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HR Record Retention Requirements

Saudi Arabia - Summary Chart

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Note: Courts in Saudi Arabia do not have to follow a binding precedent, and therefore courts have the ability to hear a claim after a relevant statute of limitations has passed. If a court believes it would be unfair to prohibit the claimant based on the specific circumstances of the claim, they may choose to hear the claim regardless of the statute of limitation.

 

Saudi Arabia

Document

Retention Period

Beginning of Retention Period

Legal Reference

EMPLOYMENT RECORDS

Contracts (new hire agreements, severance, etc.)

10 years

From termination

Regulation No. 61/1410 Regarding the Commercial Book System, Art. 8

Time records (work hours, rest periods, vacation/sick/holiday, etc.)

Best practice 2 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

Performance records (performance reviews, promotions/demotions, licenses/certifications, investigations, disciplinary actions, etc.)

Best practice 2 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

Data and personnel files

Best practice 7 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

Government verification records (work papers, immigration, eligibility to work, etc.)

Best practice 7 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

Collective bargaining/union

N/A

N/A

N/A

Background checks and drug tests

Best practice 2 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

Acknowledgements, policy agreements and required notices

Best practice 7 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

Recruitment (interview notes, resumes/CVs, reference checks, etc.)

Hired employees: Best practice 2 years; Unsuccessful applicants: Best practice 12 months (No defined requirement)

Hired employees: From termination of employment contract; Unsuccessful applicants: From employment decision

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law

Tracking/recordings (biometric, geo-location, online tracking, camera recordings, etc.)

Best practice 2 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

BENEFIT/PENSION/EQUITY RECORDS

Benefits (plan documents, enrollment records)

Best practice 7 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

Pension and retirement records

Best practice 7 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

Equity records

Best practice 7 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

PAYROLL/WAGE/TAX RECORDS

Payroll and wage data (payslips, etc.)

10 years

From termination of employment contract

Regulation No. 61/1410 Regarding the Commercial Book System, Art. 8

Tax records

Minimum 10 years (applies to tax records starting July 30, 2004)

From end of tax year

Corporate Income Tax Law, March 6, 2004, Art. 65

MEDICAL/SAFETY/LEAVE RECORDS

Leave (family, medical, etc.)

Best practice 12 months (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 219/1426 On the Approval of The Labour Law; Labour Law claim limit 1 year

Injury and illness incident reports

Best practice 20 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

N/A

Medical records

Best practice 20 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

N/A

Hazardous material and other exposure records

Best practice 20 years (no defined requirement)

From termination of employment contract

N/A

UKG's HR Compliance Assist team relies on a network of internal and external compliance experts and lawyers to provide clients with best practices and recommendations on topics such as HR document retention, employee data privacy, and HR electronic records. HR Compliance Assist also provides local compliance monitoring and alert services in select countries where UKG's customers have employees. HR Compliance Assist is a service exclusively available to UKG customers.

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