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Qatar's minimum wage: QAR 1,000 plus food and housing allowances
What Qatar's minimum wage is, who it covers (including domestic workers), when the QAR 300 food and QAR 500 housing allowances apply, which deductions are allowed, and how to report it if you are paid less.
Last reviewed: 13 October 2026
- Basic wage
- At least QAR 1,000 a month
- Food
- Adequate food, or at least QAR 300 a month
- Housing
- Decent housing, or at least QAR 500 a month
- Who it covers
- All private-sector workers, including domestic workers, any nationality (since 20 March 2021)
Since 20 March 2021, every private-sector worker in Qatar, including domestic workers such as housemaids, drivers and nannies, must be paid a basic wage of at least QAR 1,000 a month, whatever their nationality or job. On top of that, the employer must give you decent food and housing, or pay at least QAR 300 a month for food and QAR 500 a month for housing instead. So the real minimum is QAR 1,000, QAR 1,300 or QAR 1,800 a month, depending on what your employer provides. This guide is for workers who want to check that their pay is legal, and for anyone who thinks they are being underpaid. Work through it in order: learn the three numbers, check what you actually receive, understand which deductions the law allows, and then report underpayment to the Ministry of Labour if talking to your employer does not fix it.
Before you start
- Your employment contract, or the e-contract registered with the Ministry of Labour, showing your basic wage and any allowances
- Bank statements for the last few months showing the salary that actually reached your account
- Payslips, if your employer gives them, showing basic wage, allowances and every deduction
- A note of what your employer provides in kind: where you sleep, how many people share the room, and whether you get three meals a day
- Any written messages with your employer about pay, deductions, loans or fines
- Your Qatar ID (QID) number, or visa number if your QID has not been issued, and access to the mobile number registered on it
- If you are a domestic worker paid in cash, copies or photos of every salary receipt you have signed
Step by step
Learn the three numbers
The minimum wage comes from Law No. 17 of 2020 and Ministerial Decision No. 25 of 2020, and it has three parts. Your basic wage must be at least QAR 1,000 a month. Your employer must also give you adequate food and housing, or pay at least QAR 300 a month for food and QAR 500 a month for housing instead. That means at least QAR 1,000 if you get both food and housing, at least QAR 1,300 if you get housing but no food, and at least QAR 1,800 if you get neither.
Check that the law covers you
The minimum wage applies to all workers in the private sector, of every nationality and in every job, including domestic workers employed by households, such as housemaids, cooks, drivers, gardeners and nannies. Qatar was the first country in the region to set a minimum wage that is the same for everyone, so an employer cannot pay one nationality less than another. It does not matter what your contract says or when you signed it: from 20 March 2021 the law overrides any lower figure, and you do not need a new contract to claim it. Government employees are covered by separate civil service rules, not this law.
Read guide: Domestic workers in Qatar: your rights and where to get help →Make sure the QAR 1,000 is basic wage
The law sets the QAR 1,000 as your basic wage, which is the fixed pay for your work before allowances, bonuses or overtime. Food and housing allowances are added on top of it, not counted inside it, so a 'total salary' of QAR 1,000 made up of QAR 700 basic and QAR 300 food is below the minimum. The basic wage matters beyond your monthly pay, because overtime and end-of-service gratuity are calculated on it. Look at your contract and payslip and find the line called basic salary or basic wage.
Check the food and housing you get
If your employer provides food or housing instead of paying the allowance, it must be adequate. Housing must meet the Ministry's worker accommodation standards (Ministerial Decision No. 18 of 2014), and food should be three meals a day that are nutritious and suitable for your culture. If you get housing but no meals, you are owed at least QAR 300 a month for food; if you have to find and pay for your own room, you are owed at least QAR 500 for housing. If what you are given is badly overcrowded, unsafe or not enough to eat, write it down with dates and photos, because you can report it to the Ministry of Labour.
Read your registered contract
Your contract is registered electronically with the Ministry of Labour, and you can usually view it online with your QID or visa number and a one-time code sent to your mobile. Check the basic wage, the food, housing and other allowances, and whether food and housing are marked as provided by the employer. If the registered contract shows less than the minimum, or differs from the paper contract you signed, take a screenshot now, because it is strong evidence. Our guide on late and unpaid salary explains how to find the e-contract.
