Your notice period sits at the end of your service, exactly where gratuity is measured. Working it, spending it at home or being paid in lieu can move your end date by a month or two, sometimes across a threshold that changes the rate.
All four laws require written notice, and make the side that skips it pay the wage for the notice period instead.
| Country | Article | Minimum notice | If notice is not given |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | Articles 75 and 76, Labour Law as amended by Royal Decree No. M/44 (in force February 2025) | Contracts with no fixed end date, wage paid monthly: 30 days if the employee ends it, 60 days if the employer does, with the legitimate reason stated in writing | The wage for the notice period or what remains of it (Art. 76) |
| UAE | Article 43, Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 | As agreed in the contract, between 30 and 90 days | A notice allowance equal to the wage for the whole period or the remainder, on the last wage (Art. 43) |
| Qatar | Article 49, Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 as amended by Decree Law No. 18 of 2020 | 1 month for up to 2 years of service, 2 months after that | The basic wage for the notice period |
| Bahrain | Article 99, Labour Law No. 36 of 2012 | 30 days. An employer may agree to give longer | The wage for the notice period or the remainder (Art. 99(b)) |
Saudi Article 75 covers contracts without an end date. The 2025 amendments also gave the employer 30 days to respond to a resignation, extendable by up to 60 days with written reasons. Our Saudi guide covers the resignation reductions.
Yes. UAE Article 43(2) says the contract stays in force during notice, ends when it expires, and the worker is owed full wage throughout. Bahrain Article 99(a) keeps the contract and all its obligations in force. Qatar Article 50 requires full pay for a notice period worked normally. Gratuity is measured to the last day of notice.
● Clearly stated in the lawSaudi Arabia's amended Article 75 is generally read the same way, but we could not confirm the exact amended wording, so treat it as the accepted position rather than a quoted rule.
● General principle, less specific sourcingPay in lieu settles the money. The gratuity question is whether the unworked days still count as service.
Bahrain is the only country that answers this directly. Article 99(b) says that when the employer ends the contract without notice, the notice period or its remainder is counted as part of the worker's service. If the worker leaves without notice, the contract ends the day they stop work.
● Clearly stated in the lawIn Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar the law fixes the payment but not the end date. Many employers close the contract on the release date, which shortens service. Others count the notice period because the employee was entitled to it. Ask in writing which end date was used.
● General principle, less specific sourcingNone of the four laws uses the term. Garden leave means staying at home on full pay while notice runs. The contract is still in force, so it counts as service just like worked notice. Unlike pay in lieu, your employment has not ended: your end date is the last day of notice, and your confidentiality duties and bar on working elsewhere usually continue until then.
● General principle, less specific sourcingGratuity counts service to the date the contract ends. Three dates often get confused:
The gap matters most near a threshold: five years in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, three in Bahrain, and the one year minimum in the UAE and Qatar.
See also our final settlement checklist.
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.