Employee benefitsin Lebanon

The National Social Security Fund, Lebanon’s public social-insurance system, provides qualifying insured people preventive and curative care and care before, during and after childbirth. Eligibility normally requires three insured months during the preceding six months. Family protection can include a qualifying non-earning spouse, dependent children and dependent parents under statutory age, study and household conditions. Medical tariffs and treatment rules determine reimbursement; employer-paid sickness and maternity wages follow separate labour rules.

The National Social Security Fund, Lebanon’s public social-insurance system, funds sickness and maternity medical protection through employer contributions of 8% and employee deductions of 3% of covered remuneration. The monthly contribution base is capped at LBP 120,000,000, producing maximum monthly shares of LBP 9,600,000 and LBP 3,600,000 respectively. These amounts fund the medical branch; they do not replace the employer’s separate maternity or sick-pay duties.

The Lebanese American University offers eligible full-time faculty and staff voluntary group medical insurance with spouse and child access. The University pays 75% of the premium and the insured pays 25%. For staff the cover supplements public social-insurance medical protection; faculty have the policy’s full cover. Buying a higher level of cover does not automatically increase the University contribution beyond 75% of the eligible supplementary premium.

Law 319 of December 2023 establishes a new retirement and social-protection framework under the National Social Security Fund, Lebanon’s public social-insurance system. The transition from end-of-service lump sums to pensions requires implementing decrees and operational arrangements. Employers must apply the scheme that actually covers the worker rather than assume that enactment alone has converted every employee’s benefit into a pension.

Employers contribute 8.5% of covered remuneration to the National Social Security Fund’s end-of-service indemnity branch, which funds a qualifying lump-sum benefit rather than an ordinary monthly pension. The contribution base has no earnings ceiling. Of the 8.5%, 8% is allocated for beneficiaries and 0.5% for administration. A contribution does not itself mean that every termination immediately qualifies for the same payment.

If a full-time faculty or staff member dies while working at the Lebanese American University, the University contributes two months’ salary towards funeral costs, with a minimum of USD 2,000 and maximum of USD 8,000. Payment goes to the spouse and/or children, or to legal heirs if the employee was unmarried. This is an employer payment separate from an insured life benefit.

The Lebanese American University provides group life insurance paying twice annual salary on death up to age 70 for covered full-time faculty and specified staff groups. Faculty other than continuing non-tenured faculty, staff in designated job grades, and unclassified employees qualify under the policy. This is an employer-specific insurance benefit, with eligibility determined by the University’s own employment classifications.

The Lebanese American University’s long-term disability insurance replaces 75% of basic salary after a 60-calendar-day waiting period for covered sickness or accident, up to age 65. It covers full-time faculty other than continuing non-tenured faculty, plus staff in the policy’s designated job grades and unclassified employees. The University’s employment classification determines eligibility for this cover, which extends beyond statutory staged employer sick pay.

The Lebanese American University allows eligible full-time faculty and staff to participate in an occupational pension arrangement. Non-US nationals use a defined-contribution plan, in which contributions build an individual retirement benefit subject to the plan rules. US nationals use a 403(b) plan, a retirement-savings arrangement under the United States tax code. The applicable plan documents determine contributions and benefits for each nationality group.

After at least one year with an employer, an employee receives 15 days of annual leave on full pay. The employer sets the timing according to work requirements and cannot dismiss the employee or serve termination notice during that leave. If sickness absence exceeds one month in the year, the Labour Code allows annual leave to be reduced to eight days. More favourable employer leave rules can apply.

For non-work-related illness or accident, employer-paid sick leave depends on service: three months through two years earns half a month at full pay then half a month at half pay; over two through four years earns one month at each rate; over four through six years earns one and a half months at each; over six through ten years earns two months at each; and over ten years earns two and a half months at each. A treating or company doctor provides a medical report, and the employer can request verification by another doctor. These are annual maximum stages, not five months at full salary. The employer cannot dismiss or serve notice during protected sick leave.

An employee receives two days of leave on full pay following the death of a parent, spouse, child, grandchild or grandparent. This statutory family list is distinct from a more generous employer policy covering siblings or other relatives.

The Lebanese American University provides eligible staff 15–20 working days of annual leave after one year of service, depending on job grade and seniority. Some grades receive 20 days with up to 15 unused days carried from the previous year. A tenure-based tier starts at 15 days, adds one day per year beyond three years to a 20-day maximum, and permits up to 10 carryover days. Another staff tier receives 15 days with carryover capped at five. The University approves scheduling and accrued-leave payments on termination under its policy.

The Lebanese American University gives staff three calendar days of compassionate leave on full pay following the death of a parent, sibling, spouse or child. It grants two days for listed extended relatives, including in-laws, aunts, uncles, grandchildren and grandparents. This adds both duration and family scope to the Labour Code’s two-day baseline; special additional consideration can apply after a spouse or child dies.

