UAE labour law · updated 2026
Work out your full final settlement, everything you are owed when you leave, your gratuity, unused leave, and any salary still due, in one figure.
Your final settlement brings together your gratuity, your unused leave, and any salary still owed to you when your job ends.
This is an estimate based on UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021). For educational purposes only. Consult a licensed UAE advisor for your specific situation.
Five plain English answers to the questions people ask most about the money owed when a job ends.
01
Your final settlement is all the money owed to you when your job ends, in one payment.
It brings together your end of service gratuity, the cash for any annual leave you did not take, and any salary still due for days you worked. Depending on how you leave, pay in lieu of notice can be added or taken off.
Think of it as the single figure that should land after your last day, not a set of separate payments to chase.
02
Four things, mainly: gratuity, leave salary, unpaid salary, and notice pay.
Gratuity is usually the largest part, built on your basic salary and years of service. Leave salary is your unused annual leave, also on basic salary. Unpaid salary is anything still owed for days already worked.
Notice pay is the moving part. Serve your full notice and there is nothing to add. If notice is cut short, the side that skipped it pays the other, so it can lift or lower the total.
03
Within 14 days of your last working day.
This is a legal requirement under UAE labour law, and it applies whether you resigned, were let go, or reached the end of a fixed term. The clock starts on the date your employment officially ended.
If it is late, put your request to HR in writing referencing the date and the time frame, and escalate to MOHRE if it is not resolved.
04
Only for specific, lawful reasons.
An employer can offset clear debts, such as an advance you were given, company property not returned, or pay in lieu of notice you owe. What they cannot do is invent penalties or hold your settlement back without cause.
Ask for every deduction in writing with a reason. If a line does not make sense, question it before you sign anything.
05
Do not sign until it adds up.
Check each part against your own numbers: your gratuity, your leave balance, and any salary still due. Small miscounts on years or leave days are the most common cause of a low figure.
Raise anything that looks off with HR in writing first. If it is not fixed, you can file a complaint with MOHRE, and a signed settlement is much harder to reopen.