Doha, Qatar: Under Qatar’s Labour Law, employers must pay a worker’s outstanding wages and all amounts due before the end of the working day following the termination of their employment contract.
Article 67 of Law No. 14 of 2004 sets this deadline when an employment contract ends for any reason. However, a different deadline applies if the worker leaves without giving the notice required under Article 49.
In that situation, the employer must pay the worker’s wages and all other entitlements within seven days of the worker leaving.
The provisions concern workers covered by the Labour Law.
What notice is required?
Article 49, amended by Decree-Law No. 18 of 2020, allows either party to terminate the employment contract without giving reasons after the probation period has ended, or where the contract does not provide for probation, subject to written notice.
The party wishing to terminate the contract must notify the other party in writing at least one month in advance during the first and second years of employment.
After the second year, the notice period is two months.
These requirements apply to both employers and workers. Probation is governed by separate provisions.
If either party terminates the contract without observing the required notice period, that party must compensate the other with an amount equal to the worker’s basic wage for the notice period or its remaining portion.
This compensation is separate from the employer’s obligation to pay the worker’s outstanding entitlements under Article 67.
The seven-day payment deadline is not a general deadline for every resignation; it applies to the situation specified in that article.
Article 49 also states that an expatriate worker who leaves Qatar without complying with its provisions cannot be granted a work permit for one year from the date of departure.
What penalties apply to delayed final payments?
Article 145 expressly includes violations of Article 67 among offences punishable by imprisonment for up to one month and a fine ranging from QR2,000 to QR6,000, or either penalty.
These are court-imposed penalties, rather than an automatic fine for every delayed payment.
The distinction between the two deadlines is important: Article 67 ordinarily requires payment before the end of the next working day after the contract ends, while allowing up to seven days where the worker leaves without giving the notice specified under Article 49.
