Gratuity for domestic workers in the UAE has no fixed statutory rate today. The old rule, 14 days' wage for each year of service under Article 26 of Federal Law No. 10 of 2017, was repealed when Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 on Domestic Workers came into force. That law's Article 22 leaves the rules for calculating and paying end-of-service gratuity to the UAE Cabinet, and as of 2 November 2026 we have found no Cabinet decision that sets them. So whether a housemaid, nanny or family driver receives gratuity depends on the contract, while the other end-of-contract payments in the 2022 law (unused leave, wages due and, in most cases, the cost of going home) are fixed by statute.
That is the opposite of what most search results say. Many pages still quote "14 days a year" as current law, and some run a domestic worker's salary through the 21-day private-sector formula, which belongs to a different law. This guide sets out what the statute says, what changed and when, what a domestic worker is owed today, and how to claim it.
Who counts as a domestic worker in the UAE
Domestic workers have their own statute, Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022, rather than Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, the private-sector labour law behind our UAE gratuity calculator. The 2022 law applies to the occupations listed in its implementing regulation (Article 3), and the UAE Government lists 19 of them: housemaid, sailor, guard, shepherd, jockey, tamer, falcon caretaker, worker, housekeeper, cook, nanny, farm worker, gardener, personal trainer, private tutor, home nurse, personal assistant, private agricultural engineer and family driver. Nobody under 18 may be recruited or employed as one (Article 4(3)).
The employer matters as much as the job title. A driver employed by a family is a domestic worker; a driver employed by a company is covered by the private-sector law, and Article 51 of that law gives them gratuity at 21 and 30 days a year.
Gratuity for domestic workers in the UAE: the law-change timeline
The confusion online comes from a rule that changed without a replacement. In order:
| When | What happened | What it means for gratuity |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Federal Law No. 10 of 2017 on Domestic Workers | Article 26 granted 14 days' wage for each year of service, once a year was completed |
| 5 September 2022 | Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 is promulgated, taking effect three months after publication | Article 31 repeals Law No. 10 of 2017, and the 14-day rule with it. Article 22 hands gratuity to the Cabinet |
| 2022 | Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2022, the implementing regulation | Covers contracts, agencies and penalties. It sets no end-of-service rule |
| 2023 | Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2023 | Replaces Article 23 (disputes and complaints). Article 22 is not touched |
| 6 October 2026 | The UAE Government's domestic-workers page is updated | It lists leave, rest, the return ticket, repatriation and complaints. Gratuity is not on it |
| 2 November 2026 | Our check of Cabinet decisions and official guidance | No decision under Article 22 found. The gap is still open |
What Article 22 actually says
The whole article is one sentence. In the government's English translation: "On the Minister's recommendation, the UAE Cabinet shall adopt the rules and regulations for calculation and payment of end of service gratuity for domestic workers."
It promises rules. It does not set a rate, a minimum period of service or a formula, and the rules it promises have not been issued. The English text circulated by the government carries a note that it is not an official translation; under Article 28(5) the Arabic text prevails.
Lawyers disagree about the consequence. One reading, set out by LY Lawyers in December 2025, is that a domestic worker has no statutory gratuity until the Cabinet acts, because a court can only award what a law or the contract grants. Others argue that a contract term or long-standing practice fills the gap. Both readings agree on one thing: the contract is now where the answer starts.
What a domestic worker is still owed when the contract ends
Gratuity is the only end-of-service payment the 2022 law leaves open. Everything below is set by the decree-law itself:
- Unused annual leave in cash. When the contract expires or is terminated, every unused leave day is paid on the last remuneration the worker received (Article 10(5)).
- Wages due. Monthly pay must be paid in dirhams within 10 days of its due date (Article 15(1)), and the payment confirmed by a written receipt or another method the Ministry sets (Article 15(2)).
- Payment within 10 days of the contract's expiry. Article 19(9) requires the employer to settle what it owes the worker within 10 days of the expiry date, as the implementing regulation specifies.
- Repatriation. If the employer ends the contract for reasons not attributed to the worker, it pays the worker's dues and the cost of returning home (Article 20(2)). A worker recruited directly who leaves after probation for reasons of their own bears that cost, unless they cannot afford it, in which case the employer covers it (Article 20(3)(a)). An employer owes no repatriation cost if the worker moves to a new employer (Article 21(2)).
- The ticket home for leave. For leave spent in the home country, the employer pays a return ticket once every two years (Article 10(4)).
- Any gratuity the contract promises. Article 28(1) makes the law's rights a minimum and keeps any better term in a contract or agreement, and Article 28(4) voids terms that give the worker less than the law, unless they are more beneficial to the worker.
Contracts, agencies and MOHRE
Every domestic worker must have a contract on the Ministry's unified standard form, with a copy given to the worker (Article 7(1)). It runs for two years and can be renewed, and it must state the pay, leave, probation, rest periods and the grounds for ending it (Article 7(2) and (3)). Probation can last up to six months (Article 8).
So the first document to read is the signed contract. If it has an end-of-service clause, that clause decides whether gratuity is payable and how it is worked out. If it has none, no statute currently fills the gap.
