UAE Overtime Rules 2026: Pay Rates, Limits and Calculation

When overtime starts

Normal working hours are at most 8 a day or 48 a week (Article 17(1) of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021). Time worked beyond your normal hours is overtime (Article 19(2)). Breaks do not count as working hours (Article 18). In Ramadan, normal hours are 2 hours shorter (Executive Regulations, Article 15(2)), so on an 8-hour contract overtime starts after 6 hours. See UAE working hours rules.

The rates

Articles 19 and 28 set the minimum pay for extra work:

Situation	Minimum pay	Article
Overtime on a normal day	Basic hourly wage +25%	19(2)
Overtime between 10 pm and 4 am	Basic hourly wage +50% (shift workers excluded)	19(3)
Work on your contractual rest day	Another rest day, or the day’s full wage +50% of the day’s basic wage	19(4)
Work on an official holiday	Another rest day, or the day’s full wage +50% of the day’s basic wage	28(2)

Normal and night overtime are calculated on the basic wage: the law says so in those two clauses. For rest days and holidays it says “the wage for that day”, which the law defines as basic pay plus allowances (Article 1), and adds 50% of the basic wage. With no allowances, both come to 1.5 times the basic. Some guides give 9 pm as the start of the night rate; Article 19(3) says 10 pm. Your contract may pay more.

How to calculate overtime in the UAE

1. Daily basic wage = monthly basic salary ÷ 30.
2. Hourly basic wage = daily basic wage ÷ your normal hours a day.
3. Normal overtime = hourly basic wage × 1.25 × hours.
4. Night overtime (10 pm to 4 am) = hourly basic wage × 1.5 × hours.
5. Rest day or official holiday = the day’s full wage + 50% of the day’s basic wage, unless you get another day off.

The law does not give the divisor. Dividing by 30 is the usual convention; some payroll systems use basic × 12 ÷ 365, which pays slightly less.

Example: AED 6,000 basic, no allowances, 8-hour days. The hourly wage is 6,000 ÷ 30 ÷ 8 = AED 25. For 10 overtime hours on normal days, 4 night hours and 2 rest-day hours:

• 10 × 25 × 1.25 = AED 312.50
• 4 × 25 × 1.5 = AED 150
• 2 × 25 × 1.5 = AED 75
• Total: AED 537.50, or AED 530.14 with basic × 12 ÷ 365 (AED 24.66 an hour)

Public holiday with allowances: the same worker has AED 3,000 of allowances, so a total wage of AED 9,000, and works a full public holiday. The day’s wage is 9,000 ÷ 30 = AED 300, plus 50% of the day’s basic (6,000 ÷ 30 × 50% = AED 100), so AED 400, unless they get another day off instead. The public holiday pay calculator works this out.

Overtime pay by basic salary

AED, on an 8-hour day, basic ÷ 30. Night is 10 pm to 4 am. The last column is a full rest day or holiday with no allowances.

Basic a month	Per hour	Overtime ×1.25	Night ×1.5	Rest day or holiday
2,000	8.33	10.42	12.50	100.00
3,000	12.50	15.63	18.75	150.00
4,000	16.67	20.83	25.00	200.00
6,000	25.00	31.25	37.50	300.00
8,000	33.33	41.67	50.00	400.00
10,000	41.67	52.08	62.50	500.00

The limits

• Overtime cannot exceed two hours a day, unless the work is needed to prevent a gross loss or a serious accident, or to remove or reduce its effects (Article 19(1); Executive Regulations, Article 15(3)).
• Total working hours cannot exceed 144 hours every three weeks.
• You cannot be required to work more than two consecutive rest days (day labourers excepted, Article 19(5)).
• Workers under 18 cannot be given overtime, kept after their hours, or made to work on rest days or official holidays (Article 5(2)(f)).

Who the rules cover

The law covers private-sector workers in every emirate. It does not cover government employees, the armed forces and police, or domestic workers (Article 3).

The Executive Regulations (Article 15(4)) lift the working-hours limits for:

• chairmen and board members
• supervisors with an employer’s powers
• ship crews and workers at sea with special service conditions
• shift or rounds work averaging no more than 56 hours a week
• preparatory or supporting work done outside the establishment’s normal hours

This list lifts the hours limits; it does not mention overtime pay. Shift workers do not get the 50% night rate (Article 19(3)).

If overtime is not paid

Apply to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). It examines the claim and works towards a settlement, and if that fails, the dispute goes to court (Article 54). A claim cannot be heard more than two years after your job ends (Article 54(9)). The steps are the same as in gratuity not paid or delayed.

Calculate yours

The overtime calculator works out pay for day, night, rest-day and holiday hours, with or without allowances. If you only know your total package, find your basic salary with the basic salary calculator.

Official text: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 · Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 · DIFC Employment Law · ADGM guidance on the Employment Regulations 2024 · DMCC Employment FAQs

Checked against the official text on 7 November 2026. Articles 17(5) and 18 were read in the Arabic text: the English translation of 17(5) says “full-time” where the Arabic says not full-time, and the English Article 18 leaves out that breaks are not counted.

Common questions

Is overtime calculated on basic or gross salary?

Normal and night overtime are calculated on the basic salary (Article 19(2) and (3)). Rest day and public holiday work uses the day's full wage, with allowances, plus 50% of the day's basic wage (Articles 19(4) and 28(2)).

Can I refuse overtime?

Within the limits, the law lets your employer require it: up to 2 extra hours a day and 144 working hours in total every 3 weeks (Article 19(1)). More is allowed only to prevent a gross loss or a serious accident (Executive Regulations, Article 15(3)). A worker who is not full-time, such as a part-time worker, cannot be required to work beyond the contract hours without written consent (Article 17(5)).

Do breaks count as working hours?

No. After 5 consecutive hours you get at least one hour of rest, and the Arabic text of Article 18 says these breaks are not counted in working hours.

Do managers get overtime pay?

The Executive Regulations exempt board members and supervisors with an employer's powers from the working-hours limits (Article 15(4)). The list does not say they lose overtime pay.

Is overtime the same in Dubai and Abu Dhabi?

Yes for the private sector: one federal law covers every emirate (Article 3). DIFC in Dubai and ADGM in Abu Dhabi have their own employment laws, and neither sets an overtime rate. Other free zones, such as DMCC, follow the federal law.