UAE Publishes Overtime Pay Rules for Workers, Lists Conditions
- UAE law sets a strict daily cap on how many extra hours an employer can ask a worker to put in beyond normal working hours
- Workers required to work late-night overtime between 10 pm and 4 am are entitled to a higher pay rate under UAE labour rules
- The law also spells out what happens when a worker is asked to work on their scheduled rest day, including minimum pay entitlements
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The United Arab Emirates labour law places clear limits on how much overtime an employer can demand from workers and sets out the minimum pay that must follow when those extra hours are worked.
Under the law, an employer can require a worker to work beyond normal hours, but the extra time cannot exceed two hours in a single day.
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Across any three-week period, total working hours must not go above 144 hours regardless of circumstances.
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How UAE overtime pay is calculated
When a worker is required to put in more time than their normal daily hours, those additional hours are treated as overtime. The worker must receive their standard hourly pay, based on their basic wage, plus an additional 25% on top of that rate for each overtime hour worked.
A higher rate applies when the overtime falls in the late-night window between 10 pm and 4 am. In that situation, the worker is entitled to their normal hourly pay plus a 50% uplift on the basic wage. Workers assigned to shift rotations are excluded from this late-night provision.
Rest day and consecutive day rules
The law also addresses situations where a worker is called in on a day that was meant to be their rest day, as specified in their employment contract or the workplace regulations.
In that case, the employer must either give the worker a replacement rest day or pay them for that day at the normal daily rate plus a minimum increase of 50% on the basic wage.
One further protection limits how many consecutive rest days a worker can be required to give up. No worker can be made to work more than two rest days in a row. Day labourers are exempt from this particular rule.
Together, these provisions form the core of the UAE's overtime framework, setting a floor for worker compensation while giving employers flexibility to extend working hours when business conditions demand it.
UAE sets 3 salary requirements for residents sponsoring relatives
Legit.ng earlier reported that the UAE has updated salary requirements for foreign residents who want to sponsor a visit visa for a relative or friend, setting three income thresholds based on the relationship between the host and the visitor.
Source: Legit.ng
