DIFC Gratuity & DEWS Calculator
For employees in the Dubai International Financial Centre. See the gratuity due for service before 1 February 2020 and the monthly contributions your employer must pay into DEWS or another qualifying scheme since then. DIFC Employment Law, Article 66 (Consolidated Version No. 5, July 2025), checked October 2026.
- Service before 1 Feb 2020
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- Monthly basic used
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- Scheme contribution a month
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- Contributions paid in (est.)
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Estimate only. Contributions use your current basic for every month and leave out investment growth; your scheme statement shows the real balance. Outside the DIFC, use the UAE gratuity calculator.
How DIFC end of service works
- Basic wage used = your contract basic, but never less than 50% of your wage (Article 66(3)(a), 66(8)(b)).
- Gratuity for service before 1 February 2020 only: 21 days of basic for each of the first 5 years, 30 days for each further year, part years pro rata. Daily rate = annual basic ÷ 365. At most 2 × your annual wage. Needs at least 1 year of continuous employment (Article 66(1) to (4)).
- From 1 February 2020 (or your joining date, if later): your employer pays at least 5.83% of your monthly basic each month into DEWS or another qualifying scheme during your first 5 years of service, and 8.33% after that. Service before 2020 counts towards the 5 years (Article 66(7)).
- • Basic AED 10,000, wage AED 20,000
- • 5 years before 2020: 105 days × AED 328.77 = AED 34,520.55
- • 5 years in the scheme at 8.33%: about AED 49,980.00 paid in
- • Basic AED 10,000, wage AED 15,000
- • No gratuity: all service is after 1 February 2020
- • 3 years at 5.83%: about AED 20,988.00 paid in
Frequently asked questions
Does the UAE labour law gratuity apply in the DIFC?expand_more
No. Employers with a place of business in the DIFC, and employees based in or working from the DIFC, follow the DIFC Employment Law (DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019, Article 4). Its end of service rules are in Article 66.
What is DEWS?expand_more
Since 1 February 2020, DIFC employers pay a monthly contribution for each employee into a qualifying savings scheme instead of building up a gratuity. The DIFC Employee Workplace Savings Plan (DEWS) is deemed a qualifying scheme by the DIFC Employment Regulations (8.2.1). The law requires at least 5.83% of the monthly basic wage for the first 5 years of service and 8.33% after (Article 66(7)).
Do I still get a gratuity in the DIFC?expand_more
Only for service before 1 February 2020, if you have at least one year of continuous employment in total (Article 66(1)). Employees who joined on or after that date get scheme contributions and no gratuity. For example, joining in 2015 and leaving in January 2025 on a AED 10,000 basic gives a gratuity of AED 34,520.55 for the 5 years before 2020.
How is the DIFC gratuity calculated?expand_more
21 days of basic wage for each of the first 5 years of service before 1 February 2020 and 30 days for each further year, part years pro rata, at most twice the annual wage (Article 66(2) and (4)). The daily rate is the annual basic wage ÷ 365, using the pay on your last day (Article 66(3)).
What if my basic salary is very low compared with my total pay?expand_more
The basic wage used can never be less than 50% of your wage, both for the gratuity and for the monthly contributions (Article 66(3)(a) and 66(8)(b)). A AED 6,000 basic on a AED 20,000 wage counts as AED 10,000.00.
Do UAE and GCC nationals get this?expand_more
No. UAE and GCC nationals in the DIFC are registered with the GPSSA pension and get no gratuity (Article 65). If the employer's pension contribution is lower than the scheme contribution would have been, a top-up may be due when it is at least AED 1,000 a month (Article 65(3)).
Is ADGM the same?expand_more
No. Abu Dhabi Global Market has its own employment regulations. This calculator follows the DIFC law only.
Source
DIFC Employment Law, DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019 (Consolidated Version No. 5, July 2025): Article 4 (who it applies to), Article 65 (UAE and GCC nationals), Article 66 (gratuity and qualifying scheme benefits) and Schedule 1 (definitions of Basic Wage, Annual Wage and Qualifying Scheme Commencement Date); DIFC Employment Regulations, Regulation 8.2 (DEWS). Not modelled: investment returns, pay changes over time, deductions under Article 66(5) and the special start dates for exempted employees. Confirm with your employer, the DIFC or a qualified adviser. Checked against the official consolidated text in October 2026.
Read the official text:DIFC Employment Law, DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019 (DIFC legal database) · DIFC Employment Regulations (PDF)