Bahrain Notice Period Calculator

At a glance

Notice period

At least 30 days

Who it applies to

Either party (worker / employer)

Pay in lieu

Basic + social allowance (÷30) × notice days

Law

Labour Law 36/2012, Art. 99

How notice works in Bahrain

For an indefinite-term contract, either the worker or the employer may end it by giving written notice of not less than 30 days. The parties can agree a longer notice period in the contract, but not a shorter one. The party who ends the contract without giving the required notice must pay the other compensation.

That compensation — pay in lieu of notice — equals the wage for the un-served notice period. Article 99(b) calls it “the worker’s wage”, and Article 47 then defines which wage: your most recent basic wage plus the social allowance, if any. The daily rate is that wage ÷ 30. It is separate from the leaving indemnity and any unused-leave payment, though all three share the same base.

How many days’ notice do you have to give in Bahrain?

Notice pay, indemnity and leave are three separate figures

A Bahraini final settlement carries at least three numbers, and Article 47 puts all three on one base. It names them in a single sentence: the leaving indemnity, the balance of annual leave under Article 59, and the compensation due under Article 99(b) are all calculated on “the worker’s most recent basic wage in addition to the social allowance, if any”. Service from March 2024 onwards is funded by SIO contributions, so the indemnity portion is claimed from the SIO rather than the employer — but the base is unchanged.

The commonest error in Bahraini settlements is assuming notice pay works the way it does elsewhere in the Gulf. In Oman and Qatar, notice is an ordinary wage obligation and runs on the whole package; in Bahrain, Article 47 pulls it onto the narrower indemnity base, so housing and transport allowances are excluded from it.

LMRA rules for resignation in Bahrain

These are often called LMRA rules, but they come from the Labour Law for the Private Sector, Law No. 36 of 2012, which the LMRA publishes in English. If you resign:

• •Notice (Art. 99(a)): 30 days, the same as for the employer. The contract stays in force during the notice period, so you keep working and are paid as usual.
• •In writing (Art. 100): the notice must be written and handed over against a signature confirming receipt, or sent by registered letter to the last address the employer gave. The 30 days run from the day it is received or refused.
• •Release from notice (Art. 103): the employer may excuse you from all or part of the notice period. An agreement that lets the employer skip the notice it owes you is void.
• •Unserved notice (Art. 99(b)): whoever ends the contract without serving the notice pays the other side the wage for the notice period, or for the part not served.
• •Compensation to the employer (Art. 112): a worker who resigns owes the employer compensation only if notice was not served and the resignation came at a time that left the employer unable to find a qualified replacement, was meant to harm the employer, or caused it serious harm. A court sets the amount at the employer's request.
• •Your dues (Art. 40(b)(4)): after a resignation the employer has up to 7 days from your last day to pay your wage and everything owed.
• •Your indemnity (Art. 116): resigning does not reduce it.
• •Fixed-term contracts normally run to their end date; ending one early can trigger separate compensation.

Resigning does not reduce your indemnityBahrain labour law

How to calculate pay in lieu of notice

1. 1

   Find your notice length

   30 days, or the longer period set in your contract.

2. 2

   Work out the daily wage

   Divide your most recent basic wage plus the social allowance by 30.

3. 3

   Multiply

   Daily wage × notice days = the notice-period allowance owed.

Worked examples

Frequently asked questions