Qatar
Qatar Labour Law, Article 49: notice period
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To check this, or for anything official:
Qatar's Ministry of Labourmol.gov.qa
See what you are owed when notice is not served in full.
Work out the notice pay due for the unserved days of your notice period in Qatar under Article 49 of the Labour Law.
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How is payment in lieu of notice calculated?
- Daily wage = basic wage ÷ 30
- Shortfall = notice required − notice served
- Payment = shortfall × daily wage
Symbols
- notice required
- What the contract or the law sets, with a floor of 30 days
- shortfall
- The part you did not serve, which is the only part compensated
What is notice pay worth on 10,000?
An employee on a basic salary of 10,000 QAR a month is in the second year of work, so one month's notice is required, and the employment ends without a single day of it being served.
- Notice required: one month = 30 days; served: 0; unserved: 30 days
- Daily wage: 10,000 ÷ 30 = 333.33 QAR
- Notice pay: 30 × 333.33 = 10,000 QAR, a full month's basic wage
The other party is owed 10,000 QAR in notice pay under Article 49. Had the employee been past the second year of work, the period would be two months, so the same wage would give 20,000 QAR.
When is it owed, and when is it not?
Under Article 49 of Qatar Labour Law No. 14 of 2004, as replaced by Decree-Law No. 18 of 2020, either party may end the contract without giving a reason once probation is over, or where the contract sets none, by giving the other written notice. The notice is one month during the first and second years of work, and two months after the second year.
The article draws no line between fixed-term and open-ended contracts: after probation the same periods apply to both, and they bind the employer and the worker alike.
Whichever party does not observe the notice owes the other compensation equal to the worker's basic wage for the period, or for the part of it not served. This calculator divides the monthly basic wage by 30 to get the daily wage, then multiplies it by the unserved days, taking a month as 30 days.
- Notice period: one month (30 days) during the first and second years of work (Article 49)
- Two months (60 days) after the second year of work
- Daily wage = monthly basic wage ÷ 30
- Notice pay = daily wage × unserved days, owed by the party that did not observe the notice
Questions about notice periods and pay in lieu
How long is the notice period under Qatari labour law?
One month during your first and second years of work, and two months after the second year, under Article 49 as amended in 2020. You may still see one month up to five years of service and two months beyond: that is the article's 2005 wording, which the amendment replaced. The calculator works in days and takes a month as 30 days.
Does notice apply to fixed-term contracts?
Yes. Since the 2020 amendment, Article 49 lets either party end an employment contract after probation on the same notice, without distinguishing a fixed-term contract from an open-ended one.
Does the notice have to give a reason?
No. Article 49 lets either party end the contract after probation without stating a reason, provided the notice is given in writing and is observed or paid for. That does not cancel your other entitlements: the end-of-service gratuity and any unused leave remain payable.
I resigned without serving the notice. What do I owe?
You owe the employer your basic wage for the part of the notice you did not serve, and it may be deducted from your final settlement. The notice is 30 days in your first two years of work and 60 after that, and the same rule applies to the employer if it ends the contract without notice. A migrant worker who leaves Qatar without observing the article cannot be given a work permit for a year from leaving.
Is notice pay based on the basic salary or the full wage?
The basic salary. Article 49 sets the compensation at the worker's basic wage for the notice period or the part not served, so the calculator leaves allowances out. Notice you actually work is different: Article 50 has the employer pay your full wage for it.
How are months converted into days?
The calculator works in days and treats a month as 30 days, so one month is 30 days and two months are 60. If you served part of the notice, enter the days you worked and the pay is calculated on the remainder only.
Sources
Read against the statuteReviewed September 2026- Article 49 (notice) of Qatar Labour Law No. 14 of 2004, in Arabic as amended in 2020: Al Meezan legal portal
- Decree-Law No. 18 of 2020 amending the Qatar Labour Law, in Arabic: Al Meezan legal portal
- Ministry of Labour: State of Qatar
Statutory articles this calculator applies
- Qatar Labour Law, Article 49: notice period
Qatar Labour Law: Law No. 14 of 2004, as amended (notably by Decree-Law No. 18 of 2020 and Law No. 13 of 2017)