UAE overtime laws sit in Article 19 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Extra hours on a working day are paid at your basic hourly wage plus at least 25%. Extra hours between 10 pm and 4 am are paid at the basic hourly wage plus at least 50%. Work on your weekly rest day earns either a substitute day off or the basic hourly wage plus 50%. Overtime is capped at two hours a day, and work on an official public holiday is governed by a separate article, Article 28.
Every one of those premiums is measured on your basic salary, not your full package, and every one is a floor: a contract can pay more, never less. Put your own figures into the calculator below, then read on for how each rule works, what changes in Ramadan, and the details many guides still quote from the law that was repealed in 2022.
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UAE overtime laws at a glance: the four rates
| When you work the hours | What the law requires | Multiplier | Article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extra hours on a working day | Basic hourly wage + at least 25% | ×1.25 | Art. 19(2) |
| Extra hours between 10 pm and 4 am | Basic hourly wage + at least 50% (shift workers excepted) | ×1.50 | Art. 19(3) |
| Your weekly rest day | A substitute rest day, or basic hourly wage + at least 50% | ×1.50 | Art. 19(4) |
| An official public holiday | A substitute day off, or the day's wage + at least 50% of basic | ×1.50 | Art. 28 |
The rest-day row is often cited to Article 21. That article only guarantees the paid weekly rest day itself. The pay rule for working on it is Article 19(4).
How to calculate overtime in the UAE, step by step
This is how to compute overtime in the UAE by hand, in the same order the calculator works.
Step 1: Start from your basic salary
Article 19(2) says the extra hours are paid "in the same rate of the regular working hours (to be calculated based on the Basic Wage in addition to 25% of such Basic Wage at least)". Article 1 defines the Basic Wage as the wage in your contract and adds that it "shall exclude any other allowances or in-kind benefits". So housing, transport, phone and similar allowances play no part in your overtime, however large they are.
Step 2: Turn the monthly figure into an hourly rate
Hourly basic wage = monthly basic salary ÷ 30 ÷ your normal daily hours
The Decree-Law does not print a divisor. Dividing by 30 treats the salary as pay for a calendar month, rest days included, and it is the method in wide use across the UAE. It is also the one the UAE overtime calculator applies. On a standard 8-hour day that is a divisor of 240.
Step 3: Sort the hours by when you worked them
Hours on a working day split at 10 pm. Anything before 10 pm is ordinary overtime at ×1.25; anything from 10 pm to 4 am is night overtime at ×1.50. Hours on your rest day or a public holiday are priced separately again, whatever time of day you worked them.
Step 4: Multiply each group and add them up
Day hours × 1.25, night hours × 1.50 and rest-day or holiday hours × 1.50, each multiplied by the hourly rate. Price each group on its own multiplier and never average them.
Worked examples
Every figure below comes straight from the calculator's formula, so you can reproduce each one with your own numbers.
Example 1: Daytime overtime
A logistics coordinator on an AED 7,200 basic salary and an 8-hour day works 10 extra daytime hours in a month.
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | 7,200 ÷ 30 ÷ 8 | AED 30.00 |
| Overtime rate | 30.00 × 1.25 | AED 37.50/hr |
| Overtime pay | 10 × 37.50 | AED 375.00 |
Add AED 3,600 of housing and transport allowances to the same package and the answer is still AED 375.00. That is the basic-only rule doing its job.
Example 2: A late finish that crosses 10 pm
The same coordinator finishes a normal day, then stays from 8 pm to midnight. Those four hours are not all paid the same way:
- 8 pm to 10 pm, daytime overtime: 2 × 30.00 × 1.25 = AED 75.00
- 10 pm to midnight, night overtime: 2 × 30.00 × 1.50 = AED 90.00
- Total: AED 165.00
Paid as four daytime hours, the same evening comes to AED 150.00. The AED 15 gap is small on one night and adds up across a busy quarter.
Example 3: Working your rest day
Called in for a full 8-hour shift on the weekly rest day, the coordinator is owed either a substitute rest day or pay at 30.00 × 1.50 × 8 = AED 360.00. Article 19(5) adds that a worker may not be made to work two consecutive rest days, except workers paid by the day.
