Calculate overtime pay from the hourly rate, the regular hours, the overtime hours and the multiplier your labour law sets — for example 1.5× under Saudi labour law, or 1.25× for normal-hour overtime in the UAE.
Overtime pay is one of the most frequently disputed line items on a MENA payroll. Saudi labour law requires each hour beyond the standard daily or weekly hours to be paid at the hourly wage plus 50% of the basic wage — 1.5× when the wage is all basic. The UAE Labour Law requires at least 1.25× for normal-hour overtime and 1.5× for overtime between 10 pm and 4 am, and a substitute day off or at least 50% extra for work on the rest day. Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain all have their own variations. The Xuvilo overtime calculator works for all of them: you type the multiplier that applies to your country and shift, and it does the arithmetic instantly.
The tool is built for two audiences. Employees use it to verify that the overtime line on their payslip is correct — and to claim the difference in writing if it isn't. Employers use it to compute correct overtime accruals on weekly payroll runs and to budget for project-based extra hours before agreeing to a customer's deadline. Either way, the answer comes back in five seconds, with regular pay, overtime pay and the total shown separately.
The calculator takes four numbers: your hourly rate, your regular hours per day, the overtime hours and the overtime multiplier. For rest-day, public-holiday or night work, enter the higher multiplier your law sets for those hours. It takes plain numbers, so the result is in the currency you are paid in. If you are a contractor billing for hours rather than an employee on payroll, put the figure on an invoice with the invoice generator.
Regular Pay = Hourly Rate × Regular Hours
Overtime Pay = Hourly Rate × Multiplier × Overtime Hours
Total Pay = Regular Pay + Overtime Pay
Hourly rate $20, 8 regular hours and 3 overtime hours at 1.5× → regular pay $160 + overtime pay $90 = total pay $250
The one your labour law or contract sets for those hours. For ordinary overtime the legal minimum is 1.25 in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan, and 1.5 in Saudi Arabia, where the extra 50% is worked out on the basic wage. Night work, the weekly rest day and public holidays often carry a higher rate: in the UAE, overtime between 10 pm and 4 am is paid at 1.5. The calculator does not choose a multiplier for you — enter the one that applies.
Article 107 of the Saudi Labour Law requires each overtime hour to be paid at the hourly wage plus 50% of the basic hourly wage — 1.5× the hourly rate when the wage is all basic. Overtime is any hour beyond the standard 8 a day or 48 a week (6 a day or 36 a week for Muslim workers in Ramadan), and work on the weekly rest day or a public holiday counts as overtime too.
Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, overtime is paid at the wage for normal hours plus at least 25%, rising to at least 50% for overtime worked between 10 pm and 4 am (shift workers excepted). An employee who works on the weekly rest day must be given another day off or be paid at least 50% on top of the basic wage for that day. Overtime may not exceed 2 hours a day, except where the law allows.
Generally on the basic wage, without allowances, bonuses or commissions — Saudi law adds its 50% premium to the basic hourly wage, for example. Check your contract, though: it may set a more generous base than the law's minimum.
Divide the monthly basic salary by the hours it pays for. There is no single legal divisor: employers commonly use 30 days × 8 hours = 240 hours, or the working days in the month, such as 26 × 8 = 208. For a basic salary of SAR 3,000 that gives SAR 12.50 or SAR 14.42 an hour. Use the divisor in your contract or company policy, then enter the result as the hourly rate.
Yes. UAE law caps overtime at 2 hours a day, with total working hours not above 144 in any three weeks, except where the law allows more. In Saudi Arabia the implementing regulations limit overtime to 720 hours a year unless the worker agrees to more. Other countries set their own limits, so check the law where the work is done.
Often not. In both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the working-hours rules exclude people in senior supervisory or managerial posts who hold the employer's authority over other staff, along with some other categories. Whether a role qualifies depends on what the job really involves, not only its title, so check the law and your contract before claiming or refusing overtime.
Unpaid overtime breaches the labour law in almost every country. The employee can claim it through the labour ministry or the labour courts, and the employer can face the back pay plus fines. Keep accurate time records and reconcile overtime with every payroll run.
If you are a freelance contractor billing by the hour rather than an employee on payroll, use the free Xuvilo invoice generator to send a fully formatted invoice with hourly breakdown. For more guides on MENA labour law and payroll, see the Xuvilo Blog, including our guide to handling late payments.
Open the free Overtime Pay Calculator now, or browse the full business calculator suite.
