In the title Schiff base complex, [Ni(C(18)H(14)Cl(4)N(2)O(2))(C(3)H(7)NO)(2)], the geometry around the Ni(II) atom is distorted octa-hedral. It is coordinated by the N(2)O(2) donor atoms of the tetra-dentate Schiff base ligand and the O atoms of two dimethyl-formamide mol-ecules, which are cis to one another. The benzene rings are almost normal to each other [dihedral angle = 88.60 (14)°]. The various intra-molecular C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds make S(5) and S(6) ring motifs. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by pairs of weak C-H⋯Cl inter-actions, forming inversion dimers.