Read guide: Late or unpaid salary: the Wage Protection System and what to do →Compare it with what reaches your bank
Private-sector employers must pay salaries by bank transfer through the Wage Protection System (WPS), an electronic system that lets the Ministry of Labour see what each worker is paid. According to the ILO, the WPS flags and blocks a company that pays a worker below the minimum wage, but checks are not perfect, so compare your bank statement with your contract every month. If less than the minimum arrives, note the month, the amount received and the amount you should have got. Domestic workers are paid under their own law: salary is due at the end of each month and no later than the third day of the next month, by bank transfer or in cash against a signed receipt, so never sign a receipt for more than you were actually given.
Read guide: Late or unpaid salary: the Wage Protection System and what to do →Know which deductions are allowed
Your employer can only take money out of your wage for reasons the Labour Law allows. A loan from your employer must be interest-free and repaid at no more than 10% of your wage a month. If you damage equipment through your own fault, the employer must hold an enquiry first and can deduct no more than 7 days' wage in a month, and you can appeal the amount to the Ministry within 7 days. Disciplinary deductions are capped at 5 days' wage for one violation, all deductions together must stay within the law's monthly limits, and nobody may charge you recruitment fees or force you to buy food or goods from the employer.
Check your overtime and gratuity are based on it
Overtime must be calculated on at least the minimum basic wage of QAR 1,000, or more if your contract says so. The same applies to end-of-service gratuity for contracts that ended after 20 March 2021: it must be worked out on a basic wage of at least QAR 1,000. If your old basic wage was below QAR 1,000 and your employer still uses it for overtime or gratuity, you are being underpaid. Our guides on working hours and end-of-service gratuity show how to work out the amounts.
Work it out: Qatar overtime calculator ↗ · Qatar gratuity calculator ↗
Read guide: Working hours, overtime pay and weekly rest in Qatar →Do not accept a pay cut 'to the minimum'
The minimum wage is a floor, not a target. The law says it cannot be used as a reason to lower your pay or give you worse conditions than your existing contract, so an employer cannot cut your QAR 1,500 salary to QAR 1,000 and point to the law. If you already earn above the minimum with proper food and housing, your employer does not have to give you a raise, but any change to your salary needs your agreement. Any pay rise beyond the minimum is something you negotiate.
Read guide: Is this salary enough for Qatar? Evaluating and negotiating a job offer →Raise it with your employer in writing
Many underpayments are fixed once a worker points them out. Write a short, polite message to HR or your employer saying what you were paid, what the minimum wage law requires, and what is owed for which months, and ask for it to be corrected by a set date. Keep a copy and note the date. Do not stop working or leave without following the legal process, because that can lead to a 'leaving work' (absconding) report against you.
Read guide: Absconding reports in Qatar: what they mean and how to respond →Report underpayment to the Ministry of Labour
If your employer does not fix it, file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour (MOL). You can use its online Unified Complaints and Whistleblowers platform from mol.gov.qa, call the hotline 16008, send an SMS to 92727, or go to a Ministry labour office; domestic workers can use the same channels. List each month you were underpaid and attach your contract and bank statements, because the Ministry first tries to settle the case and then sends it to a Labour Dispute Settlement Committee chaired by a judge. Filing is free, and our labour complaint guide explains each stage.
Read guide: Filing a labour complaint in Qatar: unpaid salary and other disputes →Watch for changes to the rate
The law created a Minimum Wage Commission that studies the rate and proposes changes, and reports in 2022 said the minimum wage must be reviewed at least once a year, considering living costs, productivity and the needs of workers and employers. In January 2022 the Cabinet accepted the committee's advice to keep the rate unchanged, and as of October 2026 it is still QAR 1,000 basic, QAR 300 food and QAR 500 housing. Human Rights Watch noted in its 2025 report that it has not been revised since 2021. Any new rate would be announced by the Ministry of Labour and in the local news, so check before relying on old figures.
