Nitaqat in 2026: find your band, your target, and the hires that move you
1. Find your activity and size on Qiwa
Open the establishment page on Qiwa: it shows the Nitaqat activity, the current band and the counted workers. Branches with the same activity under one owner are one entity, so the numbers are combined.
2. Read the formula once
Since the 2026 decision, the minimum ratio for each band is m × ln(total workers) + c, where m and c are fixed per activity and c rises in 2027 and 2028 for most activities. Translated: the bigger you are, the slightly higher the bar, and the bar moves up on a published schedule. The Saudization Calculator on this site has the whole table.
3. Count people the way the programme counts them
A Saudi earning less than SAR 4,000 counts as half a worker and under SAR 3,000 does not count; part-timers and students count as half; a Saudi with a disability counts as four. Raising a wage to 4,000 can move your ratio as much as a new hire.
4. Aim for medium green, then keep a margin
Medium green restores visas, profession changes and transfers. Plan to sit two or three points above its minimum, because one Saudi resignation can drop you a band the following week.
5. Hire roles Saudis stay in
Cashier, reception, sales, admin, supervisor and delivery coordination are roles with real Saudi supply in most cities. Pair each hire with the support programmes (Hadaf wage support, Tamheer training) before the offer, not after.
6. Review monthly
Put the band on the monthly HR report next to payroll. When someone resigns, run the calculator the same day and decide whether the replacement must be Saudi.
Checklist
Ticks stay on this page only; print it to keep a copy.
The tool that does this for you
Every step above has a free calculator, advisor or document on this site. Open the tools page and run your own numbers.
What a Monthly HR Partner client does in the workspace, in order, and what happens on Mohamed's side.
One list, three checkpoints, and the order the platforms need. Ten minutes a week and nothing expires.