Annual leave and leave salary in Qatar explained

By Zulu Calculator · Updated 19 October 2026 · Gulf jobs

In Qatar, you earn at least 3 weeks (21 days) of paid annual leave a year once you have worked for one year, and 4 weeks (28 days) a year once your service reaches 5 years. Leave is paid on your basic wage, usually worked out as basic monthly salary ÷ 30 per day. Any leave you have not used is paid in cash when the job ends. This comes from Articles 79 to 81 of Qatar Labour Law No. 14 of 2004. On a basic salary of QAR 6,000, 21 days of leave pays QAR 4,200.

This guide covers how much leave you earn, when you can take it, how leave salary is worked out, carrying leave over and what happens to unused leave when you leave. To work out your own figures, use the Qatar leave salary calculator.

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

The rules are in Article 79 of the Labour Law and cover private-sector workers:

• Nothing in the first year. Annual leave is earned after one continuous year of service.
• 21 days a year (3 weeks) while your service is under 5 years.
• 28 days a year (4 weeks) once your service reaches 5 years.
• Part years count. Leave for part of a year is given in proportion to the time worked.

These are minimums. Your contract can give you more, for example 30 days a year, but not less. Government jobs and domestic workers follow separate laws, and some employers in the Qatar Financial Centre follow their own employment rules.

Leave earned by length of service

The totals are what you earn over your whole service, before taking off any leave you have used. The first 5 years always earn 5 × 21 = 105 days, and each year after that adds 28.

When can I take my annual leave?

Your employer sets the dates of your leave to suit the work (Article 80). With your consent, it can split your leave into at most two periods. So you can ask for the dates you want, but the final say on timing is your employer's.

Your leave pay should reach you before your leave starts. Article 68 says the wages you have earned, plus the leave pay, are paid before the leave begins.

How is leave salary calculated in Qatar?

Find your daily wage, then multiply it by the number of leave days you are taking.

leave earned = 21 × years of service up to 5 + 28 × years after 5 (part years in proportion; nothing until 1 full year)
daily wage = basic monthly salary ÷ 30
leave salary = daily wage × leave days taken
unused leave pay = daily wage × unused days

Because 21 days is 0.7 of a 30-day month, a quick check is: 3 weeks of leave pays about 0.7 × your basic salary. Four weeks (28 days) pays about 0.93 × basic.

Is leave salary paid on basic or full salary?

Under the law, on your basic wage. Article 79 gives annual leave with basic wage, and Article 72 says it is the basic wage on the date the leave is due. Housing, transport and other allowances are left out. If you are paid by the piece, the wage is the average of your last 3 months.

Some contracts pay more than the law, for example leave on basic plus fixed allowances. Read your contract and any written leave policy. If it only says "as per Qatar Labour Law", leave is paid on basic.

Does it matter how the daily wage is worked out?

Yes, a little. Basic ÷ 30 is the usual practice in Qatar, but it is not a formula the law sets out for leave pay, and some contracts use a different one. Here is 21 days of leave on a basic salary of QAR 6,000 three ways:

Can I carry annual leave over to next year?

Usually only part of it. The common rule, and the one our calculator uses, is that if you ask in writing, up to half of a year's leave can be carried into the next year. We have not yet checked this against the official text of the law. On 21 days a year, that is up to 10.5 days. On 28 days a year, it is up to 14 days. Check your company's leave policy for how it handles the request.

Leave you never get to use is not lost when you leave. It is paid in cash with your final settlement (see below).

Worked examples

Example 1: 5 years and 6 months on QAR 6,000

You joined on 1 January 2021 and count up to 30 June 2026. That is 5 years and 6 months, or 5.5 years. Your basic salary is QAR 6,000 and you have not taken any annual leave yet.

• Leave earned: first 5 years 5 × 21 = 105 days, then 0.5 × 28 = 14 days, so 105 + 14 = 119 days
• Daily wage: 6,000 ÷ 30 = QAR 200
• Taking 21 days now: 21 × 200 = QAR 4,200
• Leave left: 119 − 21 = 98 days

If you left the job straight after this leave, the 98 days would be paid on basic: 98 × 200 = QAR 19,600. With the leave salary, that is QAR 23,800 in total.

Example 2: 1 year and 6 months on QAR 4,500

You joined on 15 March 2025 and count up to 14 September 2026, which is 1 year and 6 months, or 1.5 years. Your basic salary is QAR 4,500.

