Housemaids, drivers, nannies, cooks and gardeners are not covered by the main labour laws in the Gulf. Each country has a separate domestic worker law with its own end of service rule, and the figures are much lower than the ones our main calculator produces. Here is what each law says, and where it is unclear.
The Saudi Labour Law, UAE Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021, Qatar Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 and Bahrain Labour Law No. 36 of 2012 all carve domestic workers out of their general rules. Dedicated texts set a smaller benefit, paid by the household that holds the worker's contract.
Saudi Arabia replaced its 2013 domestic worker rules with a new Domestic Workers Regulation approved by Ministerial Decision No. 40676 dated 17/3/1445H (October 2023), which took effect one year after issuance. Article 22 gives the worker, when the contract ends, one month's wage for every four consecutive years spent with the same household employer, calculated on the last wage. The old regulation paid a single month after four years.
Article 23 sets the deadline. If the employer ends the contract, wages and dues must be settled within one week. If the worker ends it, the deadline is two weeks. Article 18 requires monthly wages to be paid by the methods the Ministry sets, and since 1 January 2026 that means the wage protection service on the Musaned platform for every household, after a phased rollout that began in July 2024.
The regulation does not say how years served before it took effect are counted. Treat any long service that started under the old 1434H rules as a point to confirm with the Ministry or through Musaned.
Federal Decree Law No. 9 of 2022 on domestic workers does not itself fix a gratuity rate. Article 22 leaves the systems for calculating and paying it to the Cabinet, on the Minister's proposal. Article 19 does require the employer to pay all the worker's financial entitlements within 10 days of the contract ending, and Article 1 defines the basic wage as the contract wage with no allowances or benefits in kind.
When the law took effect in December 2022, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation said publicly that families and recruitment offices must pay 14 days of basic wage for each year of service once the worker completes a year. However, an ILO country brief updated in May 2024 said the Cabinet rules under Article 22 had not yet been issued, and some commentators argue no gratuity is enforceable until they are. Until a Cabinet decision is published, treat 14 days per year as the Ministry's stated practice rather than a rule written into the law.
Article 15 of Qatar Law No. 15 of 2017 on domestic workers entitles a worker with at least one full year of service to an end of service gratuity agreed between the parties, but not less than three weeks' wage for each year. Parts of a year count in proportion. The employer may deduct amounts the worker owes. Article 1 defines the wage as the cash paid for the work.
Bahrain keeps domestic workers inside its Labour Law but applies only a short list of articles to them. Article 2 includes Article 116, the leaving indemnity: half a month's wage for each of the first three years and a full month for each year after that, with parts of a year in proportion. The LMRA tells household employers to pay it directly to the worker at the end of the contract.
● General principle, less specific sourcingThe March 2024 system that routes expatriate indemnity through the Social Insurance Organisation covers workers insured under the employment injury branch, and domestic workers sit outside the Social Insurance Law. The family therefore still pays the full amount itself.
| Country | Minimum service | Rate | Wage used | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 4 consecutive years | 1 month per complete 4 years | Last wage | 1 week (employer ends), 2 weeks (worker ends) |
| UAE | 1 year (Ministry statement) | 14 days per year (Ministry statement, Cabinet rules pending) | Basic wage | 10 days |
| Qatar | 1 year | At least 3 weeks per year, pro rata | Cash wage | End of service |
| Bahrain | None stated | ½ month per year for 3 years, then 1 month | Last wage | End of contract |
In every country the household pays directly. No social insurance fund is involved.
Office drivers, cooks in restaurants and cleaners employed by a company are not domestic workers. The UAE, Saudi and other country guides apply.
Calculate your gratuityChecked against the published labour law text for each country. Where the law is unclear or interpretations differ, we say so. Last verified 5 October 2026.