Example 4: A full month
| Category | Hours | Multiplier | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daytime | 10 | ×1.25 | AED 375.00 |
| Night | 4 | ×1.50 | AED 180.00 |
| Rest day | 8 | ×1.50 | AED 360.00 |
| Total | 22 | AED 915.00 |
Ramadan overtime calculation in the UAE
The Decree-Law leaves Ramadan hours to its Implementing Regulation (Article 17(4)). Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(2), reduces regular working hours by two hours a day during the holy month. The government portal u.ae states that the reduction applies to Muslim and non-Muslim employees alike, without any deduction from regular wages. Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin in early February, subject to the moon sighting.
On a standard 8-hour contract, the regular Ramadan day is 6 hours. Hours 7 and 8 are then beyond your regular working hours, which is exactly how Article 19(2) defines overtime. Working your usual 8 hours in Ramadan also uses up the whole two-hour daily overtime allowance.
The question the law leaves open is the divisor. Your monthly basic stays the same while the regular day shrinks, so the hourly value of that basic rises. The reasoned reading is to divide by the Ramadan day (6 hours) when pricing Ramadan overtime. Some payrolls keep dividing by 8. Here is the difference on AED 7,200 basic, with 2 extra hours on each of 20 Ramadan working days:
| Divisor used | Hourly rate | 40 hours × 1.25 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramadan day: 7,200 ÷ 30 ÷ 6 | AED 40.00 | 40 × 50.00 | AED 2,000 |
| Normal day: 7,200 ÷ 30 ÷ 8 | AED 30.00 | 40 × 37.50 | AED 1,500 |
No article spells out which divisor applies in Ramadan, so treat the AED 500 gap as a point to raise with your employer or MOHRE rather than a settled entitlement. To price the Ramadan reading, set your daily hours to 6 in the calculator.
Public holidays: Article 28, not Article 19
Work on an official public holiday is not overtime under Article 19 at all. Article 28 gives you paid leave on the holidays the Cabinet announces, and if you are needed at work, your employer must give you either a substitute day off for each holiday worked or the wage for that day plus at least 50% of the basic wage for that day.
On AED 12,000 basic and an 8-hour day, the basic hourly rate is AED 50.00, so a full holiday shift pays 50.00 × 1.50 × 8 = AED 600.00: the AED 400 you would have earned for the day plus a AED 200 increment. For how that compares with the five other Gulf states, see public holiday overtime across the GCC.
How much overtime can you be asked to work?
- Normal hours: a maximum of 8 a day or 48 a week (Article 17(1)). Commuting time does not count, except for categories the Implementing Regulation names.
- The daily cap: the employer may request overtime, but it "may not exceed a total of two (2) hours per day" except under the controls in the Implementing Regulation, which cover work needed to prevent a serious loss or accident (Article 19(1)).
- The three-week ceiling: "the total working hours may not exceed one hundred forty-four (144) hours every three (3) weeks" (Article 19(1)). The statute does not explain how that ceiling sits alongside a full 48-hour week, so if your rota comes close to it, ask MOHRE how it applies to you.
- Breaks: you may not work more than five consecutive hours without a break, breaks must total at least one hour, and break time is not working time (Article 18).
- Non-full-time workers: you cannot be required to work beyond your agreed hours without your written consent (Article 17).
Who the overtime rules treat differently
- Shift workers do not get the 10 pm–4 am night premium (Article 19(3)), though the daytime and rest-day rules still apply.
- Supervisory roles that carry the employer's own powers are exempt from the maximum-hours provisions under Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(4)(b). A senior job title on its own is not enough.
- Free zones: onshore employers and most free zones follow these federal rates. The two financial free zones, DIFC and ADGM, run their own employment laws and do not set the same statutory overtime premiums, so check your contract there.
- Domestic workers are covered by a separate statute, Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022, so none of this applies to them.
What changed from the 1980 law
Plenty of overtime guides, and some payroll set-ups, still work from Federal Law No. 8 of 1980, which Decree-Law 33/2021 replaced on 2 February 2022.
| Rule | 1980 law (repealed) | Decree-Law 33/2021 (current) |
|---|---|---|
| Night overtime | 9 pm to 4 am (Art. 68) | 10 pm to 4 am (Art. 19(3)) |
| Daily overtime cap | 2 hours (Art. 69) | 2 hours, plus 144 total hours every 3 weeks (Art. 19(1)) |
| Rest day | Friday (Art. 70) | The rest day in your contract, at least one paid day a week (Art. 21) |
| Wage base | Pay for normal hours (Art. 67) | The Basic Wage, stated expressly (Art. 19(2)) |
If a guide or a payslip uses 9 pm as the start of the night window, it is working from the old law. Under the current law, an hour between 9 pm and 10 pm is ordinary overtime at ×1.25.
