Ramadan working hours: what UAE and Saudi law actually say

Why this matters for HR

Ramadan lasts one month, but it changes attendance schedules, shift plans and overtime across the whole company. The usual mistake is not the headline rule. It is the detail: does the reduction cover non-Muslim staff, what happens to someone who keeps working their normal day, and when does Ramadan actually start? We cover the UAE first, then Saudi Arabia, and then compare the two in one table.

UAE: two hours less per day

The legal basis

Article 17 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations sets the maximum normal working time in the private sector at 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week. The official UAE government portal states that working hours are reduced by 2 hours a day during Ramadan.

The reduction sits in the implementing regulation of the Decree-Law, Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022. Announcements by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) refer to Article 15(2) of that resolution. MOHRE reminds employers every year; its Ramadan 2026 notice was titled "Reduction of Working Hours for Private Sector Employees by Two Hours Daily During the Holy Month of Ramadan".

Who the reduction covers

According to UAE press coverage of these announcements, the reduction applies to all private sector employees under the labour law, regardless of religion, role or job category. MOHRE announcements in recent years also say that companies may use flexible or remote working patterns, as long as they stay within the daily working hours set for Ramadan.

Breaks and overtime in the UAE

• Breaks: an employee may not work more than 5 consecutive hours without a break of at least one hour, and the break does not count as working time.
• Overtime cap: no more than two hours in one day.
• Overtime pay: the basic hourly wage plus 25%, rising to 50% when the overtime falls between 10 pm and 4 am. Different rules apply to shift workers.
• Rest day: an employee who works on their rest day gets a substitute rest day or an extra 50% on the basic wage for those hours.

In practice: if the normal day is 8 hours, the Ramadan day is 6 hours, and any hour the employer asks for after those six is overtime.

Saudi Arabia: 6 hours a day for Muslim workers

What Article 98 says

Article 98 of the Saudi Labor Law says a worker may not actually work more than eight hours a day if the employer uses the daily standard, or more than forty eight hours a week if it uses the weekly standard. During Ramadan, actual working hours for Muslims are reduced so that they do not exceed six hours a day or thirty six hours a week.

Who the reduction covers

The text limits the reduction to Muslim workers. Nothing stops a company from extending it to everyone, but it is not a legal obligation toward non-Muslim staff. Article 108 also excludes certain groups from Articles 98 and 101, including people in senior management and supervisory positions, preparatory or complementary work that must be done before or after the working day, work that is intermittent by nature, and guards and cleaners (civil security guards are not excluded).

Breaks and overtime in Saudi Arabia

• Breaks (Article 101): no more than five consecutive hours of work without a break for rest, prayer and meals of at least half an hour, and no more than twelve hours at the workplace in one day.
• Overtime pay (Article 107, as amended in 2025): the hourly wage plus 50% of the basic wage. With the worker's consent, the employer may instead grant paid compensatory days off.
• Exceptions (Article 106): in cases such as annual stocktaking, seasons, holidays or accidents some limits may be set aside, but actual working hours may never exceed ten hours a day or sixty hours a week.

Side by side

When does Ramadan start?

The month begins with the sighting of the crescent, so the official date is usually confirmed only a day or two ahead. For planning, companies use the Umm al-Qura calendar: by that calendar Ramadan 1447 began on Wednesday 18 February 2026, and Ramadan 1448 is expected around Monday 8 February 2027. That is a computed estimate and may differ by a day from each country's official announcement. Convert dates with the Hijri date converter and plan the shorter day with the Ramadan working hours calculator.

What it means for attendance and payroll

The monthly wage

Neither Article 98 in Saudi Arabia nor the UAE portal's description of the rule provides for cutting the monthly wage in exchange for the shorter day. The reduction changes the limits of the working day, and the wage stays as agreed in the contract. If you have an unusual case, such as staff paid by the hour, check with the authority or a lawyer before changing payroll.

Overtime

The most frequent mistake is a team that keeps its normal schedule through Ramadan without anyone recording the extra hours. In the UAE, the two hours worked above the reduced day are overtime. In Saudi Arabia, anything above six actual hours for a Muslim worker is overtime too. Record those hours in attendance so they reach payroll.

Shifts and remote work

Businesses that run all day, such as restaurants and retail, can redistribute shifts so each person stays within the reduced limit. In the UAE, office work and remote work can be combined within the set hours, as MOHRE announcements note.

Eid after Ramadan

Eid al-Fitr follows straight after, and its length differs between the two countries. Plan it together with the Ramadan schedule, and see our guide to choosing HR software for the Gulf for what to expect from holiday handling.

Checklist before Ramadan

• Set the reduced schedule for each team and announce it well before the month starts.
• In Saudi Arabia, decide who is legally covered and whether the company will extend the reduction to everyone.
• Adjust shifts so the break rules are respected.
• Agree in advance how overtime is approved and recorded.
• Read the official announcement in your country when it comes out, as it may add details.

In HR FLARE you can set the weekend per company, show Hijri dates next to Gregorian ones, and see Gulf public holidays computed from the Umm al-Qura calendar, adjustable once the official announcement is out. The interface works in Arabic and English, and it is free for up to 5 employees. See pricing or start from the home page. Related reading: UAE end of service gratuity and GOSI contributions after the 2024 law.