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Payroll Tax Guide

Complete guide to employer payroll obligations in Bahrain.

๐Ÿ“„ Download Executive Briefing (PDF)
EMPLOYMENTMarch 2026 ยท 7 min read

โœ… No Income Tax: Bahrain has no personal income tax. However, employers face significant social insurance and levy obligations that effectively function as employment taxes.

GOSI Contributions

Category Employer Employee Total
Bahraini โ€” Pension 12% 7% 19%
Bahraini โ€” Unemployment 1.5% 1% 2.5%
Bahraini โ€” Occupational 3% โ€” 3%
Total Bahraini 16.5% 8% 24.5%
Expat โ€” Occupational 3% โ€” 3%
Total Expat 3% โ€” 3%

Other Obligations

๐Ÿ›๏ธ LMRA Levy

Work permit fees: BD 200-500/year per expat depending on business size. Flexi permit workers: BD 500-700/year. Monthly levy payments due by 15th of following month.

๐Ÿ’ณ WPS Compliance

All salaries must be paid through Wage Protection System (bank transfer). Cash payments are not compliant. Deadline: within 10 working days of month end.

๐Ÿ End-of-Service

Expats: half-month salary per year for first 3 years, one month per year thereafter. Bahrainis: covered by GOSI pension. Calculated on final basic salary.

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