MOHRE has also offered a "Domestic Worker Calculator" among its online services; Gulf News described it in April 2024 as asking for the start and end dates, net and basic salary, the reason for leaving, unpaid salary, unused leave and rest days worked. It is the Ministry's own tool, so it is a better cross-check than any private calculator, including ours.
Why Mukafi's gratuity calculator doesn't apply
Our UAE gratuity calculator applies Article 51 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021: 21 days' basic wage a year for the first five years, 30 days after that, capped at two years' wage. That article covers workers under the private-sector law. Put a housemaid's salary into it and you get a figure no law gives a domestic worker, which is why this page has no calculator. If the Cabinet issues the Article 22 rules, we will update this guide.
The same applies to notice. The 2022 law sets no notice period of its own; termination terms come from the standard contract (Article 7). The 30 to 90 days on our UAE notice period calculator come from Decree-Law 33/2021 and do not apply to domestic workers.
Other rights under the Domestic Workers Law
| Right | The rule | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly rest | One paid rest day a week; work on it earns another day off or cash instead | 9(1) |
| Daily rest | At least 12 hours a day, of which at least 8 are consecutive | 9(2) |
| Annual leave | At least 30 days a year, paid before the worker leaves; 2 days a month from six months to a year | 10(1) |
| Ticket home | A return ticket once every two years when leave is spent in the home country | 10(4) |
| Pay day | Monthly, in dirhams, within 10 days of the due date | 15(1) |
| Deductions | No more than a quarter of pay, for court debts or damage (with consent or Ministry approval) | 16 |
| Housing, food and medical care | Suitable accommodation, meals and clothing for full-time workers, and medical care or insurance | 11(2), (3), (5) |
How to claim unpaid dues
Either side can file a labour complaint with MOHRE, through its online services or a domestic workers' service centre. Under Article 23, as replaced by Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2023, the Ministry first tries to settle the dispute, within two weeks according to the UAE Government's guidance. If that fails, a claim worth up to AED 50,000 is decided by MOHRE itself, and either party can challenge the decision before the Court of Appeals within 15 working days of being notified; larger claims go to court with the Ministry's recommendation.
Do not wait. The UAE Government's guidance says claims for rights under the law are inadmissible after three months from the end of the employment. Keep the contract, the wage receipts and any leave records together before you file.
Mistakes that cost domestic workers and employers money
- Treating "14 days a year" as current law. It was the 2017 rule and was repealed in 2022. It may still be the right figure if the contract adopts it.
- Using a private-sector gratuity calculator. The 21 and 30-day rates belong to Decree-Law 33/2021 and overstate any claim a domestic worker can make under statute.
- Assuming nothing is owed. Unused leave, wages due and, in most cases, the cost of going home are statutory, whatever the position on gratuity.
- Missing the three-month window. A claim filed after it may not be heard.
- Signing away statutory rights. Article 28(4) voids terms that give the worker less than the law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do domestic workers get gratuity in the UAE?
Not under a fixed statutory rate at present. Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022, Article 22, leaves the gratuity rules to the UAE Cabinet, and no Cabinet decision setting them had been found by 2 November 2026. A domestic worker is owed gratuity if the employment contract provides for it.
Is domestic worker gratuity still 14 days per year in the UAE?
Not by law. The 14-day rule came from Article 26 of Federal Law No. 10 of 2017, which Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 repealed. It still applies if your contract adopts it.
How do I calculate my housemaid's gratuity in the UAE?
Start from the end-of-service clause in the signed standard contract (Article 7 of Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022) and apply what it says. No statute currently sets a formula. MOHRE's domestic worker calculator is the official cross-check.
Can I use a UAE gratuity calculator for my nanny or driver?
Not a private-sector one. Those calculators apply Article 51 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (21 and 30 days a year), which covers private-sector employees, not domestic workers under Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022.
What must an employer pay a domestic worker when the contract ends?
Unused annual leave in cash on the last remuneration (Article 10(5)), any wages due (Article 15), settlement within 10 days of the contract's expiry (Article 19(9)), the cost of repatriation where Article 20 puts it on the employer, and any gratuity the contract grants.
How long does a domestic worker have to file a claim in the UAE?
Three months from the end of the employment, according to the UAE Government's guidance on the Domestic Workers Law. Complaints go to MOHRE first (Article 23, as amended in 2023).
Who pays a domestic worker's ticket home?
The employer pays a return ticket once every two years for leave spent in the home country (Article 10(4)), and the cost of repatriation when it ends the contract for reasons not attributed to the worker (Article 20(2)).
Before you rely on a number
For a domestic worker in the UAE, the contract and MOHRE decide gratuity, not a formula from the private-sector law. Read the end-of-service clause, check the statutory items above, and use MOHRE's tools if the figures disagree. If you work for a company rather than a household, your gratuity is set by UAE gratuity law under Article 51, and the UAE gratuity calculator applies it.
Sources: UAE Government: domestic workers (Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022, as amended by Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2023, and Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2022). Article quotations are from the English translation the UAE Government publishes, which notes that it is not official. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your position with MOHRE or a qualified lawyer before acting.