Short answer: under UAE labour law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 29), annual leave in the UAE is at least 30 days a year with full pay, or 2 days a month once you have worked more than six months but less than a year. Leave salary is your full wage while you are on leave, and your basic salary for unused days when your job ends.
The law covers private-sector workers in every emirate, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi (Article 3). Government employees, the armed forces and police, and domestic workers are not covered. DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws; check those if you work there.
How much annual leave you get
Article 29 sets the minimum paid annual leave:
- 30 days for each year of service
- 2 days for each month if your service is more than six months and less than one year
- leave for parts of the last year you worked, if your service ends before you use your balance
The law sets no entitlement for six months or less. Your employer may agree to give you leave from your balance during probation (clause 3).
| Service | Leave earned |
|---|---|
| 5 months | 0 days |
| 8 months | 16 days |
| 1 year | 30 days |
| 2½ years | 75 days |
8 months is 8 × 2 = 16 days on our reading of “two days for each month”. A few calculators count only the months after the sixth, which gives 4 days.
Leave salary: full wage or basic salary?
| Case | Paid on | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Leave you take | Full wage | Art. 29(1), (6) |
| Cash instead of leave, still working | Wage when the leave is due | Regs Art. 19(1) |
| Unused days when the job ends | Basic salary | Regs Art. 19(2) |
The law’s wage is your basic salary plus cash allowances and benefits in kind in your contract (Article 1). Your contract may give more.
Example: 14 days of leave, total wage AED 12,000, basic salary AED 9,000.
- Taken as leave: 12,000 ÷ 30 × 14 = AED 5,600
- Paid out unused at exit: 9,000 ÷ 30 × 14 = AED 4,200
Daily wage = monthly ÷ 30 is the usual convention; the law does not state it. Work out your pay while on leave with your own figures.
When you can take it
Your employer can set the dates to suit the work, in agreement with you or by rotating staff, and must tell you at least one month before (clause 4). You must take leave in the year you earn it.
Carry forward and cash instead of leave
- With your employer’s approval, you can carry leave into the next year (clause 5), up to half of your annual leave (Executive Regulations, Article 19(1)).
- Or you can agree with your employer to be paid cash instead, at the wage you earn when the leave is due (same article).
- Your employer may not stop you taking leave for more than two years, unless you choose to carry it forward or take cash (clause 8).
What you are paid when you leave
When your service ends, unused leave is paid in cash on your basic salary (Article 29, clause 9, and Executive Regulations Article 19(2)). Daily wage = basic salary ÷ 30.
Example: basic salary AED 9,000, 2½ years of service, 40 days of leave taken.
- Leave earned: 30 × 2.5 = 75 days
- Unused: 75 − 40 = 35 days
- Daily wage: 9,000 ÷ 30 = AED 300
- Leave pay: 35 × 300 = AED 10,500
This is one part of your final settlement, with gratuity and notice period pay. Sick and maternity leave follow other rules: see sick leave and maternity leave pay.
See how to calculate leave salary in the UAE with your own dates and salary.
Official text: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 · Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022
Checked against the official text on 24 October 2026.
Common questions
Does leave pay include allowances?
While you are on leave, yes: annual leave is with full pay, and the law's wage is basic salary plus cash allowances and benefits in kind (Article 1 and Article 29). Unused days paid out when your job ends use basic salary only (Executive Regulations, Article 19).
Must leave salary be paid before my leave starts?
Article 29 and the Executive Regulations (Articles 18 and 19) do not set a date for paying leave salary. Some guides say it must be paid in advance; that is not in these articles. Check your contract or company rules.
Can I take annual leave during probation?
Yes, if your employer agrees. It comes from your annual leave balance (Article 29, clause 3).
What if my contract is ended while I am on leave?
The notice period starts the day after your scheduled return from leave, unless you and your employer agree otherwise (Article 35).
What if I do not come back on time?
You are not paid for the days you are absent after your leave ends, unless you have a legitimate reason (Article 34).
Does annual leave come with a yearly air ticket?
The Decree-Law has no yearly ticket rule; it is a contract benefit if your contract gives one. When your service ends, your employer pays your trip back to where you were recruited from, or another agreed place, unless you joined another employer or the contract ended because of you (Article 13, clause 12).
Can I combine annual leave with other leave?
Yes. Mourning, parental, annual and unpaid leave can be combined (Executive Regulations, Article 21, clause 5).
What about part-time workers?
Leave is in proportion to actual hours, with a minimum of five working days a year (Executive Regulations, Article 18).
Do probation periods count?
Time on probation counts towards your service if you pass it (Article 9).
Work out your own figure
Enter your own numbers to see the result and the working.
Open the calculatorarrow_forwardThis guide is general information, not legal advice. Check your own entitlement with MOHRE or a qualified adviser. See our Disclaimer.
