Wage protection (WPS) in Oman
Employers in Oman pay salaries through WPS (Ministry of Labour), reporting each payroll run in the WPS file format. Here is how the system works and what AhlanHamad produces for it.
- System
- WPS (Ministry of Labour)
- Wage file
- WPS (WPS_OM)
- Bank formats
- Bank Muscat, NBO, Bank Dhofar, Sohar
- Statutory deductions handled
- SPF
How the wage file is produced
AhlanHamad builds the WPS file from each approved payroll run for WPS (Ministry of Labour) — you review it, check the layout with your bank on your first upload, and submit it through your bank or portal as usual. The file reconciles to the payroll run.
Oman payroll-compliance calendar
Recurring statutory filings and windows employers in Oman plan payroll around (from the AhlanHamad compliance engine):
- February — SPF Annual Filing (SPF)
- April — Omanization Report Q1 (MOL)
- June — CR Mid-Year Review (MOIC)
- October — Omanization Report Q3 (MOL)
- December — Annual License Renewal (MOIC)
Oman's WPS under Ministerial Decision 729/2024
Ministerial Decision No. 729 of 2024 — Official Gazette No. 1575 of 15 December 2024, in force the following day — replaced Decision No. 299 of 2023 under Labour Law Royal Decree 53/2023. What it monitors is not just that wages moved, but that the amount that moved is the amount in the contract.
- Coverage moved to at least 75% of the workforce for September 2025 wages.
- It rose to at least 90% for November 2025 wages.
- Wages are transferred through the WPS within no more than three days from the end of the period they are due for, to a bank or institution supervised by the Central Bank of Oman, in the amount agreed in the employment contract.
- The employment contract is updated whenever the wage changes, and states the actual wage — a raise that never reaches the contract makes every later transfer non-conforming, even though the employee is paid more.
- Five exemptions, each specific: a labour dispute stopping work for more than 30 days; suspension from work for a reason not attributable to the employer for more than 30 days; an accepted absconding report more than 30 days after approval; an employee within their first 30 days; and an employee on unpaid leave. Anything outside the five goes to a ministry committee.
What AhlanHamad does here: we generate the monthly salary information file from your payroll run, in the upload layout Bank Dhofar's corporate WPS guide sets out — other banks may ask for their own — with the reason for each deduction or unpaid month in the notes, and when a salary changes we remind you to update the contract. Submitting the file, and keeping your registered contracts in step with the Ministry, stays with you.
The penalty ladder, in order
- A warning.
- Suspension of the preliminary work-permit service until the violation is removed — in practice, you cannot hire until you are clean.
- An administrative fine of OMR 50 per employee, doubled on repeat.
Article 87 of the Labour Law is why this bites: the employer is not discharged of the wage at all unless it is transferred to the employee's account at a bank or local financial institution licensed by the Central Bank of Oman.
Requirements change. Confirm the current position with the Ministry of Labour before you rely on it — this page is a summary, not legal advice.
The rules on this page are stated under Oman's Ministerial Decision No. 729 of 2024 (in force 16 December 2024), which replaced Decision No. 299 of 2023.
These are the statutory baselines, stated for general information — not legal advice. Entitlements can vary with tenure, sector, and contract; verify your specific case.
Frequently asked questions
What is the wage protection system in Oman?
Salaries in Oman are paid and monitored through WPS (Ministry of Labour); each payroll run is reported in the WPS file format.
What file format does WPS use in Oman?
The wage file is the WPS (WPS_OM) format. Banks that handle salary transfers include Bank Muscat, NBO, Bank Dhofar, Sohar; a bank can ask for its own layout, so check the file with yours on the first upload.
When is the WPS deadline in Oman?
Wages are transferred through the WPS within no more than three days from the end of the period they are due for — Ministerial Decision 729/2024, article 3. It is the tightest window in the Gulf, and AhlanHamad generates the file the moment a run is approved.
Does AhlanHamad submit the file to the government for me?
AhlanHamad generates the WPS file from your payroll run, ready for your bank or portal — you stay in control of the actual submission.
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Watch it work
Short, narrated screen recordings of the product doing exactly this.
42sWhat WPS is, and why a Gulf state mandates it
2:23 minGenerating the WPS file — two countries, two formats