Resources

Nitaqat Guide Hub

This hub combines the core guide and implementation articles to navigate the new phase effective April 26, 2026 without band surprises.

Pillar Page

Nitaqat Compliance Guide 2026 — Bands, Thresholds & New Rules

What changed in Nitaqat on April 26, 2026, how c values shift by year, and how HR teams should run pre-change and post-change scenarios.

Read the guide

Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the terms used throughout SaudizationMeter.

Nitaqat: The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources programme that rates every company on how many Saudi nationals it employs. Your rating is a colored band, and it decides which government services you can use.
Saudization: The share of your workforce made up of Saudi nationals. It is not a simple headcount — some employees count for more than one, and some do not count at all.
Nitaqat band: Your compliance rating, from worst to best: Red, Low Green, Mid Green, High Green, Platinum. Red restricts your visa and employee services; Platinum unlocks priority ones.
MHRSD: The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development — the government body that sets Nitaqat rules and enforces them.
Qiwa: The government platform where your official Nitaqat band is published. SaudizationMeter estimates the same number so you can see it change before Qiwa does.
Entity size: Nitaqat groups companies by headcount — micro, small, medium, large, giant. Your size decides which threshold you are measured against. Micro entities (1–5) use a simpler pass/fail rule.
Sector (ISIC4): Your business activity, using the international ISIC4 classification. Every sector has its own Nitaqat thresholds, so picking the right one matters.
Nitaqat Mutawar formula: The official formula that sets your required percentage. It rises with your headcount, so growing your company raises the bar you have to clear.
Adjusted count: How much this employee contributes to your Saudization number. Usually 1, but a disabled Saudi employee counts as 4, and an employee below the salary threshold may count as 0.5 or 0.
Salary threshold: A Saudi employee must earn at least 4,000 SAR/month to count fully. Between 3,000 and 3,999 SAR they count as half. Below 3,000 SAR they do not count at all.
×4 disabled credit: A Saudi employee registered as disabled counts as four Saudi employees in the Nitaqat calculation. This is an official incentive, not an error.
Total workers (denominator): The number your Saudi headcount is divided by to get your percentage. Some workers are excluded from it, so it may not match your total employee list.
Gap to next band: How many percentage points you are short of the next band up. Use Scenarios to turn this into a number of hires.