What it costs
| Minimum basic wage, per month | QAR 1,000 |
| Minimum food allowance if adequate food is not provided, per month | QAR 300 |
| Minimum housing allowance if adequate housing is not provided, per month | QAR 500 |
| Total minimum if the employer provides neither food nor housing, per month | QAR 1,800 |
| Filing an underpayment complaint with the Ministry of Labour | Free |
Official fees at the time of review. Fees change, so confirm before paying.
Common mistakes
- Looking only at the total salary: the QAR 1,000 must be basic wage, with food and housing allowances on top
- Thinking a contract you signed for less than QAR 1,000 is binding; the law overrides it
- Signing a cash salary receipt (common for domestic workers) for more than you actually received
- Accepting deductions for 'accommodation', 'food' or 'visa costs' that push your pay below the minimum
- Agreeing to a salary cut because the employer says the minimum wage allows it
- Waiting many months before complaining, so the amount owed grows and the evidence gets harder to collect
- Stopping work or leaving the employer without a written complaint or a proper job change, which can lead to an absconding report
- Relying on social media posts claiming a new minimum wage; check the Ministry of Labour or the news first
Questions people ask
Is Qatar's minimum wage QAR 1,000 or QAR 1,800?
Both figures are right, depending on what your employer provides. The basic wage must always be at least QAR 1,000. If the employer gives you neither food nor housing, you must also get at least QAR 300 for food and QAR 500 for housing, so QAR 1,800 in total; with housing but no food, the minimum is QAR 1,300.
My contract says QAR 800 and I signed it in my home country. Do I still get QAR 1,000?
Yes. The minimum wage applies whatever your contract says, and you do not need a new contract to claim it. Ask your employer in writing to pay the legal minimum, and if they refuse, file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour with your contract and bank statements.
Does the minimum wage apply to housemaids and family drivers?
Yes. Domestic workers employed by households are covered by the same QAR 1,000 basic wage, and the employer must give them adequate food and housing or pay the allowances. In practice most live-in domestic workers receive food and housing, so their minimum is QAR 1,000 a month in salary. Our domestic worker rights guide covers hours, days off and leave.
Has the minimum wage gone up in 2025 or 2026?
No increase had been announced as of October 2026. The rate has stayed at QAR 1,000 basic plus QAR 300 food and QAR 500 housing since March 2021, and in January 2022 the Cabinet accepted a recommendation to keep it unchanged. The Minimum Wage Commission is meant to review it regularly, so check the Ministry of Labour or the news for any change.
Can my company deduct the cost of my room or meals from my QAR 1,000?
Food and housing are separate from the basic wage: the employer either provides them or pays the allowances on top. Taking their cost out of your basic wage would leave you below the legal minimum, which is not allowed. The Labour Law only permits certain deductions, such as interest-free loan repayments of up to 10% of your wage and limited deductions for damage or discipline.
Is the minimum wage the same for all nationalities?
Yes. Qatar's minimum wage is non-discriminatory: it applies equally to workers of every nationality and in every type of job. A recruitment agency or employer cannot set a lower rate for workers from a particular country.
My salary was cut to QAR 1,000 after the minimum wage started. Is that legal?
No. The law says the minimum wage cannot be used to justify lower pay or worse conditions than your existing contract. Any change to your salary needs your agreement, so keep your old contract and payslips and complain to the Ministry of Labour if your pay was cut without it.
Will I get into trouble if I complain about underpayment?
Complaining is your legal right, and your employer must not punish you for it. The government has said an employer cannot file an absconding report after a worker has lodged a complaint with the Ministry or the courts. Keep working while the complaint runs and keep your complaint number safe.
Official sources
- ILO: Qatar's new minimum wage enters into force (20 March 2021) ↗
- ILO: Qatar's minimum wage, FAQs for workers (PDF) ↗
- Qatar Tribune: Qatar sets QR1,000 minimum wage for workers and domestic helps (Law No. 17 of 2020) ↗
- Al Sharq (Arabic): Cabinet decision keeping the minimum wage after the committee's review (January 2022) ↗
- ILO NATLEX: Qatar Labour Law No. 14 of 2004, English text (wage deductions, Articles 59, 60, 69-71) ↗
- Human Rights Watch World Report 2025: Qatar (minimum wage not revised since 2021) ↗
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