Salary deduction ratio in Saudi Arabia, your obligations against SAMA's limits
Enter your salary and monthly obligations to see the three ratios the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) checks before any new finance: what is deducted from your salary, your obligations without home finance, and all your obligations. The calculator shows each ratio's limit for your income band, and how much room is left.
Calculator
Basic salary after GOSI is deducted, plus fixed allowances.
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Rent or another regular income you can document. Half of it counts.
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Share deducted from salary
| Total monthly income counted | |
|---|---|
| Its ceiling | |
| Left before the ceiling | |
| Obligations without home finance | |
| Their ceiling | |
| All obligations | |
| Their ceiling |
The calculation runs on your device; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
This is an estimate, not legal or financial advice. The lender works out the ratios from your documents, and SAMA is the regulator that sets them.
The three ratios and their limits
SAMA's Responsible Lending Principles for Individual Customers set three ratios, with limits that change by total monthly income:
| Ratio | Income of SAR 15,000 or less | Over 15,000 and under 25,000 | SAR 25,000 or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deducted from salary, employee | 33.33% | 33.33% | 33.33% |
| Deducted from salary, retired | 25% | 25% | 25% |
| Obligations without home finance | 45% | 45% | The lender's policy |
| All obligations | 55%, 65% with housing support | 65% | The lender's policy |
Which figure each ratio is worked on
- The salary ratio is worked on "gross salary" as SAMA defines it: basic salary after the pension or GOSI deduction, plus the fixed allowances the employer pays each month. To see what GOSI deducts, use the Saudi net salary calculator.
- The other two ratios are worked on total monthly income: gross salary plus half of any other regular income you can document, such as rent.
- Obligations include instalments on personal and car finance and the like, and money borrowed from an employer or relatives.
The limit is not a comfortable level
The limit binds the lender when it decides to lend; it is not a measure of what your household can carry. Someone paying a third of their salary in instalments has two thirds left for housing, food, transport and school. Personal finance in Saudi Arabia, and how to find the day your last instalment falls shows how to see when your current obligations end before you add to them.
Questions people ask
Does a ratio under the limit mean new finance suits me?
No. The limit stops the lender from going past it, but it does not say what is left of your salary is enough for your month. Work out your budget after the new instalment before you sign.
Why does only half of the rent I receive count?
Because the principles count half of the average of regular income other than salary, provided it can be verified with bank statements or official documents.
My income is over SAR 25,000. Why is there no limit on all obligations?
Because in that band the principles leave it to the lender's credit policy, while the salary deduction limit still applies.
In Masareefy you record your instalments and their dates, so you see what is set aside for them each month before you work out what is left.
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Sources
- Saudi Central Bank, Responsible Lending Principles for Individual Customers, Chapter IV — paragraphs 15, 16 and 17: salary deduction and obligation limits by income band — verified: 11 October 2026
- Saudi Central Bank, Responsible Lending Principles for Individual Customers, Chapter I — definitions of gross salary and total monthly income — verified: 11 October 2026