Domestic workers have their own law — and their own gratuity rules
A housemaid, a nanny, a family driver and a cook are not covered by the UAE Labour Law that governs offices and construction sites. They fall under Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 on Domestic Workers, a separate regime with its own leave, its own dispute route, and — the point most pages on this subject get wrong — a gratuity entitlement whose formula is not written into the law at all.
Who the law covers
Article 3 applies the decree-law to the occupations listed in its Implementing Regulation — a schedule of nineteen roles, which is broader than most households assume. It runs well beyond housemaid and nanny to cooks, housekeepers, private drivers, gardeners, farm workers, guards, shepherds, falcon caretakers, sailors on private vessels and personal trainers. If the role is on that list, this law applies and the Labour Law does not.
Two hard limits sit at the front of the regime: recruiting or employing anyone under 18 is prohibited (Art. 4), and a domestic worker may only be hired through a MOHRE-licensed recruitment agency or the routes the law allows.
What the law grants, article by article
| Probation (Art. 8) | Maximum six months from the start of employment |
| Daily rest (Art. 9) | At least 12 hours per day, of which at least 8 are consecutive |
| Weekly rest (Art. 9) | A paid weekly rest day. Worked instead → a substitute day off or cash in lieu |
| Annual leave (Art. 10) | Not less than 30 days a year, paid in full before departure. Between six months and one year of service: two days per month |
| Unused leave (Art. 10.5) | Cash in lieu on expiry or termination, calculated on the last wage |
| Flight home (Art. 10.4) | Employer pays the return ticket once every two years for leave taken in the home country |
| Sick leave (Art. 10.6) | 30 days a year — first 15 at full pay, next 15 at half pay, on an approved medical report |
| Wages (Art. 15) | Paid in dirhams within 10 days of the due date, against a written receipt |
| Deductions (Art. 16) | Capped at one quarter of pay, and only for court-ordered debts or damage the worker consents to (or MOHRE approves) |
| Documents (Art. 11.11) | The worker must be allowed to keep all official documents — including the passport |
| Costs (Art. 11.13) | The employer may not charge the worker any cost, directly or indirectly, beyond what the law expressly allows |
| Agency fees (Art. 5.2) | An agency may not demand or accept any commission or expense from the worker, directly or indirectly |
| Death in service (Art. 11.12) | Heirs receive the wages for that month plus all other entitlements due |
The gratuity question, answered honestly
Almost every page on this topic states flatly that a domestic worker earns "14 days' pay per year of service". Read the law and you find something different. Article 22 of Decree-Law 9/2022 does not contain a formula. In full, it provides that on the Minister's recommendation the UAE Cabinet shall adopt the rules and regulations for calculating and paying end-of-service gratuity for domestic workers. The entitlement is created by the law; the arithmetic is delegated.
Where the number does bind is in timing. Article 19(9) requires the employer to pay the worker's compensation within ten days of the contract's expiry, and Article 20(2) makes clear that where the contract ends for reasons not attributable to the worker, the employer owes the dues plus the cost of repatriation.
What is applied in practice. The figure used in the market, and by MOHRE's own domestic-worker dues calculator, is 14 days' wage for each year of service — that is, monthly wage ÷ 30 × 14 × years, with part-years pro-rated, after one full year of continuous service. On a wage of AED 2,500 over four years that is roughly AED 4,667. We could not open the Cabinet resolution that sets this rule to quote it directly (the UAE legislation portal refuses automated access), so we present the 14-day figure as the applied practice rather than as a statutory quotation. A cap of six months' pay is also frequently repeated online; we found no primary source for it and are not repeating it as fact. Before settling a figure, confirm it against MOHRE's calculator or by calling 600 590000.
Note how different this is from the mainstream regime, where gratuity is 21 days' basic pay a year for the first five years and 30 days thereafter. Run that comparison in the gratuity calculator — and see basic versus total salary for why the mainstream figure is usually smaller than people expect.
The deadline nobody mentions: three months
This is the single most consequential difference between the two regimes, and it is easy to miss. Under Article 26(2), a claim for any entitlement under this decree-law will not be heard after three months from the date the employment relationship ended. In the mainstream Labour Law the equivalent window is a year. A domestic worker who waits for a promised payment, goes home, and then seeks advice is very often already out of time.
Two things soften it. Article 26(3) exempts domestic workers' claims from judicial fees for the whole of the litigation, and requires that they be expedited. And the MOHRE route comes first in any case.
How a dispute actually runs
- MOHRE first. Where employer and worker cannot settle it between themselves, the dispute goes to the Ministry, which is required to attempt an amicable resolution (Art. 23).
- MOHRE can decide it. The Ministry issues a final judgment where the claim is AED 50,000 or less, or where either party ignores an agreed settlement, whatever the amount.
