Minimum Wage in the UAE

Current Minimum Wage Rates

• No statutory minimum wage exists in the UAE. The UAE Labour Law does not fix a national minimum salary, but it requires that salaries be sufficient for basic needs.
• The law grants the Cabinet authority to set minimum wages for specific professions or categories – but no official resolution has been issued yet.

Wage Protection System (WPS)

WPS (Wage Protection System) in the UAE is a government-mandated electronic salary transfer system designed to ensure timely and transparent payment of wages to employees in the private sector

• MoHRE & UAE Central Bank in 2009
• Protect employee rights, prevent wage delays, and ensure legal compliance
• Salary must be paid within 15 days of the due date to be compliance with the requirement.
• Non-compliance can lead to fines and work permit bans and downgrading of company status

WPS Minimum Requirements:

• Pay at least 90% of employees monthly.
• Pay at least 80% of each employee’s wage monthly.

Record-Keeping Requirements

• Employers must track and maintain salary records (e.g., payslips, bank transfers, attendance) for at least 2 years to comply with MOHRE and WPS auditing requirements.
• Use of the Wages Protection System (WPS) – an electronic salary transfer system – is mandatory:
  • At least 80% of wages and 90% of total employee must be processed monthly through WPS.
  • Employers must pay wages within 15 days of the contractual due date; late payments trigger reminders, fines, approvals hold, or criminal referral.

Salary

• Salary refers to remuneration, including allowances, paid for work done under a contract of service.
• UAE does not have a minimum wage. Employee salary is subject to negotiation and agreement between employer and employee.
• The maximum normal working hours for workers shall be (8) eight hours per day or (48) forty-eight hours per week.
• Must be paid at least once a month and within 15 calendar days after the end of the salary period.
• Salary Must be paid through WPS for Mainland Registered business.
• Employer must issue a Payslip of Salary Payment and Salary Certificate if requested.
• Freezone registered business are not required to process salary through WPS except for JAFZA and DMCC.

Salary Deduction:

• Employer cannot deduct more than 20% of your total salary payable in any one salary period with exceptions to absence from work.
• Penalties in force at the establishment and approved by the Ministry, provided that they shall not exceed (%5) five percent of the wage.
• If Multiple Penalties the total deductions or withholdings from wages must not exceed 50%.

Market Benchmark Salaries by Job Type

• Even without legal minimum wages, market norms have formed clear salary expectations. These benchmarks are often used for visa processing and contract negotiations:

Additional Employer Obligations & Guidance

• Salaries must allow employees to cover essential living costs, even in the absence of a fixed minimum.
• Employers are advised to use MOHRE wage benchmarks under Federal Decree‑Law 33/2021, Article 27, aligning with industry standards and visa requirements.
• Free zone authorities may set their own minimum salary criteria – especially for mainland‑sponsored roles like university graduates in free‑zone visas.

Please note that all the information listed below are to be used as a general guideline. For more detailed accounts of the UAE employment laws and regulations, please visit the official governmental websites.

Updated on: June 2026