Thirty days at full pay, sixty at three quarters, thirty unpaid. See exactly what your sick leave is worth.
Sick leave in Saudi Arabia is not a single allowance — it steps down in three stages across the year. Article 117 of the Labor Law sets the scale, and it applies to any illness you can prove with a medical certificate.
| Period | You are paid |
|---|---|
| First 30 days | Full wage |
| Next 60 days | Three quarters (75%) |
| Following 30 days | Unpaid |
The bands count your total sick days across the year, not one continuous stretch. Ten days in March and twenty-five in September put you into the second band for the last five of those days.
Entitlement depends on the illness being proven, normally by a certificate from an approved provider. Many employers name a specific clinic, so it is worth checking your policy before you need it.
If you fall ill while on annual leave, many employers will reclassify those days as sick leave once you produce a certificate, so your leave balance is not consumed. Ask rather than assume.
An employee may ask for termination to be deferred until the sick leave entitlement is used up. That is quite different from dismissal for unexcused absence under Article 80 — which is exactly why the certificate matters.
Illness or injury caused by work falls under the occupational hazards branch of GOSI rather than ordinary sick leave, and is compensated differently. Your employer pays 2% of the contributory wage for that cover.