Workers' rights · UAE Labour Law 2026
Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 sets out what every private-sector employee is owed. This guide covers the parts that put money in your pocket: gratuity, leave, notice, overtime and your final settlement.
The UAE Labour Law protects every private-sector worker on the mainland. It does not matter where you are from or how much you earn. Domestic workers have their own law. Government workers have their own rules. DIFC and ADGM free zones have their own rules too.
Your contract is registered with MoHRE. That registered contract is the one that counts. Keep a copy. Check that the basic salary on it is the same as what you were promised. Since 2022 all contracts are fixed-term and can be renewed. Nobody can just walk away without notice.
Gratuity is the money you get when you leave a job. Many workers are paid less than they are owed. After one year you get 21 days of basic salary for each year. After five years it becomes 30 days for each year. Part years count too. The most you can get is two years of basic salary.
It is worked out on basic salary only. Housing and transport money do not count. It is the same if you resign or if you are let go. Only unpaid loans can be taken off. Check your number with the free gratuity calculator before you sign anything.
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You get 30 days of paid leave every year. In your first year, you earn 2 days each month after 6 months. Leave you did not take must be paid to you when you leave. Sick leave is up to 90 days a year: 15 days full pay, 30 days half pay, 45 days no pay. You need a doctor's note.
Maternity leave is 60 days: 45 days full pay and 15 days half pay. Both parents get 5 paid days after a birth. Public holidays are paid. If you work on one, you get a day off or your pay plus 50%. Use the leave calculator to see what your days are worth.
Notice is 30 to 90 days. Your contract says how many. During notice you work and get full pay. If your boss does not want you to work it, they must still pay you for those days. Probation is 6 months at most. It cannot be made longer.
In probation the boss needs 14 days' notice to end it. You need 30 days if you move to another UAE job, or 14 days if you leave the country. If you leave in probation without notice, you can get a one-year ban. Find your last working day here.
Normal work is 8 hours a day, 48 hours a week. In Ramadan it is 2 hours less each day. Overtime is at most 2 hours a day. Overtime pay is your basic hourly rate plus 25%. Between 10pm and 4am, and on your rest day, it is plus 50%.
Your basic hourly rate is basic salary ÷ 30 ÷ 8. Some managers do not get overtime. If your overtime is hidden in an allowance, or missing from your payslip, check what you should get.
When you leave, your boss has 14 days to pay you everything: salary to the last day, gratuity, unused leave and any notice pay. They must cancel your work permit and visa. They can never keep your passport.
If the money is late or wrong, complain to MoHRE. It is free. Call 800 60 or use the MoHRE app. MoHRE talks to both sides first. If that fails, it goes to the labour court. Claims under AED 100,000 have no court fees for you. Keep your contract, payslips and messages. Paper wins most cases.
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Basic salary only. Housing, transport and other allowances are excluded, which is why the basic-to-allowance split in your contract matters.
No. Since the 2022 law, resignation and termination carry the same gratuity entitlement after one year of service.
14 days from the end of the contract, under Article 53 of the UAE Labour Law.
Every figure on these tools comes from the UAE Labour Law, but knowing the law and getting paid are two different things. The Tutorii Workers' Rights module walks through final settlements, MoHRE complaints, probation traps and what to sign (and not sign) on your last day, in plain English. It sits alongside modules on visas, banking, career and life in the UAE.
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General information based on UAE federal law and common practice in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Free-zone rules may differ. This is not legal, immigration or financial advice — confirm your position with MoHRE, ICP or a licensed adviser.