Unlike some of its neighbours, Qatar has a legal minimum wage, and it applies to domestic workers too. That makes the pay question a little clearer here, though the allowances trip up a lot of families.
This guide is for employers who already have a domestic worker, or are budgeting for one, and want to pay fairly and keep good help. It sets out the minimum wage and how it works with food and housing, the current market salary bands for maids and nannies, how the end-of-service gratuity is calculated, and the honest math of keeping a good worker rather than paying to replace her. We link the official sources so you can confirm anything for yourself.
The minimum wage, and the allowances that go with it
Under Law No. 17 of 2020, Qatar set a non-discriminatory minimum wage that applies to every worker, including domestic workers. The framework sits with the Ministry of Labour (ADLSA). It has three parts:
| Component | Amount (QAR/month) | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Basic minimum wage | 1,000 | Always |
| Food allowance | 300 | If you do not provide food |
| Accommodation allowance | 500 | If you do not provide housing |
So a live-in worker whose room and meals you provide is owed a cash salary of at least QAR 1,000. A worker who houses and feeds herself is owed at least QAR 1,800 (1,000 + 300 + 500). The figure has applied since March 2021 and remains unchanged in 2026. A salary quoted below the applicable floor is not a “market rate,” it is simply non-compliant.
Market salary bands in 2026
Most families pay above the minimum to attract and keep good help. These are typical live-in cash salaries, gathered from licensed agencies, and they line up with our Qatar salaries-by-nationality guide. Live-out arrangements usually run QAR 500 to 700 higher, since the worker covers her own housing.
| Role | Live-in salary (QAR/month) |
|---|---|
| Maid / housekeeper | 1,300 – 2,100 |
| Nanny / babysitter | 1,500 – 2,800 |
By nationality, Filipinas typically sit at the top of each band (often QAR 1,500 to 2,200 for a maid, more for an experienced nanny), with Indonesian, Sri Lankan, Indian and Nepali workers in the middle, and some African nationalities lower. Treat single-nationality figures as directional; experience, language and childcare skills move the number more than nationality alone. Benchmark with our free Salary Index.
Raises: custom, not law
Qatari law does not require an annual raise; it requires you to honour the agreed wage for the contract term. In practice, families revisit pay at the two-year contract renewal, rewarding a worker who has settled in and proven herself. There is no reliable published “standard percentage,” so treat a modest bump at renewal as a retention decision rather than a fixed rule, sized to tenure, performance and the current market.
End-of-service gratuity
Under Law No. 15 of 2017, a domestic worker who completes at least one year of service is entitled to an end-of-service gratuity of at least three weeks’ (21 days’) wages for each year of service, paid when the relationship ends. The calculation is straightforward: monthly basic wage divided by 30, times 21, times the years of service.
At the QAR 1,000 basic floor, that is roughly QAR 700 for each year of service; on a QAR 1,800 salary it is about QAR 1,260 a year. It accrues the whole time she stays, so you can see the running figure with our gratuity calculator.
Retain or re-hire? The real cost
Before deciding a worker is not worth keeping, price the alternative. Recruiting a replacement through a licensed agency is a significant one-time cost, on top of weeks with no help:
| Item | Typical cost (QAR) |
|---|---|
| Agency / recruitment office fee | 6,000 – 11,000 |
| Visa & residency | 1,500 – 3,000 |
| Medical & insurance | 500 – 1,200 |
| Airfare | 800 – 1,800 |
| Total one-time | about 9,000 – 17,000 |
Against QAR 9,000 to 17,000 to start over, a retention raise of a hundred or two a month is small. Our real cost of hiring a domestic worker in Qatar breaks the full picture down. In most cases, keeping a proven worker is clearly the cheaper choice.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Paying QAR 1,000 cash to a worker who houses and feeds herself; she is owed at least QAR 1,800 once the allowances apply.
- Quoting a below-floor salary as a “market rate”; anything under the applicable minimum is non-compliant.
- Inventing a “standard raise percentage”; there is no reliable published one, so size a raise to tenure and the market.
- Forgetting the accruing gratuity when you claim a worker is “too expensive to keep.”
- Underestimating replacement cost; QAR 9,000 to 17,000 plus weeks of downtime is the real comparison.
The bottom line
Pay at least the minimum wage with the right allowances, benchmark above it against the market, reward tenure at renewal, and remember the gratuity is building in the worker’s favour. If you are hiring or comparing, browse verified maids and nannies to see live market pay, or check a fair figure in the Salary Index.
