Finance Ministry sets May salary dates on 28th and 31st, citing bank hours during extended Eid holidays

The salaries and allowances of government employees will be paid next week on Sunday and Thursday, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday.

The announcement comes as staff across multiple government agencies voice concern over the delay in receiving their May salaries. Many employees had hoped to be paid ahead of the Eid holidays, with a significant number planning family trips that hinge on the incoming paycheck.

Responding to a question from the media, a Finance Ministry official said salaries will be disbursed on the 28th and 31st of this month. The dates were set after taking into account bank operating hours during the Eid holidays, the official said.

Government offices have been closed since the 22nd for the Eid break and will reopen on May 31. Banks, meanwhile, are scheduled to open only on Thursday, May 28, during the holidays.

“According to the State Finance Regulations, monthly salaries must be paid within the last three days of the month. Therefore, salaries and allowances for May will be paid on May 28 and 31,” the official said.

The ministry added that the government will continue to issue salaries in line with the schedule stipulated under the Finance Regulations.

It is noteworthy that in previous years, successive governments have often opted to deposit salaries slightly ahead of long public holidays to ease travel and household planning for civil servants. This time, however, the disbursement has been pushed to the very end of the month, a shift that many employees describe as unusual, given the timing and the length of the Eid break. 

Political observers have also been warning for months that the state’s service delivery could come under pressure, citing the government’s recent referendum defeat, setbacks in the local council elections, and the broader economic strain linked to the Middle East conflict. Against that backdrop, the anxiety around delayed salaries has become a touchpoint for wider concerns about the government’s fiscal room and administrative stability.