• Leave earned: 1.5 × 21 = 31.5 days
• Daily wage: 4,500 ÷ 30 = QAR 150
• Taking 21 days: 21 × 150 = QAR 3,150
• Leave left: 31.5 − 21 = 10.5 days

The 10.5 days left is exactly half of a year's 21 days, so under the carry-over rule above you could ask in writing to carry all of it into next year. Had you counted only up to 31 January 2026 (10 months and 17 days of service), you would have earned no annual leave yet, because leave starts after one full year.

Example 3: contract pays leave on full salary, then you leave

You worked from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2026, exactly 3 years. Your basic is QAR 10,000 and your allowances are QAR 4,000 a month. Your contract gives 30 days a year and pays leave on basic plus allowances. You have used 60 days before, and take 14 days of leave before you leave.

• Leave earned: 3 × 30 = 90 days (your contract beats the legal 21)
• Leave salary: (10,000 + 4,000) ÷ 30 = QAR 466.67 a day; 14,000 ÷ 30 × 14 = QAR 6,533.33
• Leave left: 90 − 60 − 14 = 16 days
• Unused leave on exit, on basic: 10,000 ÷ 30 = QAR 333.33 a day; 10,000 ÷ 30 × 16 = QAR 5,333.33
• Total: 6,533.33 + 5,333.33 = QAR 11,866.67

The unused days use basic pay because Article 81 says unused leave is paid on the basic wage. If your contract also promises full salary for unused leave, the contract applies, since it can give more than the law but never less.

How does annual leave fit into the final settlement?

When your job ends, unused annual leave is one line in your final settlement. Article 81 says it is paid in cash on your basic wage, and you cannot waive it. The other parts are usually:

• Salary still owed for the days worked in your last month, at total salary ÷ 30 a day.
• End-of-service gratuity: at least 21 days of basic wage per year of service, once you have one year (Article 54). See how Qatar gratuity is calculated.
• Notice pay on total salary ÷ 30 a day, if notice was not given or worked in full. Notice is one month for up to two years of service and two months after that (Law No. 18 of 2020).
• Other dues such as unpaid overtime, a bonus or a ticket home your contract promises, minus any loans or advances you owe.

For example, from 1 March 2020 to 31 August 2025 (5.5 years) on QAR 6,000 basic and QAR 8,000 total salary, with 10 unused leave days: salary owed QAR 8,000, gratuity 200 × 21 × 5.5 = QAR 23,100, and unused leave 10 × 200 = QAR 2,000. That makes QAR 33,100. Leave pay and gratuity are separate amounts: one never replaces the other. The Qatar final settlement calculator adds all the parts up for you.

What about public holidays and sick leave?

This guide covers annual leave only. If you work on a public holiday or Eid, our calculators pay those hours at your basic hourly rate plus 150%, as in the Qatar overtime calculator. For sick leave and for how public holidays interact with your annual leave, check your contract and the Ministry of Labour; our calculators do not cover them.

Common mistakes

• Using full salary instead of basic. Unless your contract says otherwise, leave is paid on basic.
• Forgetting the 5-year step-up. From 5 years of service you earn 28 days a year, not 21.
• Rounding service down. Part years earn leave in proportion. 5 years and 6 months earns 119 days, not 105.
• Expecting to carry all your leave over. Usually only up to half a year's leave can be carried forward, and only on a written request. Check your leave policy.
• Forgetting unpaid leave. Days of unpaid leave are usually taken off your service before leave is counted. That is common practice rather than a written rule, so check your contract.
• Thinking unused leave is lost when you resign. It is paid in cash when the job ends (Article 81).

What if my employer pays less or refuses my leave?

1. Ask for your leave balance in writing. Check your joining date, the days you have used, any unpaid leave and which salary and daily rate were used.
2. Check your contract and written leave policy. If it gives more days or pays leave on full salary, that applies.
3. Talk to HR first. Bring your own working, for example a share link from the leave salary calculator.
4. Contact the Ministry of Labour. If you cannot agree, you can raise a complaint with Qatar's Ministry of Labour. Keep copies of your contract, payslips and leave requests.

Quick summary

• No annual leave until you complete one year of service.
• At least 21 days a year under 5 years of service, 28 days a year from 5 years (Article 79).
• Leave salary is paid on basic wage, usually basic ÷ 30 per day, before the leave starts.
• Your employer sets the dates; leave can be split into at most two periods with your consent.
• Usually up to half a year's leave can be carried forward on a written request; check your leave policy.
• Unused leave is paid in cash on basic when the job ends, and cannot be waived (Article 81).

Leaving your job? Read how Qatar gratuity is calculated, then add everything up with the Qatar final settlement calculator or check your gratuity alone with the Qatar gratuity calculator.

Rules checked against Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 (Articles 54, 68, 72, 79, 80 and 81) and Law No. 18 of 2020, as used by our calculators (checked 9–11 October 2026).

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.