Employer of Record in Qatar

Businesses can only operate smoothly in Qatar if they comply with local labor laws including drafting compliant employment contract agreements and meeting taxation and payroll obligations. Learn more about the employment laws and regulations in Qatar below, to avoid any compliance issues.

Employment Contract Requirements

Written employment contracts are mandatory in Qatar, with Arabic as the required language, but translations into foreign languages are permissible. Contracts may be indefinite or definite, with definite contracts limited to a maximum duration of 5 years. Essential details to include in employment contracts include:

• Identification of both parties involved.
• Commencement date of employment.
• Detailed job description, including duties and responsibilities.
• Employee's salary, payment method, and scheduled pay date.

Onboarding Process

We can help you get a new employee started in Qatar quickly, with a minimum onboarding time of just 1-2 working days. The timeline starts once the employee submits all required information onto the Playroll platform and completes any necessary local authority registrations.

For non-nationals, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) may add up to three extra days. Additional time may be needed for follow-ups on this assessment. Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual start date. Playroll's payroll cut-off date is the 10th of each month unless otherwise specified.

Working Hours in Qatar

The standard workweek is 48 hours. Employees can work 8 hours a day, six days a week. During Ramadan, the working day may be reduced to 6 hours. Fridays are usually a rest day.

Overtime in Qatar

In Qatar, overtime work is compensated according to contracts or collective agreements, with maximum limits on hours. Overtime exceeding 48 hours per week is paid at 125% of the average salary rate, while nighttime overtime is compensated at 150%.

Probation Period in Qatar

In Qatar, probation periods are specified by the employment contract and cannot exceed six months.

Fiscal Year in Qatar

April 1st - 31st March is the 12-month accounting period that businesses in Qatar use for financial and tax reporting purposes.

Payroll Cycle in Qatar

The payroll cycle in Qatar is usually monthly, with employees being paid by end of month/ first few days of following month.

Minimum Wage in Qatar

The minimum wage for employees in Qatar is typically 2 QAR per hour, amounting to ~1,000 QAR per month for a typical 48 hour work week.

Bonus Payments in Qatar

Employers in Qatar are not legally obliged to provide 13-month payments. Bonuses are at the discretion of the employers.

Employer Tax Contributions

Employer payroll contributions are generally estimated at an additional 10% on top of the employee salary in Qatar.

Employee Payroll Tax Contributions

In Qatar , the typical estimation for employee payroll contributions cost is around 5% - 8%%.

Individual Income Tax Contributions

Qatar does not impose taxes on employment income.

Pension in Qatar

Qatari government employees qualify for a state pension at 60 for men and 55 for women after 15 years of contributions. Early retirement at 40 is an option with the same contribution period. Contributions include 7% from employees capped at 7% of 100,000 Qatari riyals of earnings), 14% from employers, and government contributions to total 21%.

Mandatory Leave Entitlement in Qatar

The annual leave entitlement in Qatar is 21 days for a full time worker. These can include public holidays on top of that or within those days, which would otherwise be unpaid.

Public Holidays In Qatar

Qatar has 4 mandatory holidays in a year:

Paid Time Off in Qatar

In Qatar, employees receive paid annual leave based on their tenure:

• Less than one year: Leave is at the employer's discretion.
• Three weeks of annual leave for one to five years of service.
• Four weeks of annual leave for over five years of service.
• Employees can split leave into two periods and carry over unused leave to the next year with employer approval.

Maternity Leave In Qatar

Female employees in Qatar are entitled to a minimum of 50 days of fully paid maternity leave, which includes both prenatal and postnatal periods. The postnatal period should not be less than 35 days.

Paternity Leave In Qatar

Male employees in Qatar are not mandated to have paternity leave under the Labour Law. However, some employers may offer it based on company policies. It's common for employers to grant three to five days of leave to fathers after their child's birth.

Sick Leave In Qatar

After three months of service, an employee in Qatar is entitled to paid sick leave as follows:

• Fully paid sick leave for the first 2 weeks.
• 50% of salary for the next 4 weeks.
• Any extension beyond the regular 6 weeks will be unpaid.

Parental Leave In Qatar

Qatar does not have a separate shared parental leave policy.

Paid Bereavement Leave

Employees are entitled to three days of leave in the event of the death of a direct family member. Should the death of the family member occur outside Qatar, employees are then entitled to 7 days.

Hajj Leave

In Qatar, Muslim employees may be entitled to a one-time unpaid pilgrimage leave of 20 days if they wish to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Termination Process in Qatar

Termination procedures in Qatar require a mandatory termination notice from either the employer or employee to initiate the dismissal process. These procedures are contingent upon factors such as:

• Employment and collective agreements.
• Contract type and reason.

Notice Period in Qatar

In Qatar, the notice period for employees depends on their length of service:

• 30 days' notice for employees with 1 year to less than 5 years of service
• 60 days' notice for employees with over 5 years of service.

Severance in Qatar

To qualify for severance pay in Qatar, an employee must have completed one year of continuous service. The severance amount is calculated based on the final wage and comprises at least three weeks of the employees final basic wage for every year of service.