Annual Leave in Saudi Arabia: 21 or 30 Days, and What Happens to Unused Days
When your leave becomes 30 days, and how unused days are paid when you leave, with riyal examples under Articles 109 and 111 of the Labor Law.
By the HesabSA team · Updated October 15, 2026 · 4 min read
Almost everyone knows they get annual leave. It's the details that make the difference: when does it become 30 days instead of 21? And what happens to the days you didn't take when you leave the job? Here are the answers, briefly and with numbers.
How many days do you get? (Article 109)
- 21 paid days for each year of service.
- 30 days once you complete five consecutive years with the same employer.
- Your contract can give you more, but never less.
| Years of service | Leave that year (days) | Total earned (days) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | 21 |
| 3 | 21 | 63 |
| 5 | 30 | 105 |
| 6 | 30 | 135 |
| 8 | 30 | 195 |
| 10 | 30 | 255 |
Unused days: do you lose them?
No. Article 111 says a worker is paid for leave days they didn't take when the employment ends, whatever the reason it ends. A day's pay is usually the monthly wage divided by 30.
Example: an employee on SAR 9,000 a month, so SAR 300 a day, has 18 unused days when they resign. They're owed SAR 5,400 for them, on top of the end-of-service award, not as part of it.
Things to keep in mind
- Leave pay is paid in advance, before the leave starts.
- Your employer can set when you take leave to suit the work, but can't deny it or pay cash instead of it while the contract continues.
- Annual leave is separate from sick leave, maternity leave and official holidays, so none of those come out of it.