Expand your organization into Qatareven if you don’t have a Qatari entity
The small Middle Eastern nation of Qatar makes up for what it lacks in size in economic strength. Its huge oil and natural gas reserves have resulted in the explosive economic growth of the last century, and its GDP per capita is now one of the highest in the world. While the economy is undoubtedly largely founded on its natural resources, the country has branched out in recent years and now has several other successful industries including financial services and tourism.
Investing and expanding your business in Qatar can have massive benefits, but it is not always a simple process. The country has a unique set of business and employment laws, language barriers, and cultural differences that can make it hard for foreign organizations to work effectively, and delays are not uncommon.
At New Horizons, we offer advice and support organizations planning to expand into Qatar. Our bespoke professional employer organization (Qatar PEO), employer of record, and payroll services can offer everything needed to expand your business into Qatar, whether or not you have already established a Qatari entity.
Using our dedicated in-house recruitment team, we can also source, hire, and onboard your new workforce in Qatar, as well as manage any ongoing HR and compliance administration. Our dedicated team will provide everything you need to expand into Qatar as efficiently as possible and could drastically cut your expansion costs.
Our Qatar PEO simplifies your expansion
New Horizons enables your business to expand operations into Qatar – without setting up a legal subsidiary.
Rapid Market Entry
New Horizons will enable you to source, hire, and onboard professionals across Qatar in as little as 48 hours.
Cost-Effective Expansion
Our Qatar PEO solution can help you benefit from cost savings of up to 85%, without the need to establish a Qatari entity.
Payroll Outsourcing
Simplified Qatar salary & payroll processing, including social security payments, tax, and any other required contributions.
Employee Onboarding
Utilize the relevant provision for all types of Qatari labor contracts, whether a fixed-term or open-ended contract.
Onsite Legal & HR Team
Full support for Qatar-specific contract renewals, terminations, annual leave management, HR, and strategic guidance.
Ensure Full Compliance
We ensure that employment contracts are fully compliant and adhere to Qatar labor laws and best practices.
Qatar payroll guide
What are the tax and withholding rules in Qatar?
Employees in Qatar are not subject to any income tax. The corporate tax rate is 10% for most businesses, but there are some differences for certain companies, for example those operating in the oil industry.
Pension | 10.0% |
Total Employment Cost | 10.0% |
| Pension | 5.0% |
Total Employee Cost | 5.0% |
Contractual rights and termination regulations
Workers in Qatar who have worked with their employer for at least a year are entitled to severance benefits. The severance pay is as follows:
- Three weeks of pay for every year worked up to five years of employment.
- Four weeks of pay for every year between six and ten years of employment.
- Five weeks of pay for every year between 11 and 20 years of employment.
- Six weeks of pay for every year over 20 years of employment.
The payment also includes a cost of living allowance.
Usually, employees who have been employed for less than five years are entitled to 30 days of notice when employers terminate their indefinite-term contracts, or two months for employees of more than five years.
How to establish a Qatar payroll
A key part of hiring and creating a payroll in Qatar is likely to be registering an official entity in the country. The administration procedures can be lengthy, complicated, and potentially very resource-intensive, so outsourcing the entire process can be an excellent way to improve efficiency.
At New Horizons, our experts can set up and manage your payroll and all its administration so you don’t have to. We can also provide use of our Qatari subsidiary to act as your employer or record, so you can start hiring and expanding in Qatar even if you don’t have an established entity in the country.
Hiring in Qatar: Employment law overview
📝 Employment contracts in Qatar
Employees in Qatar are legally entitled to a written employment contract when they are hired for a position. While English is widely spoken in Qatar, these contracts should generally be written in the official language of Arabic. Contracts should also include all of the relevant details of employment, such as salary/wage, expected working hours, and any benefit or entitlements that the employees will receive. Any references to compensation should be in the local currency of the Qatari riyal.
By partnering with our Qatar PEO, New Horizons’ team of local experts can provide assistance for drafting strong employment contracts that are compliant with local regulations.
⏰ Working hours in Qatar
For most of the year, the maximum working week in Qatar is 48 hours, with a limit of eight hours per day. However, the country operates at a reduced working week of 36 hours during Ramadan.
📅 Public holidays in Qatar
🏖 Qatar vacation leave
The mandatory minimum paid vacation in Qatar depends on the length of service with an employer. For one to five years of service, employees are entitled to three weeks of paid vacation leave. For more than five years of service, employees are entitled to four weeks of paid vacation leave.
As Qatar is a strongly religious country, Muslim employees are also entitled to a one-off period of religious leave of two weeks (unpaid) for pilgrimages.
😷 Qatar sick leave
After three months of service with an employer, and when they can present a doctor’s note, employees in Qatar are entitled to up to two weeks of sick leave.
👶 Parental leave in Qatar
Women who have been with a company for at least one year are entitled to 50 days of maternity leave. Of this allowance, 15 days can be taken before childbirth and a minimum of 35 days can be taken after. They can also take extra time beyond this, but it is unpaid.
Male employees are not entitled to any paternity leave, but many companies choose to offer an allowance as part of their benefits packages.
💰 Terminations and severance in Qatar
Employees in Qatar are legally entitled to severance benefits after one year of service with their employer. The payment is the equivalent of:
- Three weeks of pay for every year worked up to five years of employment.
- Four weeks of pay for every year between six and ten years of employment.
- Five weeks of pay for every year between 11 and 20 years of employment.
- Six weeks of pay for every year over 20 years of employment.
The payment also includes a cost of living allowance.
Usually, employees who have been employed for less than five years are entitled to 30 days of notice when employers terminate their indefinite-term contracts, or two months for employees of more than five years.
Navigating employee terminations and handling severance packages can be complicated for companies expanding overseas for the first time. New Horizons’ Qatar PEO can mitigate risk for foreign companies and provide guidance through this process.
🏦 Taxation in Qatar
Employees in Qatar are not subject to any income tax.
🏥 Health coverage in Qatar
Qatar nationals can access state-funded healthcare either for free or heavily subsidized. Foreign employees will generally need private coverage, so employers may choose to offer private insurance as part of their benefits packages.
💳 Qatar compensations & benefits
Compensation laws in Qatar
As of late 2020, the minimum wage in Qatar is 1,000 riyals per month.
Benefit management in Qatar
It is common for employers in Qatar to offer benefits packages to their workers. However, establishing a benefits system in Qatar can be complicated, especially if you are unfamiliar with the country’s unique set of labor laws and administrative procedures.
New Horizons can help you fast-track this phase of your Qatar expansion by providing tailored benefit management services. Our experienced team can advise you on the standard practice and handle all of your benefit management, allowing you to focus on the work of expanding your organization in Qatar.
Request a Proposal
New Horizons will help you expand your business into Qatar faster
At New Horizons, we offer bespoke employer of record, Qatar PEO, and payroll outsourcing to help organizations start trading in Qatar as time and cost-efficiently as possible. Our experts will ensure that you are ready to kickstart your Qatar operation in as little as 48 hours, and could save you up to 82% in expansion costs, even if you haven’t already registered a legal entity in the country.
We can take care of all your expenses, payroll setup, benefits, and legal compliance work in Qatar, as well as any ongoing human resources work. As the only global PEO with a dedicated in-house recruitment team, we can also find, recruit, and onboard your local workforce, using our Qatari subsidiary to act as employer of record for your hires so you don’t need to establish a legal entity in Qatar.
Speak to our Qatar experts today to learn how New Horizons can simplify and fast-track your Qatar expansion.
