Days 1 to 15
Full pay
in each year of service
Days 16 to 45
Half pay
the next 30 days
Days 46 to 90
Unpaid
the last 45 days
On probation
Unpaid only
with a medical report
Mainland private sector, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 31, checked on 1 October 2026. Worked figures are PayMetric Labs' own modeled estimates. DIFC, ADGM, government and domestic workers follow other rules.
UAE sick leave calculator
Enter your monthly wage, the sick days you've already had this year of service, and the length of this absence.
Your full wage, not basic only
In this year of service
Calendar days on the medical report
Sick pay for this absence
AED 8,750
AED 500 a day at full pay
Deducted from your pay
AED 1,250
Against working the same days
Sick days left this year
70
Of the 90-day entitlement
| Days at full pay | 15 |
| Days at half pay | 5 |
| Unpaid days | 0 |
Mainland private sector, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 31. A day's pay is the monthly wage ÷ 30. Not for work injuries, which are paid differently, or DIFC and ADGM employers. PayMetric Labs' own estimate; your contract can be more generous, not less.
How UAE sick pay works
The 90 days are a running total for each year of service, not a fresh allowance for each illness. Your first 15 sick days in the year are paid in full, whether they come in one spell or ten. Days 16 to 45 are paid at half your wage, and days 46 to 90 are unpaid. The count starts again on your employment anniversary.
Full and half pay are worked out on your wage, which the law defines as basic salary plus the allowances in your contract. That is a different base from your end-of-service gratuity, which uses basic salary only. A day's wage is the monthly figure ÷ 30, because the law counts every month as 30 days.
Sick leave salary deduction: worked examples
AED 15,000 a month (AED 9,000 basic plus AED 6,000 allowances), all sick days in the same year of service.
| Sick days in the year | Full / half / unpaid | Sick pay | Deducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 days | 5 / 0 / 0 | AED 2,500 | AED 0 |
| 15 days | 15 / 0 / 0 | AED 7,500 | AED 0 |
| 30 days | 15 / 15 / 0 | AED 11,250 | AED 3,750 |
| 45 days | 15 / 30 / 0 | AED 15,000 | AED 7,500 |
| 60 days | 15 / 30 / 15 | AED 15,000 | AED 15,000 |
| 90 days | 15 / 30 / 45 | AED 15,000 | AED 30,000 |
Up to 15 days costs you nothing. From there the deduction climbs quickly: half a day's wage, AED 250, for each of the next 30 days, then a full AED 500 a day. Someone who uses all 90 days in a year goes without AED 30,000, two months' wage.
If your contract or company policy is more generous, for example 30 days on full pay, that applies instead. An employer can give more than the law, never less.
What you must do to get paid
- Tell your employer within three business days of falling ill.
- Get a medical report from an approved medical authority, a licensed hospital or clinic, and hand it in. Without it, the days can be treated as unauthorised absence.
- Keep copies of every certificate. They decide which band each day falls into if there is a dispute.
- If the illness is linked to your job, ask for it to be recorded as a work injury or occupational disease. Those are paid at full wage for up to six months, not under the sick leave bands.
Probation, dismissal and other edge cases
| Situation | What the law says |
|---|---|
| On probation | No paid sick leave. Unpaid sick leave if a medical report says you need it. |
| Illness from misconduct | Not paid: for example, from alcohol or drug use, or breaking safety instructions. |
| Dismissal while off sick | Not allowed. Your employer can't dismiss you or serve notice during sick leave. |
| All 90 days used, still unwell | Your employer may end the contract. End-of-service gratuity is still paid. |
| Work injury or occupational disease | Article 37 instead: full wage during treatment for up to six months, then half wage for up to six more. |
| DIFC or ADGM employer | Their own laws: 60 working days, 10 on full pay, 20 on half pay, 30 unpaid. |
For employers and HR teams, the practical points are to track sick days per employee per service year, not per calendar year, and to run half-pay and unpaid days through payroll in the month they fall. Recruiters placing staff on probation should tell candidates that a sick spell in the first months is unpaid.
UAE sick leave: questions
How many sick days do you get in the UAE?
Up to 90 days in each year of service once you have passed probation, taken all at once or in separate spells. The first 15 days are on full pay, the next 30 on half pay, and the last 45 unpaid. That is the mainland private-sector rule in Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021.
How much is deducted from my salary for sick leave?
Nothing for the first 15 days in a year of service. After that, each half-pay day costs half a day's wage and each unpaid day a full day's wage, with a day's wage being your monthly wage ÷ 30. On AED 15,000 a month, 30 sick days in one year cost you AED 3,750, and 60 days cost AED 15,000.
Is sick pay based on basic salary or my full salary?
Your full wage. The law defines wage as basic salary plus the allowances in your contract, and that is what full and half pay are based on. So someone on AED 9,000 basic and AED 15,000 in total gets AED 500 a day at full pay, not AED 300. Gratuity and unused annual leave are different: they use basic salary.
Do I get sick pay during probation?
No. There is no paid sick leave during probation. Your employer can give you unpaid sick leave if a medical report says you need it. Paid sick leave starts once probation ends.
Why was my sick pay cut when I was only off a few days?
Because the 15 full-pay days count across the whole year of service, not per illness. If you had 12 days off in March and 6 in August, the last 3 days in August fall into the half-pay band. The count resets on your employment anniversary, not on 1 January.
Can my employer fire me while I'm on sick leave?
No. An employer can't dismiss you or serve notice while you are on sick leave. Once you have used all 90 days and still can't return, the employer may end your contract, and your end-of-service gratuity is still due.
When is sick leave not paid at all?
During probation, and when the illness is caused by your own misconduct, such as alcohol or drug use, or by breaking the workplace's safety instructions. You also need to tell your employer within three business days and give a medical report from an approved medical authority, or the days may be treated as unauthorised absence.
Does this apply to work injuries, the DIFC or ADGM?
No. A work injury or occupational disease is paid under Article 37: full wage during treatment for up to six months, then half wage for up to six more, with the employer paying for treatment. The DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws, with 60 working days of sick leave: 10 on full pay, 20 on half pay and 30 unpaid.
Sources and method
Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, as summarised by the Dubai Development Authority, with MOHRE guidance reported by Gulf News and Khaleej Times. Work injury pay is Article 37 of the same law. All checked on 1 October 2026.
Worked figures are PayMetric Labs' own calculation: a day's pay is the monthly wage ÷ 30, and all sick days fall in one year of service. They don't reflect contracts that pay more than the law, or deductions for other reasons. This is general information, not legal advice.