uses the example salary from that country's calculator page, with 8-hour normal days.

UAE: basic AED 6,000

• Hourly basic wage: 6,000 × 12 ÷ 365 ÷ 8 = AED 24.6575
• Overtime: 10 × 24.6575 × 1.25 = 10 × 30.8219 = AED 308.22
• Rest day: 8 × 24.6575 × 1.5 = 8 × 36.9863 = AED 295.89
• Total: AED 604.11

Saudi Arabia: basic SAR 6,000 plus SAR 2,000 allowances

• Actual hourly wage: 8,000 ÷ 30 ÷ 8 = SAR 33.3333. Basic hourly wage: 6,000 ÷ 30 ÷ 8 = SAR 25.00
• Overtime hour: 33.3333 + 50% × 25 = SAR 45.8333
• Overtime: 10 × 45.8333 = SAR 458.33. Rest day, paid as overtime: 8 × 45.8333 = SAR 366.67
• Total: SAR 825.00

Qatar: basic QAR 6,000

• Hourly basic wage: 6,000 ÷ 30 ÷ 8 = QAR 25.00
• Overtime: 10 × 25 × 1.25 = QAR 312.50
• Friday: 8 × 25 × 2.5 = QAR 500.00, plus another rest day
• Total: QAR 812.50

Kuwait: basic KWD 300 plus KWD 100 allowances

• Hourly wage: 400 ÷ 26 ÷ 8 = KWD 1.9231
• Overtime: 10 × 1.9231 × 1.25 = 10 × 2.4038 = KWD 24.038
• Rest day: 8 × 1.9231 × 1.5 = 8 × 2.8846 = KWD 23.077, plus another day off
• Total: KWD 47.115

Oman: basic OMR 600

• Daily basic wage: 600 ÷ 30 = OMR 20.000. Hourly: 20 ÷ 8 = OMR 2.500
• Overtime: 10 × 2.5 × 1.25 = OMR 31.250
• Rest day, paid per day not per hour: 1 day × 20 × 100% = OMR 20.000
• Total: OMR 51.250

Bahrain: basic BHD 300 plus BHD 100 allowances

• Hourly wage: 400 ÷ 30 ÷ 8 = BHD 1.6667
• Overtime: 10 × 1.6667 × 1.25 = 10 × 2.0833 = BHD 20.833
• Rest day: 8 × 1.6667 × 2.5 = 8 × 4.1667 = BHD 33.333
• Total: BHD 54.167

The same 18 hours as hours of pay

Money in six currencies is hard to compare, so here is the same month counted in hours of your own hourly wage, for someone paid basic only with no allowances. This is how much the rules themselves are worth, before the divisor and wage base make a difference.

With no allowances, the Saudi overtime hour is 1.5 times the hourly wage, because the actual and basic hourly wages are the same. Oman's rest-day pay is a whole day's basic wage on top, however many hours you work that day. Oman's row counts only that extra, because our Oman calculator treats the day itself as already paid by your monthly salary; the other five rows count the rest-day hours in full plus the extra. Counted the same way as the others (the day's wage plus the 100%), Oman's rest day would be 16 hours of pay, for a total of 28.5. In Qatar and Kuwait the pay comes with another day off as well.

Country by country

UAE

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (Articles 17, 19 and 28). Overtime is the basic-hour wage plus at least 25%, and plus at least 50% between 10 pm and 4 am, except for shift workers. Rest-day work earns a substitute rest day or the pay plus at least 50%. The UAE Ramadan cut is announced by MOHRE each year. Free zones such as DIFC and ADGM have their own laws. UAE overtime calculator.

Saudi Arabia

Labor Law, Royal Decree M/51 (Articles 2, 98, 101, 104, 106 and 107). One overtime rate: the hourly wage plus 50% of the basic hourly wage. All hours on holidays and Eids are overtime; weekly rest-day work is usually treated the same way. Some older summaries give 8 hours a day and 48 a week; our calculator follows the English text of Article 98 published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (9 and 45). Saudi overtime calculator.

