# End-of-Service Gratuity for Domestic Workers in the UAE: What the Law Actually Says (2026)

> Most UAE gratuity calculators quote formulas that do not legally apply to domestic workers. The honest picture: what the 2022 law grants, what is commonly paid in practice, the insurance that backs your dues, and how to claim.

_Author: Sara Al-Ahmadi · Published: 2026-08-29 · 10 min read · Source: https://www.rufy.ae/blog/end-of-service-gratuity-domestic-workers-uae-2026_

Search for a UAE gratuity calculator and you will find confident formulas everywhere: 21 days per year, 30 after five years, precise dirham figures to the fils. Here is what almost none of them tell you: those formulas come from the general Labour Law, and domestic workers, maids, nannies, drivers, cooks, are not under that law. Your rules come from the domestic workers law, [Federal Decree-Law 9 of 2022](https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1593), and on end of service that law says something genuinely unusual, which this guide explains honestly rather than papering over. It is written for you, the worker; employers reading along will find what to budget and why fair settlement is also the compliant path.

## What the law actually says (and does not say)

The 2022 law grants domestic workers an end-of-service entitlement in principle, and, in Article 22, delegates the exact calculation to a Cabinet decision. As of 2026, no such Cabinet decision has been published: the executive regulations that accompanied the law did not set a formula either. That leaves a two-layer reality. The right exists in the law's text; the binding number does not yet exist in any published rule. Our [plain-English guide to the law](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/uae-domestic-worker-law-decree-9-2022) covers how the rest of the framework fits together.

> The two-layer reality in one line: the law promises an end-of-service benefit and leaves the formula to a Cabinet decision that has not yet been published, so what you receive today is shaped by practice, your contract, and negotiation, not by a table you can point to.

## What actually happens in practice

In the real market, a working convention has filled the gap: many settlements, calculators and agencies apply roughly 14 days of wage per year of service, after at least one completed year, pro-rated for partial years, calculated on the basic wage. Treat that figure for exactly what it is: a common practice and a reasonable anchor for a settlement conversation, not a statutory entitlement you can quote as law. Two consequences follow. If your employer offers around that level, it sits within mainstream practice. And if your contract promises a defined gratuity, the contract is enforceable as an agreement, which makes the contract clause the strongest number in the room. One more practice note for long service: some guides also cap the total at around six months' wage; treat any such cap exactly like the 14-day figure itself, as practice unless your contract states it.

It is worth knowing where that number comes from, because it is not folklore. Fourteen days per year was the statutory rate under the previous domestic workers law, Federal Law 10 of 2017, whose Article 26 granted exactly that, and which was repealed when the 2022 law took effect. So the convention the whole market follows is the old statutory rule outliving its statute. That history is precisely why it is quoted so widely, and why it remains the most defensible anchor available while the Cabinet decision is pending.

| Monthly wage (AED) | 2 years | 4 years | 6 years |

| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| 1,500 | 1,400 | 2,800 | 4,200 |

| 2,000 | 1,867 | 3,733 | 5,600 |

| 2,500 | 2,333 | 4,667 | 7,000 |

| 3,500 | 3,267 | 6,533 | 9,800 |

*What the ~14-days-per-year practice looks like (indicative, not statutory)*

The arithmetic behind one cell, so you can run your own: 14 days is 14 ÷ 30 of a month, so AED 2,000 × (14 ÷ 30) × 4 years ≈ AED 3,733. Where your wage sits against the market is in the [salary and retention guide](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/maid-nanny-salary-raises-retention-uae-2026).

## The formula that definitely does not apply

The 21-days-then-30-days formula that dominates search results belongs to the general Labour Law, which covers company employees. Domestic workers are expressly under the separate 2022 law. This cuts both ways and is worth saying plainly: you cannot demand the 21-day calculation, and an employer cannot pretend your entitlement is zero because "the Labour Law doesn't cover you", your law grants the benefit in principle and your contract and practice give it a number.

## The insurance that backs your dues

Here is the strongest, least-known protection in the whole picture. The mandatory [worker-protection insurance](https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/jobs/Workplace-regulations/insurance/insurance-system-for-employees-in-the-private-sector) that employers buy (roughly AED 100 for 30 months of cover) officially covers, among other things, unpaid wages for up to the last 120 days, unpaid end-of-service entitlements, unused annual leave paid out in cash and the return air ticket, up to a combined total of AED 20,000. In plain terms: if an employer defaults on a settlement, there is an insurance policy whose stated purpose includes paying what you were owed. Knowing this changes conversations, because a settlement that an employer "cannot afford" is exactly what the policy exists for.

## When it must be settled

End of service means end of the relationship: resignation at term, non-renewal, termination, or a sponsorship transfer to a new family. Settle everything with the final wages: outstanding salary, payment for earned untaken leave, the return ticket where it falls on the employer, and the gratuity conversation itself. If you are leaving the UAE for good, resolve it before the exit; pursuing dues from abroad is far harder. If you are transferring, the old relationship's settlement closes before the new count starts, and the [cancellation and transfer guide](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/cancel-renew-transfer-maid-visa-uae-2026) walks the mechanics.

