How we calculate — and where every number comes from

Every figure on GulfPaycheck is worked the way the law works, and tied to the exact article behind it. This page shows the method we use across all six countries and the source we verified each rule against — so you can check our working, not just trust it.

How we verify

Before any calculator goes live, we confirm its formula against the relevant labour law — the official text or a credible near-primary source — and record the law, the article, the exact figures, the wage base, the caps, the resignation rules and the date we checked them in an internal accuracy ledger. That "last verified" date is printed on every tool and repeated in the table below. When a law changes, updating the calculators is the work, and we log each change in the changelog rather than quietly editing numbers.

Where a country's primary text isn't cleanly available — Saudi Arabia's statute, or Kuwait's scanned ILO copy — we say so plainly in the notes below and rely on multiple convergent sources that quote the wording, rather than a single secondhand claim.

The six steps behind any GCC figure

The countries differ in their rates and wage bases, but the shape of the calculation is the same everywhere. This is the sequence our calculators follow:

1. Confirm you're eligible. Most GCC countries require at least one continuous year of service before any end-of-service pay is due. Periods of unpaid leave usually don't count toward that year.
2. Identify the legal wage base. Find which part of your salary the law uses. The UAE, Qatar and Oman calculate on basic salary only; Saudi Arabia and Kuwait use the fuller wage including fixed allowances. This single choice moves the result more than anything else.
3. Count your net service. Measure your service to the day and subtract any unpaid leave. For Bahrain and Oman, split your service at the reform cut-off date, because the old and new rules each apply to the period they cover.
4. Apply the country's accrual rate. Multiply your service by the statutory rate: 21 then 30 days a year in the UAE, half then one month a year in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, a flat three weeks a year in Qatar, and the two-period hybrids in Bahrain and Oman.
5. Apply any cap or resignation adjustment. Check the ceiling and the reason for leaving. The UAE caps gratuity at two years' pay and Kuwait at 18 months; Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reduce the award for resignation on a sliding scale, while the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman don't.
6. Check it against your contract. The result is the legal minimum. Your contract or employer policy may pay more, so treat the figure as the floor for your conversation with HR, not the ceiling.

Governing law, by country

Each country's headline end-of-service rule, the articles it rests on, and the date we last verified it. Select a country for the full detail and its sources.

Comparing the actual rates and payouts side by side? See the GCC gratuity comparison.

Country detail & sources

This is the method, not legal advice — your settlement still depends on your contract and employer policy. More about who we are and why accuracy is the brand is on the about page.