Common mistakes with UAE overtime
- Calculating on gross salary. Article 19 attaches every premium to the Basic Wage. The same basic-only rule applies to your UAE gratuity, so a payroll that gets one right usually gets both right.
- Starting the night window at 9 pm. That was the 1980 law. The current window is 10 pm to 4 am.
- Citing Article 21 for rest-day pay. Article 21 grants the rest day; Article 19(4) prices the work on it.
- Paying a public holiday at 125%. Holiday work falls under Article 28 at 150%, or a substitute day off.
- Keeping the 8-hour divisor in Ramadan without asking. On a 6-hour Ramadan day, it can understate every overtime hour by a quarter.
- Claiming break time as overtime. Breaks are not working time under Article 18, so they do not count towards the extra hours.
- Keeping no record. Overtime is work the employer requests. Keep your own log of the hours and any message or email asking you to stay.
Check your own numbers
Three things off your payslip and timesheet decide the whole calculation: your basic salary, your normal daily hours, and how your extra hours split between daytime, night, rest days and public holidays. Run them through the UAE overtime calculator.
If you are leaving your job, note that overtime is not part of the UAE final settlement calculator figure. That tool covers gratuity, unused leave, notice pay and unpaid salary, so add any overtime you are still owed on top.
The rules are summarised on the government portal at Working hours and overtime (u.ae), with Ramadan hours on u.ae's Ramadan page and the full Decree-Law linked from Employment laws and regulations in the private sector. These calculations are estimates for guidance, not legal advice. For a disputed amount, MOHRE or a qualified labour lawyer should see your contract and timesheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the overtime laws in the UAE?
Article 19 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 sets them. Extra hours on a working day are paid at the basic hourly wage plus at least 25%, extra hours between 10 pm and 4 am at plus 50%, and work on your rest day earns a substitute day off or plus 50%. Overtime is capped at two hours a day, and public holiday work is covered separately by Article 28.
How is overtime calculated in the UAE?
Divide your monthly basic salary by 30 and then by your normal daily hours to get an hourly rate. Multiply daytime overtime hours by 1.25, hours between 10 pm and 4 am by 1.50, and rest-day or public-holiday hours by 1.50. On AED 7,200 basic and an 8-hour day, 10 daytime hours pay AED 375.
Is overtime paid on basic or gross salary in the UAE?
On basic salary only. Article 19(2) calculates overtime on the Basic Wage, and Article 1 defines the Basic Wage as excluding allowances and in-kind benefits, so housing and transport allowances do not count.
What are the night overtime hours in the UAE?
10 pm to 4 am under Article 19(3), paid at the basic hourly wage plus at least 50%. The 9 pm start that some guides quote comes from the repealed 1980 law. Shift workers do not receive the night premium.
How many hours of overtime are allowed per day in the UAE?
Two hours a day, unless the work is needed to prevent a serious loss or accident under the Implementing Regulation's controls. Article 19(1) also says total working hours may not exceed 144 every three weeks.
How is overtime calculated in Ramadan in the UAE?
Regular hours drop by two a day in Ramadan under Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(2), so on an 8-hour contract, hours 7 and 8 become overtime. The law does not say whether the hourly rate should then be divided by 6 or by 8. Dividing by the 6-hour Ramadan day is the reasoned reading, and it gives a higher rate.
Is work on Friday or my weekly rest day paid extra in the UAE?
Yes. Article 19(4) gives you a substitute rest day or pay at the basic hourly wage plus at least 50%. It applies to the rest day in your contract, whichever day that is, and you may not be made to work two consecutive rest days unless you are paid by the day.
Can my employer make me work overtime in the UAE?
Your employer may request overtime within the two-hour daily cap and the 144-hour three-week ceiling, and must pay the Article 19 premiums for it. If you are not a full-time employee, you cannot be required to work beyond your agreed hours without your written consent.