There are no taxes on employment income in Qatar.
There are no taxes on employment income in Qatar.
Contributions made to the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority (GRSIA) apply to Qatar and other GCC nationals, and shall be calculated based on the employee's annual earnings of up to QAR 100,000.
Note: Contribution rates vary for non-Qatari GCC nationals depending on their country of origin.
| Contribution Rate | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| GRSIA | 14% | Qatari employers who choose to offer private pension with better benefits than the GRSIA is exempt from making this contribution. |
| Contribution Rate | Note | |
|---|---|---|
| GRSIA | 7% | Qatari employees who are offered private pension with better benefits by their employers are exempt from making this contribution. |
The wages of those employed on an annual or a monthly wage shall be paid at least once a month, and the wages of all other employees shall be paid at least once every 2 weeks.
Minimum Wage
The minimum wage in Qatar is set at QAR 1,000 per month, supplemented by a monthly allowance for food and accommodation at QAR 300 and QAR 500, respectively, unless they are provided by the employer.
There are no statutory requirements for employers to provide any bonus to their employees.
An employment contract can be terminated by either party without giving any reason, provided that the terminating party produce a written notice and observe the required notice period.
| Reasons justifying dismissal without notice | Reasons justifying resignation without notice |
|---|---|
| Employee impersonates another personality, claims a nationality other than their own or presents false documents or certificates | Employer fails to fulfill their obligations prescribed upon the contract or upon the provisions of the Law |
| Employee commits a mistake resulting in a gross financial loss to the employer, provided that the employer notify the Department of the incident within a period not exceeding the end of the next working day after having learnt thereof | |
| Employee contravenes the safety instructions of the employer more than once in spite of being warned in writing thereof, and provided that such instructions are written and posted in a prominent place | Employer or their responsible director commits a physical assault or an immoral act upon the employee or their family members |
| Employee breaches their substantial obligations prescribed in the contract or upon the Law more than once in spite of addressing a written warning thereto | |
| Employee discloses the secrets of the establishment they work for | Employer or their representative has acted fraudulently with the employee at the time of contracting regarding the terms and conditions of the work |
| Employee is found in a state of evident drunkenness or under the influence of drugs during working hours | |
| Employee assaults the employer, the manager or any superiors in the establishment during the work or for reason thereof | There is a serious danger threatening the safety or health of the employee, provided that the employer is aware of the existence of the serious danger and does not work on removing it |
| Employee assaults on their colleagues repeatedly in spite of being warned in writing | |
| Employee is absent from work without a legitimate reason for more than 7 continuous days or for an intermittent period of 15 days in a year | A final decision is issued by one of the Labor Dispute Settlement Committees in favor of the employee |
| Employee is convicted by a final judgement with a crime affecting integrity and honesty |
In imposing the sanctions on the violating employees, the employer must make sure to be mindful of their limitations and follow the proper procedure.
The termination of an employment contract shall generally be subject to the following notice period or payment in lieu thereof:
| Length of service | Notice period |
|---|---|
| Up to 2 years | 1 month |
| Over 2 years | 2 months |
Employees shall be allowed to absent themselves from work during their notice period for reasonable periods to register as a job seeker with the Department.
Employees with at least a year of service are generally entitled to an end of service gratuity that is calculated at no less than 3 weeks' wages per year of service. The employee shall be entitled to gratuity for the fractions of the year in proportion to the duration they spent in service.
Employers may dismiss their employees without the payment of the end of service gratuity in the cases where they rightfully dismiss their employees without notice.
In any case, employers who maintain a retirement system or any similar system which secures for the employee a greater benefit than the end of service gratuity above may be exempted from paying the end of service gratuity.
Employees can be placed on probation for a period agreed upon with the employer, provided that the probationary period is no more than 6 months.
Employers may terminate the contract within the probationary period if it has been proven that the employee is not capable of carrying out the work, provided that the employee is given at least a month's notice.
On the other hand, employees may terminate the employment contract during the probationary period as long as the following is observed:
| Circumstances | Required actions |
|---|---|
| Employee wishes to move to work for another employer |
Notify the contracting employer in writing a month in advance. The new employer shall be obligated to compensate the contracted employer for the value of any ticket and recruitment fees, provided that the compensation does not exceed 2 months of the employee's basic wage. |
| Employee wishes to terminate the contract and leave the country | Notify the contracting employer in writing in accordance with the agreed upon notice period, provided that it does not exceed 2 months. |
The failure to observe the required notice periods shall give rise to the obligation to pay the other party a compensation equal to the employee's basic wage for the notice period not served.
