GCC working days calculator
Count the working days between two dates, or find the date a number of working days away, with each Gulf country’s weekend and public holidays taken out, and the Hijri date shown. For the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. Free, no sign-up.
Choose a start date and a number of working days.
UAE holidays are the same for the private and public sectors, except Eid al-Adha, where these are the private sector's days. The Cabinet can move a holiday to the start or end of the week.
Islamic holidays follow the moon: their dates are confirmed by moon sighting shortly before, and the length of each holiday is announced by the government. Check a deadline that falls near Eid again once the dates are announced.
Two different weeks in one region
| Country | Government weekend | Private sector |
|---|---|---|
| UAE | Saturday and Sunday, and a Friday half day | Each company chooses |
| Saudi Arabia | Friday and Saturday | Friday by law; the employer may choose another day |
| Qatar | Friday and Saturday | Friday is the weekly rest day |
| Kuwait | Friday and Saturday | At least one day a week, usually Friday |
| Bahrain | Friday and Saturday | Friday; the employer may choose another day |
| Oman | Friday and Saturday | Friday and Saturday |
A Dubai agency working with a Riyadh client shares only four working days a week: Monday to Thursday. Plan reviews and approvals inside them.
UAE and Saudi public holidays, 2026 and 2027
UAE
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thu 1 January | Fri 1 January |
| Eid al-Fitr | Thu 19 to Sun 22 March | Mon 8 to Thu 11 March (expected) |
| Arafat Day and Eid al-Adha | Tue 26 to Fri 29 May | Sat 15 to Tue 18 May (expected) |
| Islamic New Year | Mon 15 June | Sun 6 June (expected) |
| The Prophet's Birthday | Fri 28 August | Sat 14 August (expected) |
| National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Wed 2 to Thu 3 December (expected) | Thu 2 to Fri 3 December (expected) |
Saudi Arabia (private sector)
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Founding Day | Sun 22 February | Mon 22 February |
| Eid al-Fitr | Thu 19 to Sun 22 March | Tue 9 to Fri 12 March (expected) |
| Arafat Day and Eid al-Adha | Tue 26 to Fri 29 May | Sat 15 to Tue 18 May (expected) |
| Saudi National Day | Wed 23 September | Thu 23 September |
Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman are in the calculator. For the campaign side of the same dates (Ramadan, White Friday, national days), see the GCC marketing calendar.
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Try it freeCommon questions
How are working days counted?
Counting between two dates includes both of them, the way a timeline does: Monday to Friday of the same week is five working days. Finding a date does not count the day you start from: five working days after a Monday is the next Monday.
What is the weekend in the UAE?
Saturday and Sunday for the federal government since January 2022, which works Monday to Thursday and a Friday morning. Private companies are free to set their own weekend, so the calculator lets you choose Friday and Saturday, or Friday only, as well.
What is the weekend in Saudi Arabia?
Friday and Saturday for the government. The labour law makes Friday the weekly rest day and lets an employer choose another, so check your own company's week. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman also keep Friday and Saturday.
Are the Eid dates certain?
Not until they are announced. Islamic dates follow the moon, so the dates here are the expected ones, confirmed by moon sighting shortly before, and each government announces how long the holiday is. Holidays already announced are marked as such, and a deadline near Eid is worth checking again once the dates are out.
Whose holidays are these, the government's or private companies'?
The days an agency is most likely to get. In Saudi Arabia and Qatar that is the private sector's shorter Eid; in Kuwait and Bahrain the government's dates are used, with a note on the private sector; in the UAE and Oman the two are almost the same. The calculator says which under each result.