UAE Annual Leave Rules: What Private-Sector Employees Get
Annual leave for private-sector employees is set by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 29.
How much leave you get
You get at least 30 days of paid annual leave for each year of service, once you have completed six months with the employer. If you have between six months and one year of service, you accrue two days per month worked. Part-time employees receive leave in proportion to their actual working hours. Public holidays that fall during your leave count as part of it, unless your contract is more favourable.
Who sets the dates
Your employer can set leave dates based on work needs, but only in agreement with you or on a rotational basis, and it must give at least one month’s notice. Leave should normally be taken in the year it falls due.
Carrying leave forward
Unused leave can move to the following year, but only with your employer’s approval. Carried-over leave is paid at your basic salary. An employer cannot stop you taking leave that has built up for more than two years, unless you choose to carry it forward or take a cash allowance instead.
When you leave the job
If your employment ends before you use your accrued leave, you are paid for the unused days and for leave earned in your final year, calculated on basic salary. Unused leave is not forfeited because of the reason you left.
Other statutory leave
The law also covers maternity leave (60 days), parental leave (five working days), study leave (10 days a year for exams, after two years of service) and Hajj leave. If you think your leave rights were breached, you can complain to MOHRE. Whether allowances such as transport are included in leave pay is covered in this guide.
