UAE Overtime Rules 2026: Rates, Limits, and Your Rights

1. The Standard Working Week

Article 17 of the Labour Law fixes ordinary working hours in the private sector at 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week. Time spent commuting between home and the workplace does not count as working time, and during Ramadan the daily maximum is reduced by two hours for all employees.

Anything your employer asks you to work beyond those ordinary hours is overtime — and Article 19 sets both a limit and a price for it. The limit: overtime should not normally exceed two hours per day, unless the work is necessary to prevent substantial loss, a serious accident, or to remove its effects. The price is where the supplements come in.

2. How the Hourly Rate Is Derived

All overtime maths starts from your basic hourly wage. The convention applied by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) is:

A basic salary of AED 6,000 therefore produces a basic hourly wage of AED 25.00. Note the word basic: housing, transport, and other allowances are excluded from the overtime base — the same wage basis the law uses for end-of-service gratuity.

3. The Three Overtime Rates

• Daytime overtime (+25%): hours worked beyond your ordinary schedule are paid at the basic hourly wage plus a supplement of at least 25%. At AED 25.00/hour, each overtime hour is worth AED 31.25.
• Night overtime (+50%): if the overtime falls between 10pm and 4am, the supplement rises to 50% — AED 37.50 per hour in our example. This uplift does not apply to employees working on approved shift rotations.
• Rest-day work (+50%): if you are required to work on your weekly rest day, Article 19(4) entitles you to either a substitute rest day or your normal daily wage plus a 50% supplement. Employees may not be asked to work more than two consecutive rest days, except in certain roles defined by the Executive Regulations.

You can model all three at once with our UAE Overtime Calculator — enter your basic salary and the hours in each category and it applies the Article 19 rates automatically.

4. A Worked Example

5. Who Is Not Entitled to Overtime

The Executive Regulations of the Labour Law exempt certain categories from the overtime provisions, most notably employees in senior supervisory or managerial positions whose roles confer the powers of an employer, and certain other categories set by Cabinet Resolution. Your entitlement therefore depends on your registered job category, not on your job title alone — check your MoHRE contract classification if in doubt.

It is also worth knowing that overtime worked voluntarily and without instruction is a grey area: the supplements attach to hours your employer requires you to work. Keep written records — duty rosters, emails, or attendance logs — if you expect to claim overtime.

6. If Your Employer Does Not Pay

Unpaid overtime is a wage claim like any other. The escalation path is: raise it in writing with your employer first; if unresolved, file a labour complaint with MoHRE (via the app, website, or 80060 call centre), which will attempt mediation before referring the dispute to the labour courts. Claims are strongest when supported by attendance records and payslips, and wage claims are exempt from court fees below certain thresholds.