What is the deadline to claim unpaid gratuity in Qatar?
1 year from the end of your contract (Art. 10). Asking the Ministry of Labour to settle the dispute pauses that clock (Art. 115 bis).
Checked 22 October 2026
So the first step also protects your deadline. File the settlement request as soon as your gratuity is clearly late.
It is late once the working day after your contract ends has passed. If you left without giving your notice, it is late after 7 days from the day you left (Art. 67).
Official page: Ministry of Labour complaint form (PDF). Ask the Ministry of Labour how to file online, through its website, mol.gov.qa. The paper form needs your contract in Arabic and a copy of your ID.
What to do now
- Note the date 1 year after your last day. The leaving plan shows it.
- Get your contract in Arabic and a copy of your ID ready.
- File with the Ministry of Labour as soon as payment is clearly late.
See an example plan
What to ask HR
- On what date will my gratuity be paid?
- Can I have the figure, and how you worked it out, in writing?
The steps
- Ask the Labour Relations Department at the Ministry of Labour to settle. It has 7 days to try, then tells both sides the result within 7 more days.
- If you accept a settlement, it can be enforced.
- If not, the dispute goes to the Labour Dispute Settlement Committee within 3 working days.
- The committee decides within 3 weeks of its first hearing. Its decision takes effect at once.
- Either side can appeal to the Court of Appeal within 15 days. The court rules within 30 days.
The courts will not take your case until the committee has decided it.
Costs and documents
Worker claims are free of court fees.
The Ministry's complaint form asks for a copy of your contract in Arabic and a copy of your ID. It also asks whether you agree to referral to the committee.
What you can claim
Your gratuity: at least 3 weeks' last basic pay for each year, once you have a full year (Art. 54).
List any unpaid wages too, and notice pay if your employer skipped the notice period.
If your employer says you lost the gratuity, ask which ground in Article 61 it relies on. Resigning is not one of them.
Keep a record
Write down your last working day, the day you asked for payment and every answer you got. Keep copies of payslips and bank statements.
If you resigned
Resigning does not reduce your gratuity, so the full amount is still yours to claim (Art. 54).
If you are leaving Qatar
File before you go if you can. Filing the settlement request pauses the 1-year clock.
Once your residence permit is cancelled, you have 90 days to leave Qatar (Law 21/2015, Art. 24). That can give you time to file first.
Keep the date you filed and any reference number you are given.
If only part of your pay arrives, write down the amount and the date.