- Appeal in 15 working days. A party unhappy with that decision may file before the competent Court of Appeal within fifteen working days of being notified.
- Otherwise, to court. If conciliation fails within the prescribed period, the file goes to the competent court with a memorandum summarising the dispute and the Ministry's recommendations.
- Keep the three-month clock in view throughout. It runs from the end of the relationship, not from the day the argument started.
Absences and abandonment have their own short deadlines: an employer must notify MOHRE within five days if a worker abandons work, and a worker who leaves without the employer's knowledge must inform the Ministry within two days (Art. 18).
What it costs an employer to get this wrong
Article 17 sets real penalties. Employing a domestic worker without a work permit, recruiting one and then failing to provide work, misusing a domestic-worker permit, or employing anyone under 18 carries a fine of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000. Submitting false information or documents to recruit a worker, or obstructing an inspector, carries up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of AED 20,000 to AED 100,000, or both.
If you employ someone at home
- Use the MOHRE-approved contract and keep the signed copy — the rest of the file depends on it.
- Pay monthly within ten days of the due date and keep the wage receipts. Article 15 makes proof of payment the employer's problem, not the worker's.
- Never hold the passport. Article 11(11) is unambiguous, and it is among the most commonly breached provisions in the whole regime.
- Diarise the leave: 30 days a year, and a flight home every two years.
- On the last day, settle the gratuity and any unused leave inside ten days, and keep the receipt.
FAQ
Do domestic workers get gratuity in the UAE?
Yes. Article 22 of Federal Decree-Law 9 of 2022 creates the entitlement, but delegates the calculation rules to the Cabinet rather than stating a formula. In practice, and in MOHRE's dues calculator, 14 days' wage per year of service is applied. Article 19(9) requires payment within ten days of the contract ending.
How is domestic worker gratuity calculated?
The applied method is monthly wage divided by 30, multiplied by 14 days, multiplied by years of service, with part years pro-rated after the first full year. On AED 2,500 a month over four years that is roughly AED 4,667. Because the formula sits in Cabinet regulation rather than the decree-law, confirm the figure with MOHRE before settling.
Are domestic workers covered by the UAE Labour Law?
No. Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021 does not apply to them. Domestic workers in the nineteen occupations listed in the Implementing Regulation — housemaid, nanny, cook, driver, gardener, guard and others — are governed by Federal Decree-Law 9 of 2022 instead.
How long does a domestic worker have to claim unpaid dues?
Three months from the date the employment relationship ended, under Article 26(2). That is far shorter than the two-year window in the mainstream Labour Law. Claims are exempt from judicial fees and are required to be expedited.
How much annual leave and sick leave does a domestic worker get?
At least 30 days of paid annual leave per year of service, or two days per month between six months and one year, plus a paid return ticket home once every two years. Sick leave is 30 days a year — the first 15 at full pay and the next 15 at half pay, on an approved medical report.
Can an employer keep a domestic worker's passport?
No. Article 11(11) requires that the worker be allowed to retain all official documents. Employers are also barred by Article 11(13) from charging the worker any cost directly or indirectly, and recruitment agencies are barred by Article 5(2) from taking any commission or expense from the worker.
What are the penalties for employing a domestic worker illegally?
A fine of AED 50,000 to AED 200,000 for employing without a work permit, failing to provide work after recruiting, misusing a domestic-worker permit, or employing anyone under 18. Submitting false recruitment documents or obstructing an inspector carries up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of AED 20,000 to AED 100,000, or both.
Sources
- Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 concerning Domestic Workers, official English text — MOHRE
- Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2023 amending certain provisions of Decree-Law 9/2022 (Article 23, disputes)
- Cabinet Resolution No. 106 of 2022, Implementing Regulation of the Domestic Workers decree-law — MOHRE resolutions
- Domestic workers services and enquiries, 600 590000 — Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
Verified 18 August 2026. Article numbers, entitlements and penalties on this page are read directly from MOHRE's published English text of Decree-Law 9/2022, which the Ministry notes is a third-party translation. The 14-day gratuity method and the nineteen-occupation schedule sit in Cabinet Resolution 106 of 2022, which we could not open directly on the day of verification — both are therefore stated as applied practice rather than quoted. The frequently repeated "six months' pay" cap on domestic worker gratuity is unverified and deliberately not asserted here. General information, not legal advice.
Related
- Health insurance for domestic workers — Article 11(5)'s "pay the bills or insure" choice, and why the residence permit removes it in every emirate.
- UAE Gratuity Calculator — the mainstream 21/30-day formula, for comparison.
- When gratuity isn't paid — the mainstream route: 14 days, MOHRE, and a two-year deadline.
- DIFC pays DEWS, not gratuity — the third regime, with monthly contributions instead of a lump sum.
- Unpaid salary and the WPS deadline — the mainstream payday rules since June 2026.