Leave Salary Calculator (UAE)
Annual leave days earned, pay for leave you take, and the cash due for unused days when employment ends — under Article 29 of the Labour Law.
Salary and service
Enter basic salary, cash allowances, length of service and the leave days already taken
As stated in the employment contract, without any allowances
Housing, transport and the like, plus the cash value of in-kind benefits your contract counts as wage — they count only for leave you take
Completed years
Completed months beyond the last full year
Over your whole service with this employer
Calculation breakdown
Leave earned
30 days per year, pro rata for the part-year
60 days
Unused days
Earned minus 30 days taken
30 days
Daily rate, full wage
(Basic + cash allowances) ÷ 30
AED 500
Daily rate, basic
Basic salary ÷ 30
AED 333.33
If you take the unused days as leave
Paid at the full wage — Art. 29(6)
AED 15,000
Unused leave paid out when employment ends
On basic salary — Art. 29(9)
AED 10,000
Running leave and payroll for a whole team?
ZETUP PRO handles work permits, visas, cancellations and end-of-service settlements for mainland companies, on a published monthly retainer.
- Leave taken is paid at the full wage — basic salary plus cash allowances (Decree-Law 33/2021, Art. 29(1) and 29(6)).
- Unused days paid out when employment ends are calculated on the basic salary only (Art. 29(9); Implementing Regulation Art. 19(2); u.ae).
- Service is counted in completed months: the two-days-a-month entitlement starts from the seventh completed month.
- The daily rate here is monthly pay ÷ 30. The law does not set a divisor for leave pay, so check your contract or company policy.
- Public holidays that fall inside your annual leave count as part of it, unless your contract or company policy is more generous (Art. 29(7)).
- Carrying leave over needs your employer's approval (Art. 29(5)) and is limited to half the annual leave (Cabinet Resolution 1/2022, Art. 19).
- DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws; this calculator covers the mainland and onshore private sector under Decree-Law 33/2021.
This is a planning estimate only, not legal advice. The actual amount depends on your contract and company policy.
How leave salary is calculated in the UAE
- At least 30 days for each year of service; two days for each month if service is more than six months and less than a year (Art. 29(1)).
- Leave you take is paid at the full wage: basic plus cash allowances (Art. 29(1) and 29(6), with the Art. 1 definition of wage).
- Unused days when employment ends, and the part-year in proportion, are paid on the basic salary (Art. 29(9); IR Art. 19(2)).
- Daily rate in this calculator = monthly pay ÷ 30 — a convention, not a statutory rule.
Official sources: u.ae — Types of leaves (private sector): Annual leave · MOHRE — Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and its amendments (PDF), Article 29 (verified 2026-10-25)
The full rules: annual leave in the UAE guide
Worked examples: AED 10,000 basic + AED 5,000 allowances
The basic daily rate is AED 333.33 and the full daily rate AED 500. Thirty days of leave taken equal one month's full wage: AED 15,000.
| Service | Earned | Taken | Unused | Paid out on exit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 yr 9 mo | 18 | 0 | 18 | AED 6,000 |
| 1 yr 0 mo | 30 | 0 | 30 | AED 10,000 |
| 2 yr 6 mo | 75 | 30 | 45 | AED 15,000 |
| 3 yr 0 mo | 90 | 60 | 30 | AED 10,000 |
| 5 yr 0 mo | 150 | 120 | 30 | AED 10,000 |
Calculated with the same formula the calculator runs. The exit payment is on basic salary only, so the allowances do not change it.
Settling an employee's final dues?
Leave pay is one line of a final settlement, next to gratuity and the visa cancellation. Work out the gratuity too, or let ZETUP PRO run the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 29, annual leave is taken with full wage, so the days you take are paid at your basic salary plus cash allowances. Unused days paid out when employment ends are calculated on the basic salary only. This calculator turns monthly pay into a daily rate by dividing by 30; the law does not set a divisor, so check your contract or company policy.
It depends on whether the leave is taken or paid out. Leave you take is paid at the full wage — the Decree-Law defines the wage as the basic wage plus cash allowances and benefits in-kind. Leave paid out in cash for unused days, or for part of the year, when service ends is calculated on the basic salary (Article 29(9); Implementing Regulation Art. 19(2); u.ae). A cash allowance agreed during employment instead of carrying leave forward follows the wage received at the time (Implementing Regulation Art. 19(1)).
At least 30 days for each year of service. If service is more than six months but less than a year, the entitlement is two days for each month. If employment ends before the balance is used, the employee is entitled to leave for the part of the last year worked.
Yes. u.ae states that an employee who ends employment before taking leave is entitled to payment for any unused annual leave, regardless of its duration, plus payment for leave accrued for part of the year — both calculated on the basic salary.
Only with your employer's approval and in line with company regulations (Article 29(5)), and the Implementing Regulation (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 19) limits it to half of the annual leave — or you and the employer can agree a cash allowance instead. The employer may not prevent you from using leave accrued for more than two years, unless you choose to carry it over or take a cash allowance for it (Article 29(8)).
Yes. Public holidays that fall within your annual leave are counted as part of it, unless your employment contract or company regulations give you something more favourable (Article 29(7)).
The Decree-Law's two-days-per-month entitlement applies once service is more than six months and less than a year. Your employer may agree to grant leave from your balance during the probation period (Article 29(3)).