UAE Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Pay: Days and Amounts

Sick leave: the 15 / 30 / 45 rule

After probation, a worker in the UAE can take up to 90 days of sick leave a year, in one block or several spells. Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 pays it in three steps:

Sick days in the year	Pay
Days 1 to 15	Full wage
Days 16 to 45	Half wage
Days 46 to 90	Unpaid

The law’s word is “wage”, which includes basic pay and cash allowances, so the calculation uses your total monthly wage. The law does not give a daily divisor, so the usual convention is monthly wage ÷ 30.

Worked example

A worker on AED 6,000 a month has a daily wage of AED 200. They take 30 sick days in the year:

• 15 days at full wage: 15 × 200 = AED 3,000
• 15 days at half wage: 15 × 100 = AED 1,500
• Total pay for the period: AED 4,500, instead of the normal AED 6,000

If they take all 90 days, they are paid AED 3,000 + (30 × 100 = 3,000) = AED 6,000 for 90 days of leave, and the last 45 days are unpaid.

You can try your own figures in the sick leave calculator.

Sick leave during probation

A worker on probation is not entitled to paid sick leave (Article 31, clause 2). The employer may still grant unpaid sick leave if a medical report says it is necessary.

What you must do

You must tell your employer, or their representative, within 3 business days of falling ill and submit a medical report from the medical authority (Article 31, clause 1). Sick leave without that report is at risk of being treated as unauthorised absence.

When sick leave is not paid

Sick leave is not paid if the illness is the worker’s own misconduct, such as drinking alcohol or using drugs, or ignoring safety instructions. Executive Regulations Article 20 says a report from the relevant authority is needed to prove it, so an employer cannot simply assert it.

Can you be dismissed while sick?

After you have used your sick leave and still cannot return to work, the employer may end your service, but you must receive all your financial dues, such as end of service gratuity and unused leave pay (Article 31, clause 5).

Maternity leave

Under Article 30, a female worker is entitled to 60 days of maternity leave:

• The first 45 days on full pay
• The next 15 days on half pay

On AED 6,000, that is 45 × 200 + 15 × 100 = AED 10,500, against AED 12,000 of normal pay for 60 days.

Other points from the same article:

• She may take up to 45 more days unpaid, consecutive or not, if illness from pregnancy or childbirth stops her returning. A medical certificate is needed, and this period does not count towards gratuity.
• Maternity leave applies when she gives birth after 6 months or more of pregnancy, even if the baby is stillborn or dies.
• If the baby is sick or disabled and needs a constant companion, she gets 30 more days on full pay, and may extend by 30 days unpaid.
• The employer may not end her job or give notice because of pregnancy or maternity leave.
• For up to 6 months after the birth she is entitled to one or two daily breastfeeding breaks, totalling no more than an hour.

Other paid leave

Article 32 adds 5 working days of parental leave for a mother or father, taken within 6 months of the birth, and mourning leave of 5 days for a spouse or 3 days for a parent, child, sibling, grandchild or grandparent. Study leave of up to 10 working days a year is available after 2 years of service, but the law does not say it is paid.

Sources: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Articles 1, 30, 31 and 32, and Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 20. Checked 1 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.