UAE WPS salary checker

01

When is my salary due under the new WPS rules?

On the 1st of the following month. Your May salary, for example, is due on 1 June, and anything paid after that date counts as late.

This comes from Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026, issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and in force since 1 June 2026. It sets one due date for every private-sector employer registered with MOHRE, whatever your contract says about pay day.

The salary has to reach your account through the Wage Protection System or another payment channel the ministry approves. It counts as paid when the money arrives, not when your employer starts the transfer.

A worked example

Your May salary arrives on 7 June. It was due on 1 June, so it is six days late. By that point MOHRE has already been alerting your employer, and has stopped it from getting new work permits until the salary is paid.

02

What is WPS and how does it work?

The Wage Protection System is the electronic system MOHRE and the Central Bank use to track private-sector salaries and check they are paid in full and on time.

Each month, your employer sends a salary file through a bank or exchange house that is approved to handle WPS payments. The file lists what each worker is paid, and the money goes to each worker’s account.

Because the payments run through one system, MOHRE can see straight away when an employer misses the due date or pays less than it should. That is what allows the ministry to act from the second day of a delay, without waiting for a complaint.

You do not need to sign up for anything. If you work for a private-sector employer registered with MOHRE, your salary should already be paid through WPS.

03

What happens if my employer pays my salary late?

MOHRE steps in on a fixed timetable, starting the day after the due date, and the measures get stricter the longer the delay lasts.

The due date counts as Day 1. From there, the resolution sets out these stages:

You do not have to wait for these stages to run. You can raise the delay with your employer, and complain to MOHRE, at any point once your salary is late.

04

Is my salary late if only part of it has been paid?

It can be. If you receive less than 85% of your wage by the due date, MOHRE treats you as not paid on time.

The resolution sets two tests. An employer counts as compliant only if it pays at least 85% of its total wages by the due date. For each worker, receiving at least 85% of the wage counts as paid, as long as the shortfall comes from deductions the law allows.

Lawful deductions include things such as repaying a loan or advance from your employer, or an amount a court has ordered. Your employer should be able to show the basis for each one.

If your salary arrived short and you were not told why, ask your employer in writing for a breakdown. If the deductions are not lawful, or take you below 85% of your wage, you can raise it with MOHRE.

05

How do I complain to MOHRE about a late salary?

Raise it with your employer in writing first. If the salary is still unpaid, complain to MOHRE through its app, its website or its call centre on 600 590 000.

A short written message or email to your employer gives you a dated record. Keep copies of your contract, payslips and bank statements showing when salary has, and has not, arrived.

Complaining to MOHRE is free. The ministry offers a salary complaint service for workers whose pay is late or missing, and it will contact your employer.

For employers with 25 or more workers, MOHRE registers a labour dispute automatically from Day 16, so you may find the process has already started. You can still file your own complaint, especially if the delay affects only you.

If the complaint does not settle the matter, MOHRE can refer it to the labour courts.

06

Who is covered by WPS, and who is not?

WPS covers workers at private-sector employers registered with MOHRE, including new joiners from their first pay cycle. A small number of groups sit outside it.

Under the old rules, new workers had their first 30 days outside WPS. That exemption has gone, so a new joiner should be paid through WPS from the first salary.

The resolution lists eleven exceptions. The ones most likely to affect an individual worker are:

• A worker on approved unpaid leave, where the employer has told MOHRE.
• A worker whose wage claim has already gone to court, for the wages covered by the claim.
• A worker with an absconding report filed against them, while the report is valid.
• A worker on a mission work permit of three months or less.

Banks and financial institutions are also outside the system. Domestic workers are covered by a separate law. Many free-zone employers are licensed by their free zone rather than MOHRE and follow its rules, so check with your free zone if that applies to you.

07

What changed from the old 15-day rule?

Salary used to be treated as late only after a 15-day window. Since 1 June 2026, it is late from the day after the 1st.

Resolution No. 340 of 2026 replaced Ministerial Resolution No. 598 of 2022 in full. The main changes are:

• One due date. The 1st of each month, instead of dates set by each contract.
• No grace period. The old 15-day window has gone, and MOHRE acts from Day 2.
• A higher threshold. The share of wages that must arrive on time rose from 80% to 85%.
• New joiners included. The 30-day exemption for new workers was removed.

If an older salary fell due before 1 June 2026, the previous rules applied to it.

In short: your salary is due on the 1st, it is late on the 2nd, and you can complain to MOHRE as soon as it is late.

Sources: Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026 on the Wage Protection System, and Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021.