Government fines: the common ones and how to avoid them

Few companies are fined for doing something deliberately wrong. Most fines follow a date nobody was watching — a wage file not uploaded, an iqama renewed late, a contribution paid on the 16th. Each authority has its own rules and its own place to check, so the first habit is simply to look regularly.

The amounts below are examples from official tables and announcements on 19 October 2026. Authorities update them, so check with Mohla for the figure that applies to you.

The Ministry's table of violations and penalties, issued by ministerial decision in February 2026, sets fines by establishment size: 50 or more workers, 21 to 49, and 20 or fewer. Examples:

• Employing a non-Saudi without a work permit: SAR 10,000 per worker
• Not uploading the wage protection file: SAR 500, 1,000 or 2,000 by size
• Not documenting contracts electronically: SAR 300, 500 or 1,000 per worker by size

An establishment can view its violations and pay or object through the Ministry's services on Qiwa. Objections to inspection violations are filed within 60 days of the penalty. A first violation can also be settled in exchange for compliance, if the request is made within 90 days and the establishment is in a green Nitaqat band or higher.

• Late contributions: 2% of the unpaid amount for each month, or part of a month, of delay.
• Not registering a worker who works for you: under GOSI's violation rules, a small establishment first gets time to correct it, then fines of SAR 1,000 and SAR 2,000 per contributor for repeats.

Contributions are due within the first 15 days of the following month, so a monthly reminder before the 15th prevents the most common GOSI fine.

ZATCA's penalties include SAR 10,000 for not registering for VAT when required, 5% to 25% of the tax for a late return, 5% a month for late payment, and 1% per 30 days for late withholding tax.

• Waiver: ZATCA's initiative cancelling fines for late registration, late payment and late filing (and VAT return corrections) runs until 31 December 2026. It excludes evasion penalties, fines already paid, and returns that fall due after 30 June 2026.
• Objection: VAT penalties can be objected to through ZATCA's "VAT Penalty Objection" e-service.

• Iqama renewed late: the Passports directorate announced in 2020 fines of SAR 500 the first time and SAR 1,000 the second, with deportation of the worker on a third offence. Renewal through Absher Business or Muqeem includes paying any late fine.
• Municipal licence: under the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing's 2026 penalties table, operating without a licence is fined between SAR 10,000 and SAR 50,000 depending on the municipality's class, and the shop can be closed; operating with an expired licence is fined SAR 1,000 to 5,000 after a 14-day correction period. Balady's free "Inquire about violations" service shows your municipal violations, and objections go through the unified objections platform.
• Commercial: the Ministry of Commerce's inquiry service shows commercial violations and fines by CR or licence number. Under the Commercial Register Law, false data or a missed yearly confirmation can bring a fine of up to SAR 50,000.

• Keep every date — licences, iqamas, work permits, returns, contributions — on one calendar, with reminders well before each one.
• Upload the wage file and pay GOSI on the same day each month.
• Document every contract on Qiwa when the employee joins.
• Check each platform for new violations regularly, not only when a service is refused.
• Object in time: most objection windows are 30 to 60 days.

Mohla Comply includes a regular fines check: every 15 days, Mohla's team checks GOSI, Mudad, Qiwa, ZATCA, Balady, the Ministry of Commerce and Muqeem for fines or violations, records each check in your account, and tells you at once if one appears. Your dates sit on one calendar with reminders before each, so most fines never happen.

Government fines and fees are paid at cost. Mohla's own fee is in the written quote you receive before any work starts.