Article 32 of the Saudi Civil Retirement Law
المادة 32 من نظام التقاعد المدني
An employee who is reinstated may have earlier service counted if he applies within a year of returning and repays what he received for it, in a single payment within six months or in installments.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
الموظف الذي يُعاد للخدمة في وظيفة خاضعة لأحكام هذا النظام ويكون قد سبق له أن تقاضى تعويضًا أو مكافأة أو عائدات تقاعدية في ظل الأنظمة السابقة أو يكون قد تقاضى مكافأة وذلك عن مدة خدمة سابقة في ظل هذا النظام يجوز أن تحتسب له هذه المدة في تقاعده بشرط أن يتقدم بطلب ذلك خلال سنة على الأكثر من تاريخ عودته للخدمة، ويتحتم عليه في هذه الحالة رد ما تقاضاه من تعويضات أو مكافآت أو عائدات عن المدة المراد احتسابها إما دفعة واحدة في موعد أقصاه ستة أشهر من تاريخ تقديم الطلب أو على أقساط شهرية متساوية تخصم من مرتبه لمدة مناظرة للمدة المراد احتسابها أو للمدة الباقية لإكماله سن الستين أيهما أقرب. ويبدأ خصم الأقساط من معاشه ابتداءً من التاريخ الذي تحدده مصلحة المعاشات، ويكون للمصلحة الحق في الحصول على هذه الأقساط في حالة انتهاء الخدمة قبل الوفاء بها وذلك من المعاش الذي يستحق للموظف، فإذا استحق الموظف مكافأة خصم منها باقي الأقساط دفعة واحدة. وفي حالة وفاة الموظف أو صاحب المعاش لا يحق مطالبة الورثة أو المستحقين عنه بقيمة هذه الأقساط.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 32 explained in plain English
This Article regulates adding earlier service for someone who returns to a post covered by the Law.
Who is covered: An employee who is reinstated in a post covered by the Law and who had previously received compensation, a gratuity or retirement entitlements under the earlier laws, or had received a gratuity for earlier service under this Law.
The conditions:
- He must apply for the period to be counted within at most one year of the date he returned to service.
- He must repay what he received in compensation, gratuities or entitlements for the period to be counted.
How to repay:
- In a single payment no later than six months from the date the application was submitted, or
- In equal monthly installments deducted from his salary, for a period corresponding to the period to be counted or the remaining period until he reaches sixty, whichever is earlier. Deduction of the installments begins from the date the Pensions Agency determines.
If service ends before payment: The Agency has the right to obtain the installments from the pension due to the employee, and if the employee becomes entitled to a gratuity, the remaining installments are deducted from it in a single payment.
On death: If the employee or the pensioner dies, the heirs or those entitled through him may not be asked for the value of these installments.
This Article follows Article 31, which deals with a pensioner returning to service. Because the one-year time limit is decisive, anyone who has returned to service should preferably consult a lawyer who specializes in retirement and administrative matters early.
Practical example
Omar resigned from his government post after 8 years and was paid a gratuity, and then returned years later to a post covered by the Law. If he wants the eight years counted in his retirement, he must submit the application within a year of his return, and repay the gratuity in a single payment within six months of the application or in equal monthly installments deducted from his salary.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 32 of the Saudi Civil Retirement Law
How do I add my earlier service to my retirement after returning to a job?
You apply within at most one year of the date you returned to service, and repay what you received in gratuities or compensation for the period to be counted.
Can repayment of the gratuity be made in installments?
Yes: either in a single payment within six months of submitting the application, or in equal monthly installments deducted from the salary for a period corresponding to the counted period or the remaining period until sixty, whichever is earlier.
Are the heirs asked for the remaining installments after death?
No. If the employee or the pensioner dies, the heirs or those entitled through him may not be asked for the value of these installments.
More articles on Service Counted Toward Retirement
- Article 16
Service counted for retirement is actual time spent in posts covered by the Law, excluding unauthorized absence, unpaid leave other than sick and study leave, periods of suspension from duty without pay, and fractions of a month.
مدة الخدمة التي تحسب في التقاعد هي المدد الفعلية التي قضيت في إحدى الوظائف المنصوص عليها في المادة الثانية من هذا النظام أو التي يكون شاغلها خاضعًا لأنظمة التقا
- Article 17
Secondment and unpaid study leave count toward retirement if the deductions due are paid on the basis of the full salary of the original post, with rules for how and when they are paid and the effect of failing to pay.
تدخل مدة الإعارة والإجازة الدراسية بدون مرتب ضمن المدد المحسوبة في التقاعد وتؤد الحسميات المستحقة عنها على أساس كامل مرتب الوظيفة الأصلية ويؤديها الموظف المعار
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.