Nitaqat Calculator 2026
A free Nitaqat and Saudization calculator. Choose the entity's registered economic activity and calculate its band using the ministry's published curve, workforce size, wage bands, Qiwa contract status and eligible special categories.
Rules reviewed 27 October 2026. This is an indicative estimate. Verify the official result in Qiwa.
Calculate your Nitaqat band
Use entity-level figures: combine branches owned by the same establishment that carry out the same economic activity.
Free. No login or Qiwa account required.
Profession requirements alongside Nitaqat
The calculator estimates an entity band. It does not check occupation quotas, their wage floors or professional accreditation. A Green band does not establish compliance with those requirements.
In force
Accounting: 50%
Effective 27 October 2026 for entities with five or more workers in covered accounting occupations. Check the guide's wage, accreditation and scope conditions.
Official source: Accounting: 50%In force
Administrative support: 100%
Effective 4 October 2026 for the 69 administrative-support occupations covered by the decision. Check the official occupation list and conditions.
Official source: Administrative support: 100%Upcoming
Project management: 70%
Effective 14 February 2027 for entities with three or more workers in the covered project-management occupations. Prepare for the coming requirement.
Official source: Project management: 70%
What changed for Nitaqat in 2026
Three changes decide whether last year's Saudization rate still holds. Each one is built into the calculator above.
- 01
Higher thresholds through 2028
The 2026 procedural guide publishes separate constants for 2026, 2027 and 2028. In 26 of the 41 activity options at least one band boundary is higher in 2028 than in 2026, and no boundary falls. An entity can drop a band in 2027 without losing a single Saudi employee, so test the coming years with the threshold year selector.
- 02
Undocumented contracts stop counting
From 15 April 2026, a Saudi employee counts toward the Saudization rate only once the employment contract is documented in Qiwa. Enter undocumented Saudis separately and the calculator removes them from the weighted count.
- 03
A 90% documentation target
The establishment-wide target for documented contracts has been 90% since 30 June 2026. Enter your current documentation rate and the result flags any shortfall alongside the band.
The five Nitaqat bands
Nitaqat classifies an entity as Red, Low Green, Medium Green, High Green or Platinum. Each Green and Platinum boundary is calculated from the entity's registered economic activity, workforce size and the constants published for the relevant year.
- RedBelow the Low Green boundary. The ministry guide lists restrictions on new visas, profession changes, employee transfers and work-permit services.
- Low GreenThe first Green band. Some services remain restricted, so a narrow margin above the boundary deserves close monitoring.
- Medium GreenAt or above the second published boundary for the activity and entity size.
- High GreenAt or above the third boundary, with broader ministry service access than Low Green.
- PlatinumAt or above the highest published boundary for the activity and entity size.
Yellow was removed effective in 2020. Developed Nitaqat took effect on 1 December 2021; the current guide supplies the 2026 to 2028 constants.
See all official 2026 activity thresholdsWhat this Nitaqat calculator applies
The calculator first applies the official employee-counting weights, then compares the resulting Saudization percentage with the published curve for the selected activity, headcount and year.
Weighted Saudization rate = weighted national count ÷ (weighted national count + expatriate count) × 100
- 01Regular Saudi and GCC employees count as 1 at SAR 4,000 or more, 0.5 at SAR 3,000 to 3,999, and 0 below SAR 3,000.
- 02Eligible part-time, flexible-work, student, disability and released-prisoner categories receive their published weights and individual or combined caps.
- 03Saudi employees without a documented Qiwa contract are excluded, then the result is tested against y = m × ln(x) + c for the chosen activity and year.
Scope and limitations
- Use entity-level figures: combine branches owned by one establishment that carry out the same economic activity.
- The public ministry calculator is designed for entities with six or more employees. For five or fewer, its notice requires one Saudi employee; verify the entity's treatment in Qiwa.
- Special-category inputs assume that every employee satisfies the stated wage, GOSI, exclusivity and programme conditions.
- Qiwa remains the official source because it uses registered records and workforce averages rather than self-entered figures.
- The estimate treats remaining expatriates at ordinary weight. Reduced-count expatriate categories, owner-specific exceptions and profession quotas are outside its scope.
Rules and sources reviewed: 27 October 2026
Official references
Nitaqat calculator questions
How is the Nitaqat band calculated in 2026?
The weighted Saudization percentage is compared with four activity-specific boundaries. Each boundary uses y = m × ln(x) + c, where x is entity headcount and the ministry publishes m and c for each activity, band and year.
Does Nitaqat use one establishment or the whole company?
The procedural guide defines an entity as all branches owned by one establishment that have the same economic activity. Enter the combined workforce for that entity, not an isolated branch, unless the branch is the entire entity.
How do salaries affect the Saudization rate?
A regular Saudi employee counts as 1 at a monthly GOSI wage of SAR 4,000 or more, 0.5 from SAR 3,000 to 3,999, and 0 below SAR 3,000. The same wage rules apply to GCC nationals treated as Saudis for Nitaqat.
How are Saudi employees with disabilities counted?
An eligible employee able to work can receive a weight of 4 if the Mowaamah-related conditions are met, the GOSI wage is at least SAR 4,000 and the employee is not counted at another entity. Individual and combined percentage caps limit the enhanced weight.
Does the calculator include students and flexible workers?
Yes. Eligible part-time Saudis count as 0.5, eligible flexible workers as one third, and eligible students as 0.5 subject to activity and combined caps. The form states the minimum conditions that must be satisfied before entering them.
Do Saudi contracts have to be documented in Qiwa?
Yes. MHRSD announced that from 15 April 2026, documenting a Saudi employee's contract in Qiwa is a fundamental requirement for inclusion in the Nitaqat Saudization rate.
Is the Yellow Nitaqat band still used?
No. The Yellow band was removed by a decision published in 2019 and effective in 2020. It was not removed by the 2026 guide.
When did Developed Nitaqat start?
Developed Nitaqat took effect on 1 December 2021. The 2026 procedural guide continues that model and publishes constants for 2026, 2027 and 2028.
Can I calculate Nitaqat for fewer than six employees?
This calculator does not issue a band below six employees because the official public calculator is designed for six or more and very small entities can be subject to separate treatment. Check the entity directly in Qiwa.
Why can this result differ from Qiwa?
The calculator uses the activity, year and employee categories you enter. Qiwa uses the registered activity, official employee records, workforce averages and verified eligibility, so its classification is authoritative.
Do I need a Qiwa account to use this calculator?
No. The calculation runs in your browser without login. You need access to Qiwa only to verify the official entity classification and employee records.
Need continuous Saudization monitoring?
Cicada builds workforce compliance systems that track employee records, contract status, expiry dates and management reporting.