Free legal tool
End-of-service
calculator.
Everything you may be owed when a UAE job ends — gratuity, untaken annual leave, notice in lieu and unpaid wages — under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Calculated in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
The calculation follows the general rule in Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 for private-sector employees. Your actual entitlement can change depending on your contract, unpaid leave, part-time status, free-zone or DIFC/ADGM rules, and the reason your employment ended. Free zones such as the DIFC operate their own end-of-service regimes (for example the DEWS scheme) which this calculator does not cover. For a figure you can rely on, speak with Omar directly.
How it works
How UAE gratuity is
calculated.
The rules below come from Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, which has applied since 2 February 2022.
One year minimum
You must complete at least one year of continuous service. Below one year, there is no gratuity entitlement. Days of unpaid absence are not counted towards service.
21 days per year
You accrue 21 days of basic salary for each of the first five years of service. Fractions of a year are paid proportionately once the first year is complete.
30 days per year
From the sixth year onwards you accrue 30 days of basic salary for each additional year of service.
Capped at 2 years' pay
However long you have served, total gratuity may not exceed the equivalent of two years' wage.
No longer reduced
The old reductions that cut gratuity for employees who resigned were removed by the 2021 law. Resigning no longer reduces your entitlement.
Within 14 days
Employers must pay outstanding wages, entitlements and gratuity within 14 days of the end of the contract.
Beyond gratuity
What else you may
be owed.
Gratuity is only one line of a final settlement. These are the entitlements most often missed.
Untaken days are cash
You accrue 30 calendar days of annual leave a year. Any days you never took are paid out on termination at your basic daily wage — including leave accrued during your final part-year.
Paid if not served
Notice is a minimum of 30 days and may be up to 90 by contract. Whichever side fails to serve it compensates the other, calculated on the last total wage — not basic alone.
Unpaid wages & overtime
Outstanding salary, overtime, commission and contractual bonuses remain due regardless of how the relationship ended.
Cost of your return
The employer generally bears the cost of repatriation unless you move to another employer — a point often quietly dropped from a final settlement.
Arbitrary dismissal
Where a dismissal follows a legitimate complaint or claim, a labour court may award up to three months' total wage on top of gratuity and notice. It is a claim to be argued, never an automatic entitlement.
Even if gratuity is lost
Dismissal for gross misconduct, or leaving before one year, can remove the gratuity — but your untaken leave and unpaid wages are still payable. The calculator reflects this.
Think your gratuity was miscalculated?
Underpaid end-of-service benefits are one of the most common labour claims in the UAE — and there are deadlines that matter.
Discuss your case →Common questions
6 questions worth
knowing.
End-of-service questions people actually ask.
How is end-of-service gratuity calculated in the UAE?
Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, an employee who completes at least one year of continuous service receives 21 days of basic salary for each of the first five years, and 30 days of basic salary for each year after that. The total may not exceed two years’ wage.
Is gratuity based on basic salary or total salary?
Gratuity is calculated on the last basic salary only. Housing, transport, utility and furniture allowances are excluded. Notice pay, by contrast, is calculated on your last total wage.
Do I lose gratuity if I resign?
No. The 2021 law removed the old reductions that cut gratuity for employees who resigned. Once you complete one year of continuous service you are entitled to full gratuity whether you resign or are terminated.
Is my untaken annual leave paid out?
Yes. You accrue 30 calendar days of annual leave a year, and any untaken days are paid on termination — including leave accrued during your final part-year — at your basic daily wage.
If I am dismissed for misconduct, do I lose everything?
No. Dismissal for gross misconduct can remove the gratuity, but it does not extinguish your other entitlements. Untaken annual leave and any unpaid wages, overtime or commission remain payable.
When must my final settlement be paid?
Employers must pay all outstanding wages, entitlements and gratuity within 14 days of the end of the contract.