Nitaqat bands in 2026: how your colour is calculated

Nitaqat places each Saudi establishment in one of five bands, from Platinum to Red, by comparing its Saudization rate with the rate required for its activity and size. In 2026 two things changed: a new three-year phase of the programme began, and Saudi employees now count only from contracts documented on Qiwa.

What changed. 8 October 2026: first version. From 15 April 2026, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) calculates Saudization rates from contracts documented on Qiwa. HRSD also launched a new three-year phase of Nitaqat Mutawar, the current version of the programme, starting in 2026.

The five bands

Qiwa, HRSD's labour platform, lists five bands, from highest to lowest:

1. Platinum
2. High Green
3. Mid Green
4. Low Green
5. Red

The band decides which labour services you can use. Qiwa says Mid Green and above give access to services such as renewing foreign workers' work permits. Older guides also mention a Yellow band. It is not among the five bands Qiwa lists today.

How your colour is calculated

Your band comes from four things.

1. Your activity and your size

Since the 2021 upgrade, HRSD has merged similar economic activities and stopped using fixed size bands. Instead, the required rate changes smoothly as your number of employees changes. HRSD's procedural guideline sets each band's minimum rate with an equation whose figures differ by activity.

So two companies with the same headcount can need different rates if they are in different activities. Generic tables found online rarely match your case.

2. Your Saudization rate

Your rate is the share of your workforce that counts as Saudi under the programme's rules. Qiwa describes two ways of calculating it:

• Traditional: the average rate over the last 26 weeks.
• Immediate: the rate in a single week.

HRSD introduced the immediate option for national hires for establishments in the green bands that comply with the Wage Protection Program. If you are eligible, a new Saudi hire can show in your rate sooner.

3. Who counts as a Saudi employee

• The contract must be on Qiwa. Since 15 April 2026, Saudization rates are calculated from contracts documented on Qiwa. HRSD says documenting Saudi employees' contracts there is a requirement for them to count.
• The wage matters. In November 2020 HRSD raised the wage at which a Saudi counts as one full employee from SAR 3,000 to SAR 4,000. A Saudi paid from SAR 3,000 to just under SAR 4,000 counts as half, and one paid less than SAR 3,000 does not count. We could not confirm whether the 2026 phase changes this, so check it on Qiwa.
• Some professions have their own quotas. HRSD sets separate Saudization decisions for specific professions. These sit on top of Nitaqat and have their own rules.

4. Compare and place

Qiwa compares your rate with the minimum for each band at your activity and size, and places you in the highest band you meet.

A worked example

The thresholds below are made up to show the arithmetic. Read your real ones from Qiwa's Nitaqat calculator.

A trading company has 40 employees. 10 are Saudis who count in full, so its rate is 10 ÷ 40 = 25%. Suppose Qiwa shows these minimums for its activity and size:

At 25% the company is in Low Green. To reach Mid Green it needs 27% or more.

• Hire one more Saudi: 11 ÷ 41 = 26.8%. Not enough.
• Hire two more Saudis: 12 ÷ 42 = 28.6%. Mid Green.

Two lessons. Every hire also adds to the total, so one Saudi hire moves the rate less than you might expect. And a Saudi employee whose contract is waiting for approval on Qiwa, or whose wage is below the counting level, may add nothing at all.

What changed in 2026

• A new phase. HRSD launched a new phase of Nitaqat Mutawar, starting in 2026 and running for three years. It aims to localise more than 340,000 additional private-sector jobs for Saudis. In the announcement we read, HRSD did not publish the new band rates. Read yours on Qiwa.
• Qiwa contracts count. From 15 April 2026, Saudization rates come from contracts documented on Qiwa.
• Higher documentation targets. HRSD raised the target for documented contracts to 85% from 30 April 2026 and to 90% by 30 June 2026.

How to move up a band

1. Check where you stand. Open Qiwa's Nitaqat calculator and note your band and the rate for the next one.
2. Document every Saudi contract. Chase any contract still waiting for the employee's approval.
3. Check counted wages. Make sure every Saudi employee's registered wage reaches the level at which they count in full.
4. Plan hires with the calculator. Include the effect of each hire on the total, and of any non-Saudi hires planned at the same time.
5. Mind the timing. Under the traditional method, the 26-week average moves slowly. Plan hires well before you need the new band.
6. Keep wage protection clean. The immediate calculation depends on complying with the Wage Protection Program.
7. Keep a monthly record. Save your band and rate each month so you can show the trend.

How Tarleaks helps

Tarleaks HR shows a live Saudization ratio from your Saudi and non-Saudi headcount, a what-if simulator for planned Saudi hires, and dated snapshots you can show an auditor. It uses general band thresholds, not your activity's own rates, so treat its band as a planning guide and take your official colour from Qiwa. HR also stores each person's Qiwa contract number and status, so you can see whose contract still needs approval.

What to do next

• Check your band and the next band's rate on Qiwa this week.
• List every Saudi employee whose Qiwa contract is not yet documented, and chase each one.
• Read Saudi payroll in 2026: Mudad, GOSI and Qiwa to keep contracts, wages and wage files in line.
• Also employing people in the UAE? Read Emiratisation targets for private companies.
• Book a demo to see the Saudization simulator with sample data.

Questions people ask

What are the Nitaqat bands in 2026?

Platinum, High Green, Mid Green, Low Green and Red.

Does a Saudi employee count if the contract is not on Qiwa?

Since 15 April 2026, Saudization rates are calculated from contracts documented on Qiwa, so an undocumented contract may not count. HRSD urges employers to document every Saudi employee's contract.

How is the required Saudization rate set?

It depends on your economic activity and your number of employees. Since 2021 the required rate changes smoothly with headcount instead of jumping between fixed size bands.

Where do I see my official band?

On Qiwa. Its Nitaqat calculator also lets you compare hiring scenarios before you act.

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General information, not legal advice. Checked against the official sources listed on this page on 8 October 2026. Your official band is the one Qiwa shows.