Saudization Support Programs: Hadaf, Tamheer and Taqat

Saudization support programs reduce what it costs to hire, train and keep Saudi employees. Most of them are delivered by the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), which operates under the name Hadaf. Employers use them alongside the Nitaqat counting rules to close a Saudi headcount gap at lower cost.

What Saudization support programs are available to employers?

HRDF's February 2026 program guide for establishments lists the products below. We show only figures that appear in the guide or on HRDF's pages.

The guide also lists Maharat skills training, Professional Experience for students, Qurrah childcare support and dialysis support. Our Hadaf wage support page covers Employment Support in detail, since it carries the largest financial offset.

How does Hadaf wage support work?

HRDF bears 30% of a Saudi employee's monthly wage for up to 24 months. The employee must be a full-time Saudi aged 18 to 60 earning SAR 4,000 to 15,000 a month, and the support is capped at SAR 3,000 a month or 50% of the wage, whichever is lower. Extra percentages apply for some categories. See Hadaf wage support for eligibility, a worked example and how to apply.

What is Tamheer?

Tamheer is HRDF's Graduate Development product. It trains diploma, bachelor's and higher-degree graduates in practical work settings for 3 to 6 months, and HRDF pays each trainee a monthly allowance of SAR 3,000. Conditions for employers published by HRDF include:

• An HRDF account.
• Trainees limited to 10% of your total Saudi employees, with a maximum of 100 trainees per period.
• A Nitaqat band of Medium Green or higher, according to the February 2026 guide. HRDF's Tamheer page describes it as Green or above, so check the current requirement when you apply.
• Business activities that match the sectors and professions HRDF targets.
• No place on HRDF's blacklist.

Tamheer works as a hiring pipeline. A trainee who performs well can be offered a role, which then becomes eligible for Employment Support if the employment conditions are met.

What training support does HRDF offer?

Several products cover training, and they work differently.

The strategic partnership figures come from the guide's description of that product, which targets rare specializations at private establishments under employment contracts. A separate HRDF page says small and micro businesses and commercial companies can request support for training at licensed non-profit institutes, and does not state amounts, so confirm the terms with HRDF before planning around them.

What is Taqat, and what is Jadarat?

Taqat is HRDF's older national labor portal and the origin of the wage subsidy many employers still call "Taqat support". HRDF has stated that employers on Taqat were being migrated to Jadarat, the National Unified Platform for Employment, while Taqat remained available for access to HRDF training and empowerment programs. Jadarat lets private establishments create profiles, post vacancies, manage applications, schedule interviews and send offers.

HRDF's February 2026 program guide says the employee must be registered on Jadarat; the Employment Support web page asks for registration on the HRDF platform. Tamheer applications still go through a Taqat e-services login. For a new application, follow the portal link on the HRDF page for that product.

What can Saudis themselves access?

HRDF lists services for individuals, including Tamheer placement, professional certificates, a job search subsidy, transport support (Wusool), counselling (Ershad), childcare support (Qurrah) and access to Jadarat. Details and amounts for these are on HRDF's site, and we do not restate figures we have not verified. Saudi job seekers planning a career move can start with our Saudization careers guide. HRDF reported that it supported the employment of 329,000 Saudis in the first half of 2026.

What support does MHRSD point to for new rules?

MHRSD's guides for new profession decisions list recruitment assistance, training support, employment support and priority access to localization support programs. The project management guide for the 70% rule that starts on 14 February 2027 is an example. Most of that help is delivered through HRDF.

How do employers use support programs in a Saudization plan?

1. Count the Saudi hires you need, using your profession rules and the Nitaqat target.
2. Check each planned hire against the Employment Support wage band of SAR 4,000 to 15,000 and the salary floors that apply, listed in salary thresholds.
3. Use Tamheer to trial graduates before offering permanent roles.
4. Budget for the gap between hiring and payment. Employment Support requires 90 days of GOSI registration first, and HRDF states a processing time of 30 to 180 days.
5. Put the offsets into the cost model, clearly separated from your base case, since approval is not automatic.
6. Keep the Qiwa contract and GOSI wage aligned. See Qiwa contracts and Nitaqat.

Our employer guide shows how support fits with the rest of a compliance plan.