🇦🇪 UAE leave salary
UAE Leave Salary Calculator
Last updated on May 17, 2026 • Editorial policy
Estimate annual leave pay in the UAE or check unused leave on exit here. The biggest difference is the salary basis: leave taken during service is commonly tied to full wage, while unused leave paid out at exit is commonly checked on the basis of basic salary.
The page also reflects two practical rules people often miss: annual leave wages should generally be paid before the leave starts, and annual leave is usually tracked in calendar days rather than working days.
Leave salary calculator
Choose the leave-salary situation you want to estimate, then add your salary figures, service dates, and requested leave days.
Two leave-salary checks matter most
The first is annual leave pay while you are still in service. The second is payment for unused leave when the employment relationship ends. Public UAE guidance treats these two situations differently, so the calculator keeps them separate.
How to read the leave-salary result
Start by deciding whether you are checking annual leave during service or unused leave on exit.
01
Pick the leave-salary situation
Use annual leave mode when you want to estimate leave pay during service, and use unused leave mode when you want to check a final settlement style leave payment on exit.
02
Enter the salary figures
Add the basic salary first, then fixed monthly allowances if you want the page to estimate leave taken during service using a fuller wage picture.
03
Use service dates instead of guessing the accrual
Enter the employment start date and the calculation or exit date so the page can estimate whether the service period sits below six months, between six months and one year, or beyond one year.
04
Add the leave days you want to check
Use the leave-days input for the amount you want to estimate now, and add leave already taken if you want the page to show a more realistic available balance.
05
Review the salary basis and available days
Check the payable amount together with the salary basis used, the accrual stage, and the available leave days so you can understand why the result changed.
How annual leave usually builds up in the UAE
These are the service stages people usually need to understand before they can judge whether a leave-salary number looks right.
Under 6 months
No standard annual leave entitlement yet
Public UAE guidance frames annual leave as starting after more than six months of service, so this stage usually produces no standard annual leave balance yet.
More than 6 months, less than 1 year
2 days of annual leave for each month of service
This is the stage where employees often underestimate their accrued balance because they think annual leave only starts after one year.
1 year and beyond
30 days of annual leave for each year of service
Once one year is completed, annual leave generally moves into the full yearly entitlement pattern, with leave for part of the year still relevant in exit cases.
What changes the leave salary result
Leave salary questions are often really salary-basis questions, service-stage questions, or leave-balance questions.
01
Annual leave during service versus unused leave on exit
This is the most important distinction on the page. Public UAE FAQ guidance points annual leave during service toward full wage treatment, while public UAE leave guidance points unused leave cash payment at exit toward calculation on the basis of basic salary.
02
Service stage
The result changes depending on whether the employee is below six months, between six months and one year, or beyond one year of service.
03
Leave already taken
A worker may have earned a healthy balance on paper, but the available days still drop once part of that balance has already been used in the current cycle.
04
Public holidays and company policy details
Public holidays inside the annual leave period are generally treated as part of annual leave unless the contract or company policy gives a more favorable outcome. In practice, annual leave is commonly read in calendar days, which is why weekends and holiday overlap often confuse employees.
How the numbers are calculated
The page keeps the two main formulas separate so the result is easier to trust and easier to explain.
Annual leave during service
Estimated annual leave pay
(Basic salary + fixed allowances) / 30 x leave days paid
The official UAE FAQ says the employee is paid the basic wage plus any other allowances received in the normal working month, and that the full wage and leave-day wage should be paid before annual leave starts.
Unused leave on exit
Estimated unused leave payment
Basic salary / 30 x leave days paid
Public UAE guidance says payment for unused annual leave carried over or left at termination is calculated on the basis of the basic salary.
Accrual check
Estimated leave balance
0 days under 6 months / 2 days per month from 6 to 12 months / 30 days per year after 1 year
The page uses service dates to estimate accrual, then subtracts any leave already taken before deciding how many days to pay in the result.
Examples
These examples show how the result changes when the leave scenario and salary basis change.
Example 01
Employee taking 10 days of annual leave during service
Basic salary: AED 8,000. Fixed allowances: AED 2,000. Service already exceeds one year.
AED 3,333.33
- Daily full-wage rate used: AED 333.33
- Leave mode: annual leave during service
- 10 leave days paid
Example 02
Employee with 8 months of service checking leave salary
Basic salary: AED 6,000. No allowances. Service exceeds six months but is below one year.
AED 1,600.00
- Estimated accrual: about 8 leave days
- Daily rate used: AED 200
- 8 days paid in the estimate
Example 03
Employee leaving with 12 unused leave days
Basic salary: AED 9,000. Fixed allowances ignored for unused leave payment on exit.
AED 3,600.00
- Daily basic-salary rate used: AED 300
- Leave mode: unused leave payment on exit
- 12 days paid in the estimate
Leave-pay rules and official sources
Use the result as a leave-pay check and logic guide, not as a replacement for your employer’s payroll records.
- The check focuses on UAE private-sector annual leave and unused leave payment scenarios.
- The annual-leave mode uses a practical full-wage estimate based on the official UAE FAQ statement that the employee is paid the basic wage plus the allowances received in the normal working month.
- The unused-leave mode uses a basic-salary estimate because public UAE guidance points unused leave payment toward calculation on the basis of the basic salary.
- The service-stage and accrual logic here is based on service dates rather than a payroll-engine recreation of every employer system.
- A working-hours pathway is included for part-time or similar work models using annual-hours ratios, so leave accrual and payout can still be estimated in the same flow.
Source direction
- UAE Government: Annual leave
- UAE Government FAQ: How is the annual leave salary calculated?
- Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 29
- MOHRE: Dear Worker – Know Your Rights
If your contract, company policy, or payroll treatment is more favorable than the public baseline, the final leave salary can be higher than the estimate shown here.
Related UAE tools
These tools and guides usually sit closest to the same leave-pay questions.
UAE Leave Salary Explained
Read the annual leave rules, pay treatment, and worked examples in one guide.
Learn moreUAE Salary Calculator
Estimate monthly pay with salary structure, allowances, overtime, and deductions in view.
Open calculatorUAE Gratuity Calculator
Check end-of-service gratuity with service dates, unpaid days, and the correct wage basis.
Open calculatorUAE Overtime Calculator
Estimate overtime pay when extra hours shape the monthly wage you are comparing.
Open calculatorFAQ
These are the leave-salary questions people usually ask before trusting the number.
When do employees become eligible for annual leave in the UAE?
Public UAE guidance says annual leave starts after more than six months of service. Between six months and one year, the employee is generally entitled to two days of leave per month. After one year, the entitlement generally becomes 30 days per year.
Is leave salary based on basic salary or full wage?
For annual leave during service, the official UAE FAQ says the employee is paid the basic wage plus allowances received in the normal working month. For unused leave payment at exit, public UAE guidance points to calculation on the basis of the basic salary.
What if I leave before using my annual leave?
Public UAE guidance says the employee is entitled to payment for unused annual leave, including accrued leave for part of the last year worked, on the basis of the basic salary.
Do public holidays inside annual leave count as annual leave days?
Yes, public UAE guidance says public holidays or agreed leave days that fall inside the annual leave period are considered part of annual leave unless the contract or company policy is more favorable.
Does the estimate calculate part-time annual leave in full detail?
Yes, in a practical estimate format. The calculator includes an hours-based part-time pathway using contracted annual hours and comparable full-time annual hours, although final employer treatment can still vary under the implementing regulations and contract terms.
Should annual leave wages be paid before annual leave starts?
The official UAE FAQ says the employee should be paid the full wage and the wage of the leave days before taking annual leave.