Employees often ask: What are the sick leave entitlements and pay rules for employees in Jordan? They may also need to know which medical certificate is acceptable, how to request leave, and what happens when an illness continues. This article provides a general, educational overview based on the published text of Jordan’s Labour Law No. 8 of 1996 and its amendments reviewed in the research material. It also identifies matters that were not verified as effective through an official legislative source.

The discussion concerns employees subject to the Jordanian Labour Law in the private sector. Work-related injuries and possible Social Security entitlements may involve a different legal framework. Ordinary sick leave should not automatically be treated as the complete answer to a work-injury claim.

This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice and does not guarantee any outcome. The answer may depend on the medical report, the size of the establishment, the duration and cause of the absence, and the available records. Professional review is advisable before taking action.

What Are the Sick Leave Entitlements and Pay Rules for Employees in Jordan?

Submitting a medical certificate to human resources while documenting the sick-leave period

Under the published legal text reviewed, every employee is entitled to fourteen days of sick leave during each year at full pay, based on a report issued by a doctor approved by the establishment. In practical terms, the illness must be medically documented through the applicable approval process; the fact that an employee visited a doctor may not by itself establish statutory sick leave.

The leave may be renewed for another fourteen days at full pay if the employee is admitted to a hospital. On the wording reviewed, this produces a potential total of twenty-eight days at full pay in that situation, subject to the required medical reports and approval conditions.

Who approves the medical report?

The approval mechanism depends on the number of employees in the establishment. For an establishment with fewer than twenty employees, the additional period is tied to a report from the doctor approved by the establishment. For an establishment with more than twenty employees, medical reports are approved by a special medical committee for this purpose.

The research material also distinguishes the doctor who certifies entitlement to sick leave from the doctor approved by the Ministry of Labour for occupational health and safety purposes. The former concerns proof and duration of sick leave, while the latter relates to whether workplace conditions are connected to illness or absence.

Duration, pay, and the limits of the published rule

  • Basic entitlement: fourteen days during the year.
  • Pay: full pay during that period when the reporting and approval requirements are met.
  • Additional period: another fourteen days at full pay where the employee has been admitted to hospital.
  • Larger establishments: a special medical committee approves reports in establishments with more than twenty employees.

The published legal text reviewed does not show a general entitlement to an unlimited period of sick leave or to full pay after the stated twenty-eight days. A Ministry of Labour guidance document contains wording referring to an additional extension at half pay where a medical report is issued by a committee approved by the establishment without hospital admission. That wording was not found in the extracted published Labour Law text reviewed. It should therefore not be treated here as an independently binding rule without checking the operative text or the Official Gazette.

How should an employee request sick leave?

The research did not verify a single statutory procedure or deadline governing how every private-sector employee must request sick leave or submit a report. As a practical precaution, an employee should notify the employer or human resources department as soon as attendance becomes impossible, follow the establishment’s reporting process, and use a method that creates a record of delivery and receipt.

Depending on the circumstances, the medical document should identify the employee, include an employee number if one exists, state the start and end dates of the leave, and bear the doctor’s signature and the medical provider’s stamp. If the employee seeks the additional period because of hospital admission, evidence of admission should also be retained together with the report submitted for approval.

These practical steps should not be confused with a verified, uniform statutory form or deadline for all private establishments. The research did not establish such a general rule. Nor should an employee assume that seeing a doctor, without notifying the employer or submitting the report in accordance with the applicable internal process, will always prove that the absence was lawful.

Protection from termination during sick leave

According to the legal text reviewed, an employer may not terminate an employee’s service or serve notice of termination while the employee is on sick leave. The protection should be assessed together with proof that the leave is supported by an acceptable report and that the lawful leave period has not expired.

This rule does not make every termination dispute identical. The facts may require examination of whether the employer relied on an independent legal ground that existed earlier, whether a fixed-term contract ended, or whether another special rule applies. Employees should preserve the medical report, notices, messages, proof of submission, and any termination decision or related correspondence.

Sick leave versus a work-related injury

Ordinary sick leave is based on an illness supported by an approved medical report. If the illness, incapacity, or absence is connected to workplace conditions or an incident at work, separate issues concerning a work injury and Social Security benefits may arise. Those issues should not automatically be reduced to the employee’s ordinary sick-leave balance.

The research material points to a possible connection with the Social Security Corporation, but it does not provide enough verified detail to state the applicable benefits, periods, or procedures for work injuries. Those matters should be checked directly with the Social Security Corporation and against the relevant official provisions before a claim is framed on that basis.

Frequently asked questions

Is sick leave paid in Jordan?

The published text reviewed provides fourteen days per year at full pay and permits another fourteen days at full pay when the employee is admitted to hospital, subject to the medical reporting and approval requirements.

Will any doctor’s certificate be accepted?

The rule refers to a report from a doctor approved by the establishment, with a special medical committee involved in establishments with more than twenty employees. Acceptance should therefore be confirmed through the applicable approval process.

Is there an indefinite period after twenty-eight days?

No general entitlement to an indefinite period, or to full pay after the stated twenty-eight days, appeared in the published text reviewed. Any further entitlement requires review of the operative law, the facts, and the relevant medical documentation.

Can an employer terminate an employee during sick leave?

The Labour Law text reviewed prohibits termination or service of termination notice during sick leave. The employee must still establish that the leave is legally supported and ongoing, and the circumstances may require review of any separate legal ground or contract expiry.

Practical conclusion

An employee seeking sick leave should obtain a report through the approved medical channel, notify the employer promptly, document delivery of the report, and retain proof of hospital admission where an extension is requested on that basis. It is equally important to distinguish ordinary illness from a work-related injury and not to treat a draft amendment or guidance document as an effective amendment before its publication and legal force are officially confirmed. A review of the specific facts and records with lawyer Yasmeen Abu Hadba can help identify the appropriate next step for professional assessment.

Official sources