Article 19 of the Saudi Unemployment Insurance Law
المادة 19 من نظام التأمين ضد التعطل عن العمل
The Article allows the beneficiary to combine unemployment compensation with specified social insurance compensations, such as the lump-sum compensation, annuities and family-member pensions.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يحق للمستفيد الجمع بين التعويض المنصوص عليه في هذا النظام وبين تعويضات نظام التأمينات الاجتماعية الآتية:
1 - التعويض المقطوع وتعويض الدفعة الواحدة المستحقة له طبقاً لفرعي الأخطار المهنية والمعاشات.
2 - العائدات المستحقة له طبقاً لفرع الأخطار المهنية.
3 - المعاشات المستحقة له بوصفه فرداً من أفراد العائلة طبقاً لفرع المعاشات.
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 19 explained in plain English
This Article sets the compensations a beneficiary may combine with unemployment compensation, all of which come from the Social Insurance Law:
- The lump-sum compensation and one-time payment compensation due to them under the occupational hazards and pensions branches.
- Annuities due to them under the occupational hazards branch.
- Pensions due to them as a family member under the pensions branch, meaning the pension they are entitled to because of someone else rather than because of their own service.
So someone who receives one of these amounts is not deprived of unemployment compensation because of it, as long as the conditions of entitlement are met. The Article lists these cases specifically and mentions no other entitlements under the Social Insurance Law.
Note that Article 15 makes it a case of suspension for the beneficiary to reach sixty while entitled to a pension under the Social Insurance Law, and one of the Article 8 conditions is that the subscriber has no income from work or a private business. The combination allowed here concerns the amounts named in the Article and does not cancel those provisions.
The details and amount of each of these compensations are a matter for the Social Insurance Law, not this Law. Anyone who wants to be sure whether combining is permitted in their case should consult a lawyer specialized in social insurance.
Practical example
Lama receives a pension as a family member of her deceased father under the pensions branch. When she lost her job at a company in Riyadh for a reason beyond her control and met the conditions of entitlement, she was permitted to combine that pension with unemployment compensation.
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 19 of the Saudi Unemployment Insurance Law
Can unemployment compensation be combined with a family-member pension?
Yes. The beneficiary may combine unemployment compensation with pensions due to them as a family member under the pensions branch.
Can unemployment compensation be combined with occupational hazard annuities?
Yes. Annuities due under the occupational hazards branch are among the amounts that may be combined with unemployment compensation.
Can it be combined with a one-time payment compensation?
Yes. The lump-sum compensation and one-time payment compensation due under the occupational hazards and pensions branches may be combined.
More articles on Amount and Duration of Unemployment Compensation
- Article 11
The Article sets compensation at 60% of the average contribution-subject wages for each of the first three months, and 50% for each month after that.
1- يصرف التعويض المنصوص عليه في هذا النظام بواقع (60%) ستين في المائة من متوسط الأجور الشهرية الخاضعة للاشتراك عن كل شهر من الأشهر الثلاثة الأولى وبواقع (50%) خ
- Article 12
The Article sets a maximum of SAR 9,000 per month for the first three months and SAR 7,500 afterwards, and raises compensation to the job-search allowance if it falls below it.
1- يكون الحد الأعلى لمبلغ التعويض (9,000) تسعة آلاف ريال عن كل شهر من الأشهر الثلاثة الأولى، و(7,500) سبعة آلاف وخمسمائة ريال عن كل شهر يزيد على ذلك. 2- إذا قل
- Article 13
The Article sets the maximum payment period at 12 months, continuous or not, for each entitlement, and no more than 12 months within any 24 consecutive months.
تكون المدة القصوى لصرف التعويض اثني عشر شهراً متصلة أو متقطعة عن كل مرة من مرات الاستحقاق، على ألا تزيد هذه المدة عن اثني عشر شهراً خلال كل أربعة وعشرين شهراً م
- Article 21
The Article provides that unemployment compensation may not be seized or assigned except under the same conditions set for wages in the Labor Law.
التعويض المنصوص عليه في هذا النظام غير قابل للحجز أو التنازل إلا وفق الشروط نفسها المحددة فيما يتعلق بالأجور المنصوص عليها في نظام العمل.
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.