Qatar

Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 (Articles 73, 74, 75 and 78). Plus 25% by day and 50% from 9 pm to 6 am, on the basic wage. Friday work earns another rest day and the basic wage plus at least 150%. Our calculator reads that as 2.5 times the hourly wage; some employers read it as 1.5 times. Unless you work shifts, you cannot be made to work two Fridays in a row. Qatar overtime calculator.

Kuwait

Private Sector Labour Law No. 6 of 2010 (Articles 1, 64 to 68). Plus 25% for overtime, plus 50% and a day off for the weekly rest day, double pay and a day off for official holidays. The Article 66 limits (2 hours a day, 3 days a week, 180 hours and 90 days a year) are widely quoted, but we have not yet checked them against the official text. The law is run by the Public Authority for Manpower. Kuwait overtime calculator.

Oman

Labour Law, Royal Decree 53/2023 (Articles 1, 70, 71 and 72). Overtime you agree to is plus 25% by day and plus 50% at night (9 pm to 5 am), or equal time off. Overtime without your consent is only allowed in listed cases such as stock-taking or urgent work, and pays more: plus 50% by day, plus 75% at night, and 200% of the daily basic wage (or two rest days) for a rest day or holiday. Oman overtime calculator.

Bahrain

Labour Law for the Private Sector, Law No. 36 of 2012 (Articles 1, 51 to 54, 57 and 64). Plus 25% by day and 50% at night (7 pm to 7 am). Rest-day work is the wage plus 150%, or a day off, as you choose. Holiday work is 150% of the wage or a substitute day; the English text can be read as 150% on top of the holiday pay or 150% in total, and our calculator pays it on top. You cannot be made to work more than two rest days in a row without written consent. Bahrain overtime calculator.

Common mistakes

• Using another country's rate. Saudi Arabia's 50% is not the Gulf norm. Most of the others pay plus 25% by day.
• Using full salary where the law says basic (UAE, Qatar, Oman), or basic where the law counts allowances (Kuwait, and the hourly part in Saudi Arabia).
• Dividing by the wrong number of days. Kuwait divides by 26 working days; the UAE usually uses 365 ÷ 12. Dividing by 30 in Kuwait underpays you.
• Forgetting Ramadan. If you keep working your normal day in Ramadan, the time past the Ramadan hours counts as overtime.
• Missing the day off. In Qatar and Kuwait you are owed another day off as well as the rest-day pay.
• Paying Oman rest days by the hour. Oman sets rest-day and holiday pay per day worked, not per hour.

What if my employer pays less?

1. Keep a record of the dates and hours you worked, including night hours, rest days and holidays.
2. Check your contract. If it promises more than the law, the contract applies. It cannot give you less.
3. Ask HR for the working: which wage, which divisor and which rate they used. Bring a share link from the calculator.
4. Go to the labour authority if you cannot agree: MOHRE in the UAE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Labour in Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, and the Public Authority for Manpower in Kuwait.

Quick summary

• Weekday overtime: plus 25% everywhere except Saudi Arabia (hourly wage plus 50% of basic).
• Night overtime at plus 50%: UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, with different night hours in each.
• Rest day: from plus 50% (UAE, Kuwait) to plus 150% (Qatar, Bahrain).
• Basic only in the UAE, Qatar and Oman; allowances count in Kuwait and partly in Saudi Arabia.
• Daily caps: 2 hours of overtime in the UAE; 10 hours of work in Qatar and Bahrain; 12 in Oman.
• Your contract can give more than the law, never less.

Leaving your job? See the end-of-service guides for Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman and Bahrain, or compare them all in end-of-service gratuity in the Gulf.

Rules checked against UAE Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, the Saudi Labor Law (M/51), Qatar Law No. 14 of 2004, Kuwait Law No. 6 of 2010, Oman Royal Decree 53/2023 and Bahrain Law No. 36 of 2012, as used by our calculators (checked 11–12 October 2026). Kuwait's Article 66 overtime limits are not yet checked against the official text.

This guide explains the rules in plain English for planning. It is not legal, financial or flight-operations advice; check your contract, the official source linked above, your employer or your operator.