ProHRPay Consulting launches GCC country-specific payroll handbooks
ProHRPay Consulting has launched a new series of country-specific payroll handbooks designed to help payroll and HR professionals navigate the evolving compliance requirements across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The handbooks are intended to provide payroll professionals, HR teams, finance leaders, and business owners with a practical reference for understanding local payroll regulations and applying them to the scenarios they encounter in day-to-day operations. The guides can also be used across a broader range of business processes, including payroll operations, internal audit, employee onboarding, and offboarding.
Each handbook is tailored to the payroll regulations and statutory requirements of a specific GCC market. To date, ProHRPay Consulting has released handbooks covering the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain.
Country-specific compliance
The UAE edition highlights key changes to the Wage Protection System (WPS) taking effect from June 1, 2026, alongside compliance timelines, enforcement milestones, free zone considerations, and guidance on final settlements. These areas can vary significantly across GCC markets, making country-specific guidance particularly important for organizations operating across multiple jurisdictions.
Saudi Arabia presents its own set of payroll complexities. The KSA handbook covers areas including General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) contributions, end-of-service benefits, overtime, and leave encashment.
“Especially with GOSI’s new phased-in rates rolling out through 2028, payroll calculations are becoming an increasingly complex area for payroll professionals in the Kingdom,” says Afrooz Mohammed, Founder of ProHRPay Consulting.
The KSA handbook also links statutory calculations to the relevant provisions of Saudi Arabia’s Labor Law, giving payroll professionals a clear reference point for understanding not only how a calculation should be made, but also the legislation behind it.
The country-specific approach also highlights compliance issues that can easily be overlooked.
In Bahrain, for example, changes introduced in March 2024 affected how employers account for expatriate end-of-service gratuity. Rather than maintaining the liability on their books, employers are required to make monthly contributions to the Social Insurance Organization (SIO), with contributions set at 4.2% for the first three years of service and 8.4% thereafter.
Errors in the contribution rate, wage base, or reporting can therefore create compliance issues that accumulate over time.
“Some companies are non-compliant but don’t even know it. And, like with everything that needs to be fixed down the line, an issue identified and corrected on day one can take five minutes,” says Afrooz. “The same mistake discovered two years and 500 payslips later can cost 300 times more to unwind.”
Oman presents a different set of considerations. While Omani employees are covered by the country’s social protection and pension framework, expatriate employees remain subject to end-of-service gratuity provisions. The calculation also differs depending on whether the period of service falls before or after July 31, 2023.
Oman is also preparing for the introduction of personal income tax, scheduled to take effect in 2028, adding another important consideration for employers and payroll teams operating in the country.
Practical orientation
A central feature of the handbooks is their practical focus. Rather than simply outlining legislation, the guides use real-world numerical examples to show how statutory requirements translate into actual payroll calculations and payslips.
According to Afrooz, this practical approach is important because payroll accuracy extends beyond regulatory compliance. “Getting payroll calculations wrong isn’t just a compliance risk – it directly affects employees’ trust in the payroll process. A well-documented final settlement or gratuity payout builds credibility; disputes over miscalculated entitlements can erode it very quickly.”
For organizations operating across several GCC markets, this country-specific approach can also help payroll and HR teams identify differences between jurisdictions and reduce the risk of applying one country’s rules to another.
A broader thought leadership initiative
With five handbooks already published and additional editions in development, ProHRPay Consulting says its ambition is for the series to become a practical reference for payroll professionals navigating the region’s evolving regulatory landscape.
Afrooz adds that the initiative forms part of the firm’s broader ambition to establish itself as a trusted source of payroll knowledge and thought leadership. Earlier this year, ProHRPay Consulting also launched payroll associations across six regions worldwide as part of its efforts to strengthen the exchange of knowledge and best practices within the payroll profession.
