Kuwait Publishes Clear Workers’ Sick Leave Payment Structure that Employers Must Follow

• Kuwait's Labour Law sets out a clear sick leave payment structure that workers must follow when reporting illness to their employer
• The law covers up to 75 days of sick leave per year, with pay rates that reduce progressively across five distinct periods
• Workers in Kuwait are also protected from having sick days deducted from their annual leave entitlement under Article 69

Kuwait's Labour Law guarantees workers the right to paid sick leave, but the amount they receive depends on how long they have been away from work, according to Article 69 of the law.

Before taking sick leave, a worker is required to inform their employer. Once that notification is made, the law kicks in with a tiered payment structure covering up to 75 days.

How Kuwait calculates sick leave pay

For the first 15 days of sick leave, a worker receives their full regular pay, meaning 100% of their normal wage. The next 10 days are paid at 75% of regular pay, followed by another 10 days at 50%. After that, workers receive only 25% of their pay for an additional 10 days.

Beyond those 45 days, any further sick leave up to the 75th day is unpaid. Workers who remain on sick leave beyond the 75-day period are not entitled to any wage for those remaining 30 days.

The full breakdown is as follows:

1. Days 1 to 15: 100% of regular pay

2. Days 16 to 25: 75% of regular pay

3. Days 26 to 35: 50% of regular pay

4. Days 36 to 45: 25% of regular pay

5. Days 46 to 75: No pay

Sick leave cannot replace annual leave

One key protection under the same article is that sick days cannot be counted against or deducted from a worker's annual leave. This means that falling ill does not eat into the days a worker is entitled to use for personal rest and holidays during the year.

This provision is particularly relevant for Nigerian workers and other expatriates based in Kuwait, where a large number of African migrants are employed across sectors including domestic work, construction, and healthcare.

Kuwait publishes end-of-service benefits for workers

Legit.ng earlier reported that Workers in Kuwait whose employment comes to an end are legally entitled to an end-of-service benefit from their employer.