Note: The employee shall not be subjected to more than one probationary period with the same employer.
Normal working hours are subject to a maximum of 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. However, do note that during the month of Ramadan, these hours shall be reduced to a maximum of 6 hours per day and 36 hours per week.
Employees shall be entitled to at least an interval for prayer, rest and eating, and it shall not be less than an hour and more than 3 hours. Such intervals shall not be included in the calculation of the employee's working hours.
In the determination of the employee's break period, they shall not work for more than 5 successive hours without break.
In addition to the above, lactating employees shall also be entitled to a lactation period of an hour per day for a period of a year, starting after the expiration of their maternity leave. This period shall be calculated as part of the employee's working hours and shall not result in any wage reduction.
Employees may be required to work overtime as long as the total working hours does not exceed 10 hours per day unless the work is necessary to prevent a gross loss, dangerous accident or to repair or mitigate the effects resulting from such loss or accident.
Employees who are required to work overtime shall be paid 125% of their basic wage for each overtime hour performed.
Employees are entitled to at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly paid rest, which shall fall on a Friday for all employees, except those working on shift schedules.
If work conditions require the employee to work on their weekly rest day, they shall be entitled to a compensatory rest day or be paid at 250% of their basic wage for the work performed on such a day.
In any case, except for those working on shift schedule, it is not permissible to employ the employee for more than 2 successive Fridays.
Employees are entitled to a fully paid leave on the following occasions:
| Occasion | Number of leave days |
|---|---|
| Eid al-Fitr | 3 working days |
| Eid al-Adha | 3 working days |
| Independence Day | 1 working day |
| Additional Holidays, to be determined by the employer | 3 working days |
If the employee is required to work on the above occasions due to the conditions of their work, the provisions of Article 74 of the Labor Law on overtime shall apply.
Employees who have completed a year of continuous service shall be entitled to the following annual leave:
| Length of service | Annual leave |
|---|---|
| Less than 5 years | 3 weeks |
| 5 years or more | 4 weeks |
The employer shall specify the date of leave in accordance with the work requirements, and they may divide the leave upon the employee's consent, provided that such division shall not be into more than 2 periods.
Furthermore, upon the employee's written request, the employer may postpone up to half their annual leave to the year following the year of its entitlement.
Employers shall pay their employees, before they go on their annual leave, the wages they are entitled to for the work they have carried out up to the date they go on leave in addition to the leave pay to which the employee is entitled.
Note: The employee shall be entitled to a leave for the fraction of the year proportionate to the period they spent in the service.
Employees are entitled to sick leave with pay for every year of service, provided that the leave can only be granted after the lapse of 3 months from the date of their employment and they can prove their sickness by means of a medical certificate.
| Duration of sick leave | Sick leave pay |
|---|---|
| Up to 2 weeks | Full wage |
| 2–6 weeks | Half wage |
| Over 6 weeks | Unpaid |
The employee's service may be terminated at the end of the 12th week of the sick leave if it has been proven by a report issued by the competent physician that the employee is unable to resume their work.
If the employee resigns due to sickness, and with the approval of the competent physician, before the end of the 6 weeks to which they are entitled to paid sick leave, the employer shall pay out the balance of their entitlement. This provision shall also apply in the case of the employee's death because of sickness before the end of the aforementioned 6 weeks.
Employees who have completed a year of service shall be entitled to 50 days of paid maternity leave, with the leave taken after childbirth not being less than 35 days. Maternity leave shall only be granted upon the issuance of a medical certificate stating the potential date of childbirth.
If the remaining period of the leave after childbirth is less than 30 days, the employee may be granted complementary leave from their annual leave or have the complementary period be unpaid.
Where the postpartum medical condition prevents the employee from resuming their work after the expiry of their maternity leave, they shall be deemed to be on leave without pay, provided that the period of work interruption shall not exceed 60 successive or intermittent days and that a medical certificate of their condition is submitted.
| Leave | Paid/Unpaid | Duration | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilgrimage Leave | Unpaid | 2 weeks |
For Muslim employees to perform Hajj once during the period of their service. The employer shall specify the number of employees who may be granted such leave annually according to work requirements, and the priority shall be given to those who have longer continuous service periods. |
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