Employees covered by the Labour Code receive ten weeks of maternity leave at full employer pay, covering the period before and after childbirth. A medical certificate confirms the expected birth. Maternity leave does not replace the employee’s annual-leave entitlement. Dismissal or notice during protected maternity leave is prohibited, subject to the legal exception for working elsewhere during that leave.

The National Social Security Fund, Lebanon’s public social-insurance system, pays eligible insured families monthly allowances of LBP 2,100,000 for a qualifying spouse and LBP 1,155,000 per qualifying child, for up to five children. The maximum is LBP 7,875,000 a month. Employers fund the family-benefit branch at 6% of covered monthly remuneration capped at LBP 28,000,000, a maximum monthly contribution of LBP 1,680,000. The revised ceiling and benefit amounts apply from 1 May 2026; household and beneficiary conditions still govern payment.

The Lebanese American University gives eligible full-time female staff 15 consecutive calendar weeks of maternity leave on full pay, equivalent to 105 calendar days. This is separate from annual leave. Faculty have their own academic-term and service rules; the staff entitlement is an employer enhancement to the ten-week Labour Code baseline.

The Lebanese American University provides eligible full-time male faculty and staff ten consecutive calendar days of paternity leave on full pay. Annual leave remains a separate entitlement, and consecutive scheduling follows University work requirements. Post-leave flexible arrangements require the University’s implementing procedure rather than arise automatically from the ten-day leave entitlement.

The American University of Beirut covers 60% of tuition for approved undergraduate or graduate degree study by employees who have completed probation and obtained unit-head or supervisor approval. The employee pays 40%. Educational benefits stop during unpaid leave. This supports an eligible employee’s own education rather than provide a general annual training cash allowance.

Employment involves paid work for an employer under the applicable employment relationship. Genuine independent contractors negotiate independent service arrangements; a contractor label does not itself remove employee protections. The Labour Code excludes domestic service, certain family undertakings, agricultural groups and public servants governed by separate rules. Contractor fees, invoices, insurance and commercial benefits must be distinguished from employee leave and payroll obligations.

Employment can be indefinite or fixed-term and can be agreed orally or in writing. A written employment contract is in Arabic, with translation where a party does not know Arabic. The actual relationship and continued work affect the legal category. Recent legislation also recognizes part-time, seasonal and remote work; these arrangements remain subject to statutory hours and rest safeguards.

An indefinite employment arrangement can have a trial period of up to three months. Either party can end the relationship without statutory notice or termination compensation during those first three months. Other employee protections follow their own service and eligibility conditions.

From 1 August 2025, the statutory private-sector minimum wage is LBP 28,000,000 a month or LBP 1,300,000 a day for employees covered by the Labour Code. The daily and monthly floors are separate legal units. More favourable contractual pay remains payable.

When remuneration is paid wholly or partly in a foreign currency, social-insurance contributions are settled in Lebanese pounds using the actual value of the remuneration under the applicable valuation rules. Contract currency, payment currency and the statutory contribution base remain separate payroll terms.

Salary-earners must be paid at least monthly and workers at least twice monthly. For piecework lasting more than 15 days, the parties can agree payment timing, but advances are due every 15 days and the balance within 15 days after delivery. Wage payment is made on working days at the workplace; the Labour Code’s currency rule and social-insurance valuation of foreign-currency remuneration are separate requirements.

Employers must declare the start or end of an insured employee’s employment to the National Social Security Fund, Lebanon’s public social-insurance system, within 15 days. Foreign-worker contribution and benefit conditions are not identical: access can depend on a valid work permit and reciprocal treatment by the worker’s country. Registered Palestinian refugees have a separate statutory end-of-service arrangement. The worker’s nationality and actual insured category must be established before assigning benefits.

The general maximum working week is 48 hours. In emergencies, daily work can extend to 12 hours with the labour authority notified within 24 hours; additional hours attract a 50% premium, for total pay of 150% of the ordinary hourly rate. Employees receive at least 36 uninterrupted hours of weekly rest and normally nine consecutive hours of rest in each 24 hours. A break of at least one hour applies after more than six continuous hours for men or five for women. Sector rules can alter ordinary limits.

The 2025 labour amendments recognize part-time work between one-third and two-thirds of full-time hours, seasonal work lasting no more than six months, remote work and flexible distribution of working hours. These are employment arrangements, rather than an automatic employee right to choose remote work. Statutory working-time and rest limits continue to apply.

An abusive employer termination of an indefinite employment agreement can lead to compensation of two to 12 months’ wages, in addition to other legal amounts. Assessment considers the work, age, service, family and health circumstances and actual harm. Economic, technical or force-majeure dismissals require notification to the Ministry of Labour one month before implementation and consultation on the termination programme. Affected workers have re-employment priority for one year if suitable work resumes.

For an indefinite employment relationship, either party gives written notice: one month for service of three years or less, two months after more than three but less than six years, three months after more than six but less than 12 years, and four months from 12 years. Failure to give required notice creates liability for the wages corresponding to it. During notice the employee can be absent one hour per working day to look for another job. Notice is restricted during pregnancy and protected maternity, annual and sickness leave.