Sick, maternity and annual leave pay
For private sector employees in the UAE. Pick a type of leave, enter your pay and the days, and see what the Labour Law pays for each part.
The rules
After probation: the first 15 days on full pay, the next 30 on half pay, the rest unpaid. No paid sick leave during probation, though the employer may give unpaid leave with a medical report. No sick pay if the illness came from your own misconduct, such as alcohol or drugs.
45 days on full pay and 15 on half pay. Then up to 45 more days unpaid if an illness from pregnancy or birth stops you working. For a sick or disabled baby: 30 days on full pay, plus 30 unpaid.
For 6 months after the birth, one or two paid breaks a day to nurse your baby, up to 1 hour in total.
Mothers and fathers each get 5 paid working days, to take within 6 months of the birth.
2 days a month once you pass 6 months, and 30 days a year after 1 year. You may carry up to half into the next year. Unused days are paid out when you leave.
As of October 2026 the federal private sector rules above have not changed. A longer paid maternity leave was being studied in May 2025. Abu Dhabi supports Emirati mothers in the private sector with up to 90 days of paid maternity leave, for births from 1 September 2024.
- Government jobs, which have their own leave rules
- Free zones with their own employment law, such as DIFC and ADGM
- Domestic workers, who have a separate law
- Extra leave your contract or employer gives on top of the law
These are the legal minimums. This is an estimate, not legal or medical advice. Check with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).
Also see the overtime calculator and the gratuity and final settlement calculator.
Sources: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Employment Relations (UAE Labour Law): Article 1 (wage and basic wage), Article 29(1) (annual leave: 30 days a year; 2 days a month after 6 months and under a year; leave for part of the last year), 29(6) (paid at the wage), 29(9) (unused leave paid on leaving), Article 30(1) (maternity: 60 days, 45 full pay and 15 half pay), 30(2) (up to 45 more days unpaid for illness), 30(4) (sick or disabled child: 30 days full pay plus 30 unpaid), 30(9) (nursing breaks up to 1 hour a day for 6 months), Article 31(2) (no paid sick leave during probation), 31(3) (90 days a year: 15 full, 30 half, then unpaid), 31(4) (misconduct), Article 32(1)(b) (parental leave: 5 working days within 6 months) and Article 67 (a month counts as 30 days). Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 (Executive Regulation): Article 19(1) (carry forward up to half of annual leave), 19(2) (unused leave on leaving paid on the basic salary), Article 20 (no sick leave for misconduct) and Article 21(4) (parental leave). Both as published on uaelegislation.gov.ae. u.ae, "Types of leaves" and "Maternity leave" in the private sector. Khaleej Times, 8 May 2025 (extended maternity leave under study); Gulf News, 28 August 2024 (Abu Dhabi 90-day maternity support for Emirati mothers, via the Social Support Authority). Daily pay = monthly pay ÷ 30. Covers the private sector under federal law only; free zones such as DIFC and ADGM have their own rules, and government jobs differ. Last checked: 27 Oct 2026.