UAE Labour Law: Annual Leave, Working Hours, and Overtime Rules

A significant portion of UAE workers receive less than their legal entitlement without knowing it. The rules on annual leave, overtime, and working hours under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 are clear — but many employers rely on employees not knowing the specifics.

Annual Leave Entitlement

The law sets the following minimums for annual leave:

• First year of service (more than 6 but less than 12 months): 2 days per month of completed service (up to 22 days before completing one year)
• After completing 1 full year: 30 calendar days per year

The 30-day entitlement is calendar days, not working days — weekends count against the leave balance. Some employers offer 22 or 25 working days (equivalent to approximately 30 calendar days including weekends), which meets the legal requirement.

Annual leave accrues from your first day of employment. Employees cannot be required to work during annual leave. Unused leave at the end of service must be paid out at the daily basic salary rate.

Leave Timing

The employer sets the general leave schedule. If leave is repeatedly postponed, document the requests and raise the issue with MOHRE; do not assume you can take leave unilaterally. You cannot be dismissed for taking legally entitled leave.

Leave Pay

Annual leave is paid at your full wage rate. An employer who pays you your salary while on leave and then deducts "leave days" from your balance is complying with the law. An employer who pays reduced salary or no salary during leave is violating it.

Working Hours

Standard working hours are:

• Private sector (standard): 8 hours per day / 48 hours per week
• During Ramadan: Working hours are reduced by 2 hours per day for private-sector employees
• Rest period: Employees must have a minimum 1-hour break during each working day (not counted as working time)

Employees must receive at least one paid rest day per week. A six-day working week of 8 hours per day can still be permitted, subject to the 48-hour maximum.

Overtime Rules

Working beyond the 8-hour daily or 48-hour weekly maximum triggers overtime pay:

• Standard overtime: 125% of the normal hourly rate (25% premium)
• Overtime on rest days or public holidays: 150% of the normal hourly rate (50% premium)

Overtime must be compensated in pay. Some contracts specify that employees accept a fixed "all-in" salary that includes reasonable overtime — this is legal if the overtime amount is clearly specified in the contract. A vague clause saying "the salary covers all overtime" is not legally sufficient.

The hourly rate for overtime calculation is: (monthly basic salary × 12) ÷ (52 weeks × 48 hours).

Sick Leave

The law provides the following sick leave entitlement per year (after completing the probation period):

• First 15 days: Full pay
• Days 16–30: Half pay
• Days 31–90: Unpaid

Sick leave taken during probation is unpaid unless the employer grants it based on a medical report. An employer may not dismiss an employee or give termination notice while the employee is on sick leave; after the 90-day entitlement is exhausted, the employer may terminate if the employee cannot return, subject to payment of the employee's financial entitlements.

Sick leave requires a medical certificate from a government-approved clinic or hospital. Self-certification is not sufficient for paid sick leave.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

These entitlements apply regardless of the employee's nationality:

• Maternity: 60 calendar days total — first 45 days at full pay, final 15 days at half pay. This can begin 30 days before the expected delivery date.
• Paternity: 5 working days, taken within 6 months of birth.
• Parental (shared): Either parent can take up to 5 days of parental leave.

Other Leave Types

• Compassionate leave: 5 days for the death of a spouse; 3 days for the death of a parent, child, sibling, or grandparent
• Marriage leave: 3 days
• Study leave: Employees enrolled in approved educational programs can apply for up to 10 days per year

Public Holidays

UAE federal public holidays apply to private sector employees. If an employee is required to work on a public holiday, the employer must provide another rest day or pay the normal wage plus at least 50% of basic wage. Public holidays are announced annually by the UAE government and typically include New Year's Day, National Day, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Islamic New Year.

Employer Violations and What to Do

The most common violations related to leave and hours:

• Refusing to approve accrued annual leave
• Not paying unused leave on termination
• Requiring overtime without additional pay
• Deducting sick leave from annual leave balance

All of these can be reported to MOHRE through the Smart App or by calling 600-590000. For documented violations, MOHRE can issue a binding order requiring payment of what is owed.

The UAE Employment Visa Guide includes a full table of leave entitlements and a quick-reference card of your key rights as an employee — designed to be kept on your phone for when you need to push back on an employer decision.

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