Saudization and iqama expiry tracking software
Cicada Solutions builds systems that estimate entity-level Nitaqat bands, track separate profession quotas, and keep wage, Qiwa contract, iqama and accreditation records together.
- 01Entity band and separate profession checks
- 02Qiwa documentation per employee
- 03Client-owned code and IP
- 04Alerts before the band moves
One company-wide ratio no longer tells you where you stand.
Nitaqat classifies an entity using its activity, workforce size and counted Saudization rate. Separate profession decisions impose their own quotas and conditions, so both checks need to be visible.
A healthy total hides a failing department
Quotas apply per profession, so an establishment can look comfortable overall while accounting, engineering or administration each fall below their own requirement.
A Saudi on payroll may not count
If a contract is not documented on Qiwa, or a salary falls below the level that counts fully, the employee can drop out of the count, or count as half, without anyone hiring or leaving.
There is no warning zone
The Yellow band was removed in 2020. A small change can move an establishment from Green to Red, and Red can block new visas, iqama renewals and sponsorship transfers.
Expiry dates live in different places
Iqamas, work permits, passports and accreditations are tracked in separate sheets, and a renewal can be blocked just when it is needed most.
Follow the Saudization number from employee record to alert.
A useful compliance system holds the data Nitaqat counts, per employee, and turns it into a margin you can watch. The register screen comes from SiteLedger, a workforce platform Cicada built for a Riyadh general contractor.
Hold what Nitaqat counts, for every employee
Nationality, profession, salary, contract documentation status on Qiwa and accreditation are kept per employee and checked for gaps.
Keep the entity rate and occupation quotas separate
For ordinary Saudi and GCC employees, a GOSI wage of SAR 4,000 or more counts as one, SAR 3,000 to 3,999 as half, and below SAR 3,000 as zero. Special-category weights require their own eligibility checks.
See records, expiries and actions in one register
Expiring iqamas, permits and accreditations appear beside the workforce register with an owner and a deadline, so renewals start in time.
Test hiring and resignations before they happen
If two Saudi accountants resign, or five technicians join, the system shows which professions fall below quota and whether the band would change.
Warn early with your own safety margin
Alerts fire when an establishment or profession enters a buffer you set above the threshold, standing in for the warning zone the rules no longer provide.
The register screen is shown as published in the SiteLedger case study. Official classification is always the one shown on Qiwa; the system models the rules to warn you earlier.
The records and controls HR and compliance actually use.
- Profession-level Saudization
- Salary-weighted counting
- Qiwa documentation status per employee
- Hiring and resignation simulation
- Buffer alerts before band changes
- Iqama and work permit expiry queues
- Passport and visa tracking
- Accreditation status for technical roles
- Renewal owners and deadlines
- Monthly compliance brief
Different employers need different compliance shapes.
Establishments near a threshold
Small margins where one resignation or one undocumented contract can change the band, so early warning matters more than reporting.
- Margin per profession
- Buffer alerts
- Weekly compliance view
Groups with several establishments
Several commercial registrations, each with its own Nitaqat classification, managed by one HR team that needs one consolidated view.
- Classification per establishment
- Transfers between entities
- Group-level dashboard
Large expatriate workforces
Contracting, hospitality and facilities companies with hundreds of iqamas and permits to renew, where Red would stop the operation.
- Renewal queues by month
- Owner per document
- Blocked renewal risk
Feed the count from the systems that already hold the data.
Most government platforms do not open an API to every establishment. Where one is available to you, we connect to it; where it is not, the system imports official exports and keeps the reference numbers.
The custom system
One record of truth. Each connection has an owner and a failure path.
- 01
Qiwa
Contract documentation status, professions and the official classification, from your establishment's access or Qiwa exports.
- 02
Muqeem
Iqama, visa and exit re-entry data for expatriate staff, from Muqeem reports where your establishment subscribes.
- 03
GOSI
Registration and wage data that support the salary side of the count.
- 04
HR and payroll system
Salaries, professions and joiners or leavers from your HR system, so the count updates as the workforce changes.
- 05
Mudad
Paid wages from the Wage Protection Program, to confirm the salaries the count relies on.
- 06
Alerts
Band, quota and expiry alerts by email or message to the people who own the action.
Evidence from tools and systems we have built.
Our free Nitaqat tools show the counting rules in action, and SiteLedger shows the record-keeping half: a workforce register with expiry alerts that the office trusts.
Free tool
Nitaqat calculator
Your effective Saudization rate under the current weighted counting rules, without a login.
Open proof02Free tool
Nitaqat thresholds
The required Saudization rate by activity and establishment size.
Open proof03Workforce register
SiteLedger
A worker register with masked IDs and expiry alerts, attendance by site and exportable reports.
Open proofJudge the system by surprises that never happen.
Compliance value shows up as a margin you can see, contracts that count, renewals done in time and hiring decisions checked before they are made. Each should be measured against a baseline taken before launch.
Band safety
Measure how much room each establishment has.
- Margin above threshold per establishment
- Professions below quota
- Days spent inside the buffer
Documentation
Measure whether every Saudi employee actually counts.
- Saudi contracts documented on Qiwa
- Employees counted at half weight
- Missing accreditations
Renewals
Measure whether documents are renewed before they lapse.
- Iqamas renewed before expiry
- Expired work permits
- Renewals blocked by classification
Planning
Measure whether decisions are tested before they are made.
- Hiring decisions checked by simulation
- Time to answer a what-if question
- Surprise band changes
During discovery, Cicada agrees the baseline, target, measurement owner and review window with you. The official classification is HRSD's and Qiwa's; results depend on data quality and operating decisions and are not guaranteed.
Custom compliance software is not always the right answer.
If you run one establishment with a comfortable margin, the official Qiwa view and a good HR platform are enough. Custom development earns its place when margins are tight, you run several establishments, or the count depends on data your systems do not hold together.
| Decision | Qiwa view and HR platform | Custom compliance system |
|---|---|---|
| Counting | The official result, after the fact. | An entity-band estimate alongside separate profession checks, updated as records change. |
| Scope | One establishment at a time. | Every establishment in the group, with transfers and a consolidated view. |
| Planning | Limited what-if modelling. | Hiring, resignation and transfer scenarios tested before decisions. |
| Ownership | Priced per employee or module while you subscribe. | The client owns the code and IP for the custom build by default. |
Answer the expensive questions before the build.
Each page resolves one question HR and compliance teams ask about Nitaqat and expatriate documents.
Nitaqat calculator
Check your effective Saudization rate in under a minute.
Open pageNitaqat thresholds
Required rates by activity and establishment size.
Open pageHR compliance software
Employee files, contracts, payroll reconciliation and documents in one system.
Open pageNitaqat 2026
What your HR system now has to track per employee and profession.
Open pageAccounting Saudization: 50%
The phase effective 27 October 2026, its coverage and counting conditions.
Open pageEnforceable Qiwa wage clauses
Why salaries in documented contracts now carry legal weight.
Open pageHR compliance software for Saudi employers
The sector view for workforce compliance in the Kingdom.
Open pageStart with your current classification. Commit in useful stages.
- 01
Establishment review
Confirm each establishment's activity, size, current classification and the quotas that apply to its professions.
- 02
Employee data mapping
Map every employee's profession, salary, contract status and documents, and list the gaps.
- 03
Count and alerts first
Release the entity-band estimate, separate occupation checks, buffer alerts and expiry queues first.
- 04
Simulation and renewals
Add what-if scenarios and renewal workflows with owners and deadlines.
- 05
Reporting and monthly brief
Add group reporting and a plain-language monthly brief for management.
Data and access
Identity numbers, salaries and nationality data are visible only to roles that need them, and every access is logged.
Hosting and PDPL
Cloud or self-hosted deployment, including in-Kingdom hosting, is assessed against PDPL and the sensitivity of employee data.
Ownership and support
The client owns the custom code and IP by default, with a documented path for updating the rules as decisions change.
Built in Riyadh, around the rules Nitaqat actually applies.
Nitaqat entity bands and profession quotas need separate checks. Accounting's 50% phase starts on 27 October 2026; the applicable wage, accreditation and scope conditions still matter. Cicada is based in Riyadh and builds workforce compliance systems for employers across the Kingdom.
Practical answers before the first conversation.
01Does the system calculate Nitaqat exactly like Qiwa?
Qiwa's classification is the official one. The system models the published counting rules from your own records so you can see changes coming earlier, and the model is checked against Qiwa regularly.
02Can it track quotas for specific professions?
Yes. Each employee's profession is mapped, and the required rate for each quota-covered profession is tracked alongside the establishment total.
03Can it handle several establishments?
Yes. Each establishment keeps its own classification and quotas, transfers between entities are tracked, and a group view shows them together.
04Does it manage iqama and work permit renewals?
Yes. Every document has an expiry date, an owner and a renewal queue, with alerts at the windows you choose and a warning when classification could block a renewal.
05Can we test hiring plans before acting?
Yes. Scenarios for new hires, resignations and transfers show the effect on each profession and on the establishment's band before any decision is made.
06Is this legal advice?
No. The system helps you track and plan. Confirm your obligations with HRSD, the Qiwa platform or qualified counsel before relying on any specific figure.
07Do we own the code and intellectual property?
Yes. Cicada Solutions' default position is that the client owns the code and IP for the custom build, subject to the final agreement and any clearly identified third-party services.
Show us how close your establishments are to the line.
Tell us how many establishments and employees you manage, how you track Saudization and renewals today and where surprises have come from. We will respond with a practical starting point.
- Establishments, activities and headcount
- Current classification and margins
- How renewals are tracked today
- HR, payroll or platforms to connect