Probation end date calculator for Saudi Arabia
- Art. 53 of the Saudi Labor Law: probation period
- Read against the statuteSeptember 2026
Saudi Arabia
Art. 53 of the Saudi Labor Law: probation period
Next step
To check this, or for anything official:
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Developmenthrsd.gov.sa
See the last day inside probation, the first day after it, and whether your contract stays inside the legal ceiling.
Enter the day you started work and the probation days written in your contract. The tool works out the last day inside probation and the first day after it, and checks the agreed length against what Art. 53 allows. Your first day of work is day one of probation, and that is exactly where hand-counting goes wrong.
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- Cites the article
How is the probation end date calculated?
- Last day inside probation = start date + days − 1
- First day after probation = last day inside + 1
- The ceiling is 180 days at most
- Days applied = the lower of the agreed period and 180 days
Symbols
- day one
- The first day of work itself, not the day after it, which is where the usual one-day error comes from
- days applied
- The lower of what your contract says and 180 days, because anything above the ceiling does not count however the contract is worded
- what does not count
- Eid holidays and sick leave fall outside the period, so the real date can sit later than the figure here by that much
When does a probation starting 1 January 2026 end?
An employee who started on 1 January 2026 with ninety days of probation:
- Day one of probation is 1 January itself
- Days counted: 90
- Last day of probation: 1 January + 89 days = 31 March 2026
- First day after probation: 1 April 2026
- Statutory limit: 180 days
Ending the contract on 31 March falls inside probation; on 1 April it falls outside, under quite different rules. If you had sick leave during the period, add those days to the date.
What if your contract exceeds the legal ceiling?
Your first day of work is day one of probation, not the day after. Ninety days starting on 1 January ends on 31 March, not 1 April. That is one day, but it is the difference between a termination falling inside probation and outside it, and between a notice period being owed and not.
The tool compares the length in your contract against what Art. 53 allows. If it runs over, the date is worked out on the statutory limit rather than on the contract, because a clause that exceeds the law does not stand. A period between ninety and a hundred and eighty days used to need a written extension agreement, until Royal Decree M/44 rewrote Art. 53 and allowed the whole period to be set in the contract from the start.
One important caveat: the law does not count the two Eid holidays or sick leave towards probation. The tool counts calendar days, so if you had sick leave or an Eid fell inside the period, the real end is later than the date shown by that many days.
- First day of work = day one of probation
- Last day of probation = start date + days − 1
- The statutory limit is 180 days, as set in the contract
- A clause that exceeds the statutory limit does not stand
- The two Eid holidays and sick leave do not count towards the period
Questions about probation
Why does ninety days end on 31 March and not 1 April?
Because the start date itself is day one of probation. Counting from the following day would make the period ninety-one days. The accepted method is that the last day of probation equals the start date plus the number of days minus one.
Can probation be extended?
The ceiling is a hundred and eighty days, and since Royal Decree M/44 took effect on 19 February 2025 the contract may set the whole of it from the start: the separate written extension agreement the old article required is gone. Anything past a hundred and eighty days is void however it is agreed.
My contract says six months of probation. Is that valid?
Six months is close to a hundred and eighty days, which is the maximum, and since the 2025 amendment a contract may state it from the outset with no separate extension agreement. If the period runs past a hundred and eighty days the tool works to the statutory limit, because the excess does not stand.
Do holidays count towards the period?
Ordinary holidays do, but Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and sick leave do not count towards probation. The tool counts calendar days, so add the Eid and sick days you actually had to the date shown to get the real end.
What changes once probation ends?
The main change is notice: ending the contract after probation requires notice or payment in lieu, and end-of-service gratuity is calculated over your whole service including the probation period itself. Work out your notice on the last working day calculator.
Sources
Read against the statuteReviewed September 2026- Art. 53 of the Saudi Labor Law: the probation period, its maximum and the conditions for a written extension
- Saudi Labor Law: Royal Decree No. M/51 dated 23/8/1426 H
Statutory articles this calculator applies
- Art. 53 of the Saudi Labor Law: probation period
Saudi Labor Law: Royal Decree No. M/51 dated 23/8/1426H (27 Sep 2005), as amended (latest amendment Royal Decree No. M/44 of 1446H, in force 2025-02-19)