Article 88 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 88 من نظام العمل · الباب الخامس: علاقات العمل
Article 88 requires the employer to pay the worker's wages and settle all rights within a week of the end of service, or two weeks if the worker ended the contract, with the right to deduct work-related debts.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا انتهت خدمة العامل وجب على صاحب العمل دفع أجره وتصفية حقوقه خلال أسبوع- على الأكثر- من تاريخ انتهاء العلاقة العقدية، أما إذا كان العامل هو الذي أنهى العقد وجب على صاحب العمل تصفية حقوقه كاملة خلال مدة لا تزيد على أسبوعين. ولصاحب العمل أن يحسم أي دين مستحق له بسبب العمل من المبالغ المستحقة للعامل.
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 88 explained in plain English
Article 88 of the Labor Law sets the deadline within which the employer must pay the worker's remaining wages and settle all of the worker's rights when the employment relationship ends, and it distinguishes between two cases:
- If the worker's service ends (for example, the employer ends the contract or its term expires): the wages must be paid and the rights settled within one week at most from the date the contractual relationship ends.
- If the worker is the one who ended the contract (for example, by resignation): the deadline to settle all of the worker's rights is two weeks at most.
"Settling rights" means everything the worker is owed because of the work, such as remaining wages and the end-of-service award under the preceding articles, including Article 87, which provides for the full award in specific cases such as leaving work because of force majeure beyond the worker's control.
In return, the article gives the employer a specific right: to deduct any debt owed to it because of the work from the amounts due to the worker. The text requires the debt to arise from the work itself, so the deduction does not extend to obligations unrelated to the employment relationship.
What this means in practice:
- A worker whose service ends does not wait for the next pay cycle; the deadline runs from the date the contractual relationship ends, not from the end of the month.
- The deadline is one week or two weeks depending on who ended the contract, and the text mentions no longer deadline for any other reason.
- If the employer misses the deadline, or the worker believes the deduction covered amounts unrelated to the work, the worker may consult a lawyer who specializes in labor cases to assess their position.
The text of the article does not detail the payment mechanism or its documents, nor does it set a specific penalty for delay within this article itself, so individual cases should be put to a specialist.
Practical example
Ahmed works for a company in Riyadh and submitted his resignation so that his contract ends on March 15. The company told him it would pay his dues with the end-of-April salaries. Under Article 88, because Ahmed is the one who ended the contract, the company must settle all of his rights within two weeks at most from March 15, that is, no later than March 29. Had the company been the one to end the contract, the deadline would have been only one week. If Ahmed has an advance related to his work that he has not repaid, the company may deduct it from the amounts due to him at settlement.
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 88 of the Saudi Labor Law
When must an employer pay a worker's dues after their service ends?
Within one week at most from the date the contractual relationship ends, if the end of service was not at the worker's initiative.
Is the settlement deadline different if the worker resigned?
Yes. If the worker is the one who ended the contract, the employer must settle all of the worker's rights within no more than two weeks.
Can an employer deduct from end-of-service dues?
The employer may deduct any debt owed to it because of the work from the amounts due to the worker, provided the debt arises from the work.
From what date does the one-week or two-week deadline start?
From the date the contractual relationship between the worker and the employer ends, not from the end of the month or the date salaries are paid.
More articles on Terminating the Employment Contract
- Article 57
Article 57 provides that an employment contract concluded to perform a specific job ends automatically once the agreed work is completed.
إذا كان العقد من أجل القيام بعمل معين فإنه ينتهي بإنجاز العمل المتفق عليه.
- Article 64Amended (1436 AH)
Article 64 requires the employer, on the end of the contract, to give the worker a free service certificate free of anything harmful to them, and to return all certificates and documents they deposited with it.
يلتزم صاحب العمل عند انتهاء عقد العمل بما يأتي : 1 - أن يعطي العامل – بناءً على طلبه – شهادة خدمة دون مقابل، يوضح فيها تاريخ التحاقه بالعمل، وتاريخ انتهاء علاقت
- Article 66
Article 66 sets out exhaustively the six disciplinary sanctions an employer may impose on a worker, from a warning to dismissal in the cases set in the Law.
الجزاءات التأديبية التي يجوز لصاحب العمل توقيعها على العامل: 1 - الإنذار. 2 - الغرامة. 3 - الحرمان من العلاوة أو تأجيلها لمدة لا تزيد على سنة متى كانت مقررة من
- Article 74Amended by M/44
Article 74 lists the cases in which an employment contract ends, including written agreement of the parties, expiry of the term, resignation, reaching retirement age, force majeure, permanent closure of the establishment, and bankruptcy.
ينتهي عقد العمل في أي من الأحوال الآتية : 1 - إذا اتفق الطرفان على إنهائه، بشرط أن تكون موافقة العامل كتابية. 2 - إذا انتهت المدة المحددة في العقد، ما لم يكن ال
- Article 75Amended by M/44
Article 75 sets the written notice period for ending an open-ended contract for a legitimate reason: 60 days from the employer and 30 days from the worker if wages are monthly, and 30 days for both otherwise.
1- إذا كان العقد غير محدد المدة وكان الأجر يدفع شهريًّا، جاز لأي من طرفيه إنهاؤه بناءً على سبب مشروع، وفق ما يلي: أ- إذا كان الإنهاء من طرف العامل، فيجب عليه أن
- Article 76Amended (1436 AH)
Whoever ends an open-ended contract without observing the notice period in Article 75 must pay the other party a sum equal to the worker's wage for that period, unless they agree on more.
إذا لم يراع الطرف الذي أنهى العقد غير المحدد المدة المهلة المحدد للإشعار وفقاً للمادة (الخامسة والسبعين) من هذا النظام، فإنه يلتزم بأن يدفع للطرف الآخر عن مهلة
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.