Leaving a job in the UAE: what you're owed and by when

Your gratuity

Gratuity is worked out on your basic pay only, not your allowances (Art. 51). You qualify once you complete 1 year of continuous service.

• 21 days' basic pay for each of your first 5 years.
• 30 days' basic pay for each year after that.
• Part years count in proportion.
• The total is capped at 2 years' wage (Art. 51(6)).

Our figures take a day's pay as your monthly basic divided by 30. Probation counts towards your service (Art. 9).

Resigning does not reduce your gratuity. Dismissal as a disciplinary penalty keeps your end of service benefits (Art. 39). We found no article in the Decree-Law that removes them after a dismissal. Your employer can only deduct amounts that the law or a court judgment allows.

Unpaid ILOE fines can be taken out of your gratuity (Cabinet Resolution 97/2022, Art. 8).

DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws, so the rules on this page do not apply there.

Next: Your leaving plan

Notice and unused leave

Your notice period is the one in your contract. The law sets it between 30 and 90 days, given in writing (Art. 43).

You get your full wage while you work your notice. If either side skips the notice, it pays the other the wage for the days not worked.

That notice pay is based on your last total wage, not just basic.

If your employer ended the job, you may take one unpaid day a week of notice to job-hunt. Tell your employer 3 days before.

Unused annual leave is paid out when you leave, on your basic wage (Art. 29). It is due with the rest of your final pay.

Leaving before your contract ends without a lawful reason can mean no new work permit for 1 year (Art. 50).

Final pay

Your employer has 14 days from the end of the contract to pay everything you are owed. That covers your gratuity, unpaid wages, any notice pay and unused leave.

Next: Was my final pay late?

ILOE unemployment insurance

ILOE pays 60% of your basic pay for up to 3 months per claim (Cabinet Resolution 97/2022, Art. 10). The monthly cap is AED 10,000 or AED 20,000, depending on your category.

• You were on the scheme for 12 months in a row.
• You did not resign.
• You were not dismissed for disciplinary reasons.
• You claim within 30 days of the job ending.
• You still live in the UAE legally.

ILOE is paid on top of your gratuity and does not reduce it (Decree-Law 13/2022, Art. 6). Payment stops when you start a new job.

Next: How do I claim ILOE after losing my job?

Your visa

The base grace period is 30 days after the residence permit is cancelled or expires (ICP). Permits issued with a guarantor or host get 60 days. Skilled workers in levels 1 to 3 and property owners get 90.

Golden, Green and Blue residence holders, and a few other groups, get 180 days. After your grace period, the fine is AED 50 a day.

Skilled workers in levels 1 to 3 and some recent graduates can look for work on a job seeker visit visa. It needs no sponsor and lasts 60, 90 or 120 days (u.ae).

An ILOE claim needs you to stay legally resident in the UAE (Cabinet Resolution 97/2022, Art. 9). The grace period page lists every group.

Next: How long is the UAE visa grace period after cancellation?

If you are not paid

File your complaint on the MoHRE website. If it will not load, use the u.ae guide. See all six countries side by side.

1. Complain to MoHRE. It tries to settle the dispute first (Art. 54).
2. For claims up to AED 50,000, MoHRE can decide itself. Its decision can be enforced.
3. Either side can challenge that decision in court within 15 working days of being told of it.
4. Larger claims that do not settle are sent to court. You then have 14 days to register the case there.

Court fees are waived for claims up to AED 100,000 (Art. 55).

Claims are not heard after 2 years from the end of your job.

Next: Complaint deadline checker