Article 2 of the Saudi Social Insurance Law
المادة 2 من نظام التأمينات الاجتماعية · الباب الأول: الأحكام العامة
The article provides that a year and a month under the Social Insurance Law are counted by the Gregorian calendar.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
في تطبيق أحكام النظام، يقصد بالسنة والشهر: الوحدات الزمنية حسب التقويم الميلادي.
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 2 explained in plain English
This article settles a point that could cause confusion in the Kingdom, where both the Hijri and Gregorian calendars are used: whenever the Social Insurance Law mentions a year or a month, it means a year and a month according to the Gregorian calendar.
This rule matters for everything in the Law that concerns periods and ages, including:
- Calculating contribution periods in months, which is the basis on which insurance entitlements are built.
- Calculating ages to which the Law attaches consequences.
- Calculating deadlines measured in months or years.
Because the Hijri year is about eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year, adopting the Gregorian calendar unifies the method of calculation and prevents disagreement over the date a period is completed or an age is reached.
This article is among the general provisions, alongside Article 1, which defines the Law's key terms, and Article 3, which sets out the insurance branches covered by the Law. Anyone with a dispute over how their period is calculated can approach the Institution or consult a lawyer specialized in social insurance matters.
Practical example
Khaled is registered with social insurance and wants to know how many months he has contributed to date. Under this article, his months and years are counted by the Gregorian calendar, not the Hijri one, so the calculation relies on the Gregorian dates of the start and end of his contributions.
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 2 of the Saudi Social Insurance Law
Is the social insurance contribution period counted by the Hijri or the Gregorian calendar?
It is counted by the Gregorian calendar, because the article provides that a year and a month in applying the Law are time units according to the Gregorian calendar.
Does this rule apply to all articles of the Social Insurance Law?
Yes. The article states that this is what year and month mean in applying the provisions of the Law generally.
More articles on Social Insurance Subscription
- Article 1
The article defines the key terms used in the Social Insurance Law, such as employer, employee, worker, subscriber, compensation and insurance products.
يُقصد بالعبارات والمصطلحات التالية -أينما وردت في هذا النظام- المعاني الموضحة أمام كل منها، ما لم يقتض السياق غير ذلك: النظام: نظام التأمينات الاجتماعية. اللائح
- Article 3
The article lists the three social insurance branches covered by the Law: pensions, occupational hazards and supplementary compensation, and unemployment insurance.
يشمل النظام فروع التأمينات الاجتماعية الآتية: 1- فرع المعاشات. 2- فرع الأخطار المهنية والتعويضات الإضافية. 3- فرع التأمين ضد التعطل عن العمل.
- Article 4
The article gives the Institution's Board of Directors the power to create optional savings programs in coordination with the relevant authorities, in accordance with the provisions set by the Regulations.
لمجلس الإدارة استحداث برامج ادخارية اختيارية بالتنسيق مع الجهات ذات العلاقة، وفق الأحكام التي تحددها اللائحة.
- Article 5
The article allows the Council of Ministers, on the Board of Directors' proposal, to create compulsory insurance products for Saudi self-employed persons and for certain categories of non-Saudi workers.
يجوز بقرار من مجلس الوزراء -بناءً على اقتراح مجلس الإدارة- استحداث منتجات تأمينية إلزامية لأي من الفئات المبينة أدناه، ويحدد القرار الأحكام اللازمة لذلك: أ - ال
- Article 6
The article lists categories of workers who are not subject to the insurance branches automatically, but as the Board of Directors decides and in accordance with the provisions set by the Regulations.
يكون خضوع الفئات المبينة أدناه لأحكام فروع التأمينات الاجتماعية بناءً على ما يقرره مجلس الإدارة ووفقاً للأحكام التي تحددها اللائحة، وهم: 1- العمال الذين يعملون
- Article 7
The article refers to the Regulations the method of enrollment in social insurance and the deadlines for enrolling and removing subscribers, for employers and for subscribers themselves when the employer fails to act.
تحدد اللائحة الآتي: أ- طريقة الاشتراك في فروع التأمينات الاجتماعية لكل من أصحاب العمل والمشتركين الخاضعين للنظام. ب- مهلة لأصحاب العمل للاشتراك عن المشتركين الذ
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.