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The Gulf Expat

How do I claim ILOE after losing my job?

Claim within 30 days of your job ending (Cabinet Resolution 97/2022, Art. 9). If a complaint goes to court, the 30 days can run from the ruling. If you can claim now, do not wait for a ruling. Use the ILOE website, app or call centre. It pays 60% of your basic pay for up to 3 months.

Checked 21 October 2026

Get your datesEvery deadline as a date, from your last working day.

What to do now

  1. Check on the ILOE app or website that you have 12 months of subscription in a row.
  2. Before you sign the permit cancellation, check it does not say you resigned if you did not.
  3. Put the 30-day date in your phone. The leaving plan shows it.
See an example plan
Example only: an expat whose employer ended the job, with a last working day of 7 Nov 2026. Tap it to build your own.

What to ask HR

  1. What reason will you put on my work permit cancellation?
  2. On what date did my employment end?
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Also happening to you?

Who can claim

  • You were on the scheme for 12 months in a row.
  • You paid your premiums on time.
  • Your job ended for a reason other than your resignation.
  • You were not dismissed for disciplinary reasons.
  • There is no absconding report against you.
  • You still live in the UAE legally.

Some workers are outside the scheme. They are owners who run their own business, domestic workers, temporary-contract workers, under-18s and pensioners in a new job.

How much it pays

It pays 60% of your basic pay, averaged over your last 6 months.

The monthly cap is AED 10,000 if your basic pay is AED 16,000 or less. Above that, the cap is AED 20,000.

It runs for up to 3 months per claim (Art. 10). The total limit is 12 months while you work in the UAE.

The steps

  1. Your work permit is cancelled. Read the reason on the cancellation before you sign, because it decides your claim.
  2. Claim within 30 days on the ILOE claims portal or app, or call 600 599 555.
  3. The insurer must answer and pay within 2 weeks of your claim.

If your labour complaint goes to court, the 30 days can run from the court's ruling instead. If you can claim now, do not wait for a ruling.

While you are paid

Payment stops if you start a new job. You must stay in the UAE while you receive it.

ILOE comes on top of your gratuity and does not reduce it (Decree-Law 13/2022, Art. 6). Unpaid premiums or fines, though, can be taken from your gratuity.

Common reasons a claim fails

  • The permit cancellation says you resigned.
  • A gap of more than 3 months in your premiums.
  • The claim was made after the 30 days.
  • You had been on the scheme for under 12 months.

Keep your claim reference number and any messages from the insurer until the money arrives.