When should employers pay salaries?
The workers' salary/wages shall be due starting from the first day of the month following the registered payday specified in the employment contract. They shall be paid within 15 days from the due date, unless specified otherwise in the employment contract. If such periods are not mentioned in the contract, the employer must pay the employee once a month.
Minimum wages
There is no minimum salary stipulated in the UAE Labour Law, however it broadly mentions that salaries must cover basic needs of the employees.
How salaries should be paid?
All employers registered with Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) must subscribe to the ‘Wages Protection System (WPS)’ and pay the wages to their employees through it, as per the due dates.
Under this system, salaries of employees will be transferred to their accounts in banks or financial institutions, which are authorised by Central Bank of the UAE to provide the service.
MoHRE does not process any transactions or deal with the owners of the companies that are not registered with the WPS until they register in the system.
Payment can be in Emirati Dirham, the national currency of the UAE or in any other currency, if it is agreed upon between both parties in the employment contract.
Penalties on companies failing to pay salaries
The table below lists penalties for companies failing to pay wages on the due dates:
Categories excluded from WPS compliance
The following categories of employees are excluded from the WPS:
- those who filed a lawsuit related to wages
- those who have been reported absent as per a ‘work abandonment’ report
- ·new employees during the first 30 days from the due date of the wage
- those who are on unpaid leave, provided that supporting documents are duly submitted to MoHRE.
Additionally, the following categories of employers are excluded from the WPS compliance:
- UAE nationals owning fishing boats
- UAE nationals owning public taxis
- banks
- houses of worship.
Updated on 17 Mar 2022
