Article 117 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 117 من نظام العمل · الباب السادس: شروط العمل وظروفه
Article 117 gives a worker whose illness is proven sick leave of up to 120 days a year: 30 days at full pay, then 60 at three quarters of pay, then 30 without pay.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
للعامل الذي يثبت مرضه الحق في إجازة مرضية بأجر عن الثلاثين يومًا الأولى، وبثلاثة أرباع الأجر عن الستين يومًا التالية، ودون أجر للثلاثين يومًا التي تلي ذلك خلال السنة الواحدة، سواء أكانت هذه الإجازات متصلة أم متقطعة، ويقصد بالسنة الواحدة: السنة التي تبدأ من تاريخ أول إجازة مرضية.
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 117 explained in plain English
Article 117 of the Labor Law regulates the worker's right to sick leave, which is among the rights set for the worker by law, not by the employer's will. The only condition of entitlement in the text is that the worker proves their illness.
The article divides sick leave within a single year into 3 successive stages:
- The first thirty days: at full pay.
- The following sixty days: at three quarters of pay.
- The thirty days that follow: without pay.
The total sick leave a worker can obtain thus reaches 120 days in a single year, of which 90 days are paid in full or in part.
Among the most important things the article provides is that these days are counted whether continuous or intermittent; a worker who takes several short sick leaves during the year has their days added together, and they are deducted first from the full-pay balance, then from the three-quarters-pay balance, then from the unpaid days.
The article also defines the single year as the year starting from the date of the first sick leave, not the Gregorian or Hijri year or the contract year. If a worker's first sick leave begins on March 10, their sick-leave year runs until March 9 of the following year, and a new balance then starts to be counted with the first sick leave after that.
This leave differs from the unpaid leave in Article 116, which requires the employer's consent and agreement of the parties on its length; sick leave is a right set by law that needs no consent once the illness is proven. It is worth noting Article 118, which bars a worker during any of the leaves in this chapter, including sick leave, from working for another employer, failing which the worker may be deprived of pay for the period of the leave or have what was paid to them recovered.
If a dispute arises over proving the illness or how the days are calculated, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in labor cases.
Practical example
Fahd works for a company in Riyadh and fell ill with a condition that required a documented medical rest of 20 days beginning on February 1; he received his full wage for this period. In July of the same year he fell ill again and needed 40 days: the first 10 days of these count at full pay to complete the balance of the first thirty days, and the remaining thirty days are then paid at three quarters of pay. For Fahd, until January 31 of the following year, a balance of 30 days at three quarters of pay and 30 days without pay remains, and a new balance then begins with the first sick leave after that.
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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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 117 of the Saudi Labor Law
How long is sick leave under the Saudi Labor Law?
Under Article 117, a worker whose illness is proven is entitled to sick leave within a single year of up to 120 days: 30 days at full pay, then 60 days at three quarters of pay, then 30 days without pay.
Are intermittent sick leaves counted in the same balance?
Yes. The article provides that the days are counted whether the leaves are continuous or intermittent, so all sick-leave days within a single year are added together in one balance.
From what date does the sick-leave year start?
The single year starts from the date of the first sick leave the worker obtains, and it is not tied to the Gregorian or Hijri year or the date the contract began.
May a worker work for another employer during sick leave?
No. Article 118 bars a worker during any of the leaves in this chapter from working for another employer, and if the employer proves the violation it may deprive them of pay for the period of the leave or recover what it had paid them of it.
More articles on Leave
- Article 49
Article 49 applies the Labor Law provisions on leave, holidays, working hours, rest periods, occupational safety and work injuries to the trainee and the person undergoing qualification.
تسري على عقد التأهيل والتدريب الأحكام الواردة في هذا النظام، الخاصة بالإجازات السنوية والعطلات الرسمية، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة
- Article 82
Article 82 bars an employer from ending a worker's service because of illness before the statutory sick leave periods are used up, and lets the worker ask to add annual leave to sick leave.
لا يجوز لصاحب العمل إنهاء خدمة العامل بسبب المرض، قبل استنفاذه المدد المحددة للإجازة المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، وللعامل الحق في أن يطلب وصل إجازته السنوية بال
- Article 109
Article 109 gives a worker paid annual leave, paid in advance, of at least 21 days, rising to 30 days after 5 continuous years, and bars waiving it or replacing it with money during service.
1- يستحق العامل عن كل عام إجازة سنوية لا تقل مدتها عن واحد وعشرين يومًا، تُزاد إلى مدة لا تقل عن ثلاثين يومًا إذا أمضى العامل في خدمة صاحب العمل خمس سنوات متصلة
- Article 110
Article 110 allows annual leave, or part of it, to be postponed to the next year with the employer's consent, lets the employer postpone it for 90 days for work reasons, then longer only with the worker's written consent, up to the end of the next year.
1- للعامل بموافقة صاحب العمل أن يؤجل إجازته السنوية أو أيامًا منها إلى السنة التالية. 2 - لصاحب العمل حق تأجيل إجازة العامل بعد نهاية سنة استحقاقها إذا اقتضت ظر
- Article 111
Article 111 gives a worker who leaves work the right to pay for the days of earned annual leave not used, with parts of a year counted in proportion to the time actually worked.
للعامل الحق في الحصول على أجرة عن أيام الإجازة المستحقة إذا ترك العمل قبل استعماله لها، وذلك بالنسبة إلى المدة التي لم يحصل على إجازته عنها، كما يستحق أجرة الإج
- Article 112
Article 112 gives every worker the right to leave with full pay on the holidays and occasions set by the Implementing Regulations of the Labor Law.
لكل عامل الحق في إجازة بأجر كامل في الأعياد والمناسبات التي تحددها اللائحة.
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.