UAE Sick Leave Pay

Under Article 31 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, once you have passed your probation period you may take up to 90 days of sick leave per year, either continuously or intermittently. The 90 days are paid on a sliding scale: the first 15 days at full wage, the next 30 days at half wage, and the following 45 days without pay.

Sick leave pay is calculated on your full wage, meaning basic salary plus regular allowances, not the basic component alone. This calculator divides your monthly wage by 30 to reach a daily figure, the standard convention used across UAE labour calculations.

No. There is no entitlement to paid sick leave during the probation period. An employee on probation may still take sick leave with a supporting medical report, but the employer is not obliged to pay for it. The 15/30/45-day paid entitlement begins only after probation is successfully completed.

If you exhaust the 90-day entitlement in a year and are still unable to return to work, the employer may terminate your employment. In that case you keep your end-of-service gratuity and any other accrued entitlements. Days taken beyond 90 in the same year are unpaid.

An employer may withhold sick pay if the illness resulted directly from the employee's own misconduct, such as being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Otherwise, provided you notify your employer within the required period and supply a medical certificate, the Article 31 entitlement applies.