Sick leave pay: 4 steps to get it right

Sick leave pay takes four steps: record proof of illness, count days from the first sick leave of the year, apply the right pay band, then check the rules that protect both sides. The basis is Article 117 of the Saudi Labor Law: an employee whose illness is proven is entitled to sick leave on full pay for the first thirty days, three-quarters pay for the next sixty days, and no pay for the thirty days after that, within one year, whether the leave is continuous or broken up.

This follows the annual leave balance and pay lesson: that covered planned days; this covers days nobody chooses.

The three bands in one year

Days in the sick-leave year	Pay due	Daily pay on a 6,000-riyal wage
Day 1 to 30	Full pay	200 riyals
Day 31 to 90	Three-quarters pay	150 riyals
Day 91 to 120	No pay	Zero

The four steps

1. Get proof of illness and record it

The right belongs to "the employee whose illness is proven", so never record a sick day without a medical report. Keep each report with its dates and number of days in the employee's file. A day with no report is not sick leave; see the absence lesson.

2. Count from the first sick leave

The year is not the calendar or employment year. The article says: "one year means the year that starts from the date of the first sick leave". So if the employee first fell sick on 15 February, their sick-leave year ends on 14 February the next year, and every sick day in between counts together, across all reports.

3. Apply the band to the actual wage

Wage in the Article 2 definitions means the actual wage: basic pay plus the additions due, such as commission and allowances, and a month is thirty days unless the contract or regulations say otherwise. So daily pay = actual monthly wage ÷ 30. Check where each day of the new report falls on the counter, and if a report crosses from one band into the next, split its days between them.

4. Check the rules before approving payroll

Three rules surround sick leave:

• No dismissal for illness before the periods run out: Article 82 bars ending an employee's service because of illness before they use up the leave periods.
• Joining annual leave to sick leave: the same article gives the employee the right to ask for their annual leave to be joined to their sick leave, useful before the unpaid band.
• No working elsewhere during leave: Article 118 bars the employee from working for another employer during any of their leave; if proven, the employer may withhold or recover the leave pay.

A WhatsApp example

A warehouse worker has an actual monthly wage of 6,000 riyals, so a day's pay is 200 riyals. Their first sick leave this year started on 15 February 2026, and they have taken 26 sick days so far. They send a medical report for seven days starting 1 November, and the owner writes:

Owner: The warehouse worker sent a 7-day sick report from 1 November. How much do we pay?

System: Report recorded. Their sick-leave year runs from 15 February 2026 to 14 February 2027, with 26 days used. The first 4 days of the report complete the thirty on full pay: 800 riyals. The remaining 3 days are at three-quarters pay: 450 riyals (3 × 150). The payroll difference this month is 150 riyals. They have 57 days left at three-quarters pay this year.

Owner: Do they have annual leave left?

System: Yes, 12 days. If they ask to join it to the sick leave, that is their right, and it is paid in full. Shall I send them the question?

Owner: Send it

More on staff and payroll from the same chat in business management over WhatsApp.

Checklist before approving payroll

Step	Question	Evidence
Proof	Is there a medical report for every sick day?	The report kept in the employee's file
Counter	Did the count start from the first sick leave of the year?	A log of reports with dates and running total
Band	Were days split when a report crossed day 30 or day 90?	Days per band shown in payroll
Rules	Was joining annual leave offered before the unpaid band?	A written message to the employee