Working Hours & Overtime in the UAE
What Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 sets: the 48-hour week, Ramadan hours, the two-hour overtime cap, and the night rate that pays double the usual premium.
The UAE caps working time at 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week for private-sector employees, and reduces the day by two hours through Ramadan. Some sectors and roles run to 9 hours by Cabinet resolution, and senior managers are outside the hours rules entirely — but for the great majority of staff, 8 and 48 are the numbers everything else is measured against.
No employee may work more than five consecutive hours without a break totalling at least one hour, and the breaks are not counted as working time. Every employee is owed at least one paid rest day a week. The statute does not name the day: the federal government moved to Saturday–Sunday in 2022 and most of the private sector followed, but Friday–Saturday remains lawful, which is why the rest day has to be a per-company setting rather than an assumption.
Overtime is capped at two extra hours a day, except where the work is needed to prevent substantial loss or a serious accident. Ordinary overtime pays the basic hourly wage plus 25%.
The rule that separates a correct UAE payroll from a nearly-correct one is Article 19’s night band. Overtime hours falling between 10pm and 4am pay plus 50%, not plus 25% — double the ordinary premium — and it does not apply to employees engaged on a shift basis. A late-running warehouse or restaurant shift crosses that boundary most nights, so the split between day and night hours has to be measured rather than estimated at the end of the month.
Work on the weekly rest day and on official public holidays carries one rule between them, under Articles 21 and 28 respectively: the employer owes either a substitute day off or the day’s wage plus 50%. It is genuinely an either/or — a business that pays the premium has discharged the obligation, and a business that grants the day off has too. What it cannot do is neither.
Key facts
- Standard limit8 hours/day · 48 hours/week
- RamadanReduced by 2 hours a day
- Rest break1 hour after 5 consecutive hours
- Weekday overtime+25% of basic · max 2 hrs/day
- Night overtime (22:00–04:00)+50% of basic · not for shift workers
- Rest day or public holiday+50%, or a substitute day off
Worked example
An employee on a basic wage of AED 9,000 a month has an hourly rate of 9,000 ÷ 30 ÷ 8 = AED 37.50. Ten overtime hours during the day pay 10 × 37.50 × 1.25 = AED 468.75. Six hours falling between 10pm and 4am pay 6 × 37.50 × 1.5 = AED 337.50 — the same six hours would be AED 281.25 at the day rate, so the night band is worth AED 56.25 on its own. Eight hours on the weekly rest day pay 8 × 37.50 × 1.5 = AED 450.00, or nothing extra if a substitute day off is given instead. Note the divisor: 30, not 26.
What people get wrong
Paying night hours at the daytime rate
Overtime between 10pm and 4am is +50%, not +25%. A shift that ends at 1am is being underpaid by a fifth on every hour past ten unless the hours are split by clock time rather than totalled for the day.
Calculating on gross salary instead of basic
The premium is on the basic wage. Housing, transport and other allowances are excluded, and a package where basic is 60% of gross produces an overtime figure nearly 70% too high if the gross is used by mistake.
Using a 26-day working month
Kuwaiti practice divides a monthly wage by 26 to get a daily rate. The UAE uses 30. Carrying the Kuwaiti habit across the border inflates every UAE hourly rate by about 15% before any premium is applied.
Forgetting the substitute day is an alternative, not an extra
For rest-day and holiday work the law offers a choice between the 50% premium and a day off. Employers get this wrong in both directions — some pay the premium and grant the day, others do neither and assume the salary covers it.
Frequently asked questions
What are the legal working hours in the UAE?
Eight hours a day and 48 hours a week for most private-sector employees, reduced by two hours a day during Ramadan. Certain sectors run to nine hours by Cabinet resolution, and senior management is outside the hours rules.
How much is overtime pay in the UAE?
The basic hourly wage plus 25% for ordinary overtime — 125% of the normal rate. Overtime is capped at two extra hours a day unless the work is needed to prevent substantial loss or a serious accident.
What is the overtime rate between 10pm and 4am in the UAE?
The basic hourly wage plus 50%, under Article 19 — double the ordinary premium. It does not apply to employees working on a shift basis.
Is UAE overtime calculated on basic salary or gross?
On the basic wage. Housing, transport and other allowances do not enter the overtime calculation, so the hourly rate is the basic salary divided by 30 and then by 8.
What am I owed for working on my weekly day off?
Either a substitute rest day or the day’s wage plus an additional 50% of the basic wage. The same choice applies to work on an official public holiday. An employee may not be required to work more than two consecutive weekly rest days.
Do reduced Ramadan hours cut pay?
No. The working day is shortened by two hours and the wage is unchanged. Hours beyond the reduced day are overtime, measured against the Ramadan schedule rather than the normal one — which is what makes Ramadan overtime start an hour or two earlier than people expect.
How many overtime hours can an employer require in the UAE?
Two hours a day beyond the normal schedule. The cap can be exceeded only where the work is necessary to prevent substantial loss or a serious accident, or to relieve its consequences.
This guide is general information based on Kuwait Labor Law No. 6 of 2010. It is not legal advice — for specific cases, consult the Public Authority of Manpower or a legal professional.
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