UAE Gratuity Calculator 2026
Calculate your UAE end-of-service gratuity from your basic salary and length of service. Under Article 51 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, an eligible private-sector full-time expatriate employee who completes one year of continuous service receives 21 days of basic wage for each of the first five years and 30 days for each year after that, capped at two years' wage. Part years count proportionally and unpaid absence is excluded.
Step 1 of 3
Your employment details
Article 51 covers full-time private-sector employment. Part-time, temporary and flexible patterns are calculated pro rata under separate Cabinet rules.
UAE nationals accrue pension under GPSSA rather than end-of-service gratuity.
Start date on the left, last working day on the right.
Step 2 of 3
Your salary
Basic wage only. Do not include housing, transport, commission or any other allowance — gratuity is calculated on the last basic wage.
Advanced options
Unpaid absence is excluded from the service period. Leave at zero if it does not apply.
Step 3 of 3
Adjust and recalculate
The result updates as you type.
Estimated end-of-service gratuity
AED 0
Enter your details to see the estimate.
| Service period | Gratuity |
|---|---|
| First 5 years | AED 0 |
| Remaining years | AED 0 |
| Total | AED 0 |
Calculated in your browser. Your salary never reaches our servers, and nothing you type here creates a record.
Disclaimer. This calculator provides an estimate based on UAE Federal Labour Law provisions for eligible private-sector full-time employees. Actual end-of-service entitlements may vary depending on employment status, contract type, work pattern, unpaid absence, reason for termination, applicable legislation and other circumstances. It is provided for information only and is not legal advice. For a real settlement, check with MOHRE or take professional advice.
The rule
How is gratuity calculated in the UAE?
Gratuity is end-of-service pay owed to an eligible private-sector employee when employment ends. Article 51 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 sets it out in four parts.
An eligible full-time expatriate employee must complete at least one year of continuous service. Below that, no gratuity is due under Article 51.
For each of the first five years of service, 21 days of the last basic wage. Five full years therefore earns 105 days of basic pay.
From year six onward the rate rises to 30 days of basic wage per year, which is why long service is worth disproportionately more.
However long the service, the total end-of-service benefit cannot exceed two years' wage. Very long service reaches this ceiling and stops.
Show the working
The UAE gratuity calculation formula
Everything the calculator does, written out. Run it by hand if you want to check the answer.
monthly basic salary ÷ 30 — a month is treated as 30 days regardless of the calendar.
(end date − start date) − unpaid days, converted to years. Part years count proportionally, so five years and six months is 5.5 years rather than five or six.
daily basic wage × 21 × years (max 5)
daily basic wage × 30 × (years − 5)
total = MIN(calculated gratuity, monthly basic salary × 24)
Worked example. A basic salary of AED 10,000 gives a daily basic wage of AED 333.33. Seven full years of service earns 21 × 333.33 × 5 = AED 35,000 for the first five years, plus 30 × 333.33 × 2 = AED 20,000 for the remaining two — AED 55,000 in total. The cap for that salary is AED 240,000, so it does not apply.
The question everyone gets wrong
Is gratuity calculated on basic salary or total salary?
On basic salary. Gratuity is calculated on the last basic wage only. Allowances are excluded, and that single point is the difference between an accurate estimate and one that is far too high.
| Component | Counts towards gratuity? |
|---|---|
| Basic wage | Yes — this is the whole basis |
| Housing allowance | No |
| Transport allowance | No |
| Commission and bonuses | No |
| Overtime | No |
| Any other allowance | No |
If a contract shows AED 15,000 total with AED 9,000 basic, the gratuity is worked out on AED 9,000. Check the basic figure on the employment contract rather than the payslip total.
At a glance
UAE gratuity examples by salary and service
Every figure below comes from the same engine that powers the calculator above, using whole years of service.
| Basic salary | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years | 5 years | 7 years | 10 years | 15 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AED 3,000 | AED 2,100 | AED 4,200 | AED 6,300 | AED 10,500 | AED 16,500 | AED 25,500 | AED 40,500 |
| AED 5,000 | AED 3,500 | AED 7,000 | AED 10,500 | AED 17,500 | AED 27,500 | AED 42,500 | AED 67,500 |
| AED 8,000 | AED 5,600 | AED 11,200 | AED 16,800 | AED 28,000 | AED 44,000 | AED 68,000 | AED 108,000 |
| AED 10,000 | AED 7,000 | AED 14,000 | AED 21,000 | AED 35,000 | AED 55,000 | AED 85,000 | AED 135,000 |
| AED 15,000 | AED 10,500 | AED 21,000 | AED 31,500 | AED 52,500 | AED 82,500 | AED 127,500 | AED 202,500 |
| AED 20,000 | AED 14,000 | AED 28,000 | AED 42,000 | AED 70,000 | AED 110,000 | AED 170,000 | AED 270,000 |
| AED 30,000 | AED 21,000 | AED 42,000 | AED 63,000 | AED 105,000 | AED 165,000 | AED 255,000 | AED 405,000 |
Rounded to the nearest dirham. Assumes continuous full-time service with no unpaid absence, and that the two-year cap has not been reached.
Frequently asked questions
UAE gratuity questions
How many days of gratuity do you get after 5 years?
Twenty-one days of basic wage for each of the first five years, which is 105 days in total. From year six onwards the rate rises to 30 days of basic wage for each additional year. Someone with seven years of service therefore earns 105 days for the first five plus 60 days for the last two, or 165 days of basic pay.
What happens if I worked for less than one year?
No gratuity is due. Under Article 51 an eligible foreign full-time employee must complete at least one year of continuous service to qualify for end-of-service gratuity. Other entitlements such as accrued annual leave may still be payable.
Is gratuity calculated on basic salary or total salary?
On the last basic wage only. Housing, transport, commission, bonuses and overtime are all excluded. If your contract shows AED 15,000 total made up of AED 9,000 basic plus allowances, the calculation runs on AED 9,000.
Does unpaid leave affect gratuity?
Yes. Unpaid absence is excluded from the service period, so a long period of unpaid leave shortens the service used in the calculation. Use the advanced option in the calculator to subtract those days.
Is there a maximum gratuity amount?
Yes. The total end-of-service benefit cannot exceed two years’ wage. At a basic salary of AED 20,000 the ceiling is AED 480,000, which is reached at roughly 26 years of service. Beyond that the figure stops rising.
Do UAE nationals get gratuity?
Not under Article 51. UAE and GCC nationals accrue pension entitlements through the General Pension and Social Security Authority rather than end-of-service gratuity, and employer and employee contributions are made throughout employment instead.
How is a partial year counted?
Proportionally, once the first year is complete. Five years and six months counts as 5.5 years, not five and not six. The calculator works from your actual dates rather than asking you to round.
Does the calculator store my salary?
No. The whole calculation runs in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing you type is sent to our servers, stored, or used to create a lead record. You can disconnect from the internet and it will still work.