Saudi Labour Law Article 98: working hours and Ramadan hours
Not changed by the 2025 amendments
Article 98 of the Saudi Labour Law limits actual work to 8 hours a day, or 48 hours a week where the employer uses a weekly standard. In Ramadan, working hours for Muslim workers are reduced to at most 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week. Work beyond these limits is overtime under Article 107.
This is general information to help you understand the topic. It is not legal advice. Rules and rates change: always check the official text on the relevant authority’s platform and consult a qualified adviser before acting.
What Article 98 says
- Daily standard: no more than 8 hours of actual work a day.
- Weekly standard: if the employer uses a weekly standard instead, no more than 48 hours a week.
- Ramadan: for Muslim workers, actual working hours are reduced to at most 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week.
Two related rules: Article 101 requires a break of at least 30 minutes after no more than five consecutive hours of work, and a worker should not remain at the workplace for more than 12 hours a day; Article 102 keeps those breaks out of working hours.
Was it changed in 2025?
No. Article 98 is not among the articles the 2025 amendments changed, according to the ministry’s summary of the amendments.
A warning about translations
The English translation of the law long published on the ministry’s site gives 9 hours a day, 45 a week and 7 hours in Ramadan. The Arabic text, which is the binding text, and the ministry’s current Arabic guidance give 8 and 48, and 6 and 36 in Ramadan. Use the Arabic figures.
Worked example: counting overtime
A worker does 10 hours a day for 5 days, 50 hours in the week.
- Daily standard: 2 hours over the limit each day × 5 days = 10 overtime hours.
- Weekly standard: 50 − 48 = 2 overtime hours (Article 107 treats hours above the weekly standard as overtime).
In Ramadan, a Muslim worker on the daily standard who does 7 hours a day for 22 working days has 1 × 22 = 22 overtime hours, paid under Article 107.
What HR should do
- Decide whether the establishment uses the daily or the weekly standard, and write it in the work regulations and schedules.
- Set Ramadan schedules for Muslim workers before the month starts.
- Record actual hours in attendance, and send hours above the limit to payroll as overtime.
- Schedule breaks so no one works more than five hours in a row.
Work out Ramadan overtime with the Ramadan overtime calculator. This page is a general explanation, not legal advice.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
Are working hours in Saudi Arabia 8 or 9 hours a day?
8 hours a day, or 48 a week. The Arabic text of Article 98, which is the binding text, and the ministry’s own guidance say 8 and 48. Some English translations of the law show 9 and 45 hours; that is a translation error.
Do Ramadan hours apply to non-Muslim workers?
The article reduces hours for Muslim workers. Non-Muslim workers keep normal hours unless the employer decides otherwise.
Do breaks count as working hours?
No. Under Article 102, time for rest, prayer and meals is not part of actual working hours, and the worker is not under the employer’s authority during it.