And there is a hard deadline behind that advice which almost no gratuity guide mentions. Article 28(8) of the 2022 law says a court may not hear a claim arising from it once three months have passed from the date the employment relationship ended. Three months, not the two years people quote from the general Labour Law, which does not cover you. So the settlement conversation has a clock on it: if it is going nowhere and the relationship has ended, file the complaint inside those three months rather than waiting for the employer to come round.

## How to claim, step by step

1. Anchor your number: the contract clause if you have one, otherwise the ~14-days-per-year practice, plus unpaid wages and leave. Write the total down.
2. Ask directly, with the arithmetic shown. Name the contract clause if it exists; most settlements end at this step.
3. Put the request in writing, dated. A message thread is a record.
4. If refused, call MOHRE's Labour Claims and Advisory Center on 80084 (the ministry's main call centre is 600590000) and file a labour complaint: unpaid dues at end of service are squarely a labour matter, and mediation is the designed first step.
5. Raise the insurance: the employer's mandatory policy covers unpaid entitlements up to AED 20,000, and a MOHRE complaint is the path that activates that protection.
6. Sign nothing that says "full and final settlement" until the money is actually in your hands or your account.

## Keep the file that wins settlements

Because the number is shaped by practice and contract rather than a statute, evidence does more work here than in any neighbouring market. From your first month keep, in your own phone and email: the signed contract (especially any gratuity clause), the wage trail, transfers or signed receipts, your Emirates ID and passport data page, and any message that mentions money or dates. At settlement time, the worker who produces a contract clause and a twelve-month wage trail is not negotiating from hope; she is presenting a file.

## Signing a new contract? Fix the number now

The best moment to solve the gratuity question is before the service starts. Three clauses turn a future argument into arithmetic: a defined end-of-service benefit (commonly anchored around 14 days of basic wage per year), a clear statement of the basic wage the calculation uses, and how earned untaken leave is paid out at the end. None of these is exotic; agencies see them regularly, and an employer's reaction to being asked is itself useful information about the years ahead.

## If the Cabinet decision finally arrives

The law's design means a published Cabinet formula could land at any time and would replace practice with rule from its effective date. Two sensible expectations if it does: settlements after that date follow the published system, and it would not quietly rewrite fair settlements already made under practice. Until then, the honest hierarchy stands: contract clause first, the ~14-days convention second, and the insurance and MOHRE channel behind both.

## For employers: the honest budget line

If you employ a domestic worker, the practical guidance writes itself. Budget roughly 14 days per year of service as the settlement norm, put a clear gratuity clause in the contract so both sides know the number in advance, and settle with the final wages rather than after the flight. A defined, honoured clause costs less than a dispute, reads as fairness to the worker deciding whether to renew, and keeps you aligned with where the law is visibly heading whenever the Cabinet decision lands.

## Common mistakes that cost workers money

- **Quoting the 21-day formula.** It is not your law, and leading with it hands the employer an easy rebuttal that poisons the rest of the conversation.
- **Accepting "the law gives you nothing".** The right exists in the 2022 law; the missing formula makes the number negotiable, not zero, and your contract may already define it.
- **Forgetting the rest of the settlement.** Unpaid wages and untaken leave are hard entitlements; collect them regardless of how the gratuity conversation goes.
- **Not knowing about the insurance.** AED 20,000 of cover for unpaid dues exists precisely for the employer who "cannot pay".
- **Signing a final receipt before payment.** A signed release for unpaid money is the hardest evidence to argue against, in the wrong direction.

## The bottom line

Your gratuity in the UAE is a right in principle, a practice of about 14 days per year in reality, and a negotiation anchored by your contract, backed by AED 20,000 of mandatory insurance and the MOHRE complaint channel on 80084. Know all four layers and you walk into the settlement conversation stronger than most of the internet's confident calculators would leave you. For the wage side of the same conversation, the [pay and raises guide](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/maid-nanny-salary-raises-retention-uae-2026) has the market numbers, and if a new sponsorship is what comes next, the [transfer guide](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/cancel-renew-transfer-maid-visa-uae-2026) carries the paperwork.

## FAQ

### How is end-of-service gratuity calculated for maids and domestic workers in the UAE?

There is no published statutory formula: Decree-Law 9/2022 grants the benefit in principle and defers the calculation to a Cabinet decision that has not yet been issued. In practice, settlements commonly apply about 14 days of basic wage per year of service after one completed year, pro-rated for partial years, and a gratuity clause in your contract is enforceable as agreed.

### Does the 21-day gratuity formula apply to domestic workers in the UAE?

No. The 21-days-then-30-days formula belongs to the general Labour Law, which covers company employees. Domestic workers are governed by the separate domestic workers law of 2022, which has no published formula yet. Neither side can borrow the Labour Law's numbers.

### What does the domestic worker insurance cover at end of service?

The mandatory worker-protection policy (about AED 100 for 30 months) officially covers unpaid entitlements up to AED 20,000 in total, including unpaid wages for up to the last 120 days and unpaid end-of-service benefits. A MOHRE complaint is the route that brings it into play when an employer defaults.

### Do I get gratuity if I resign or transfer to a new employer?

The entitlement follows the end of the employment relationship, however it ends: resignation at term, non-renewal, termination or a sponsorship transfer. Settle the old relationship, wages, leave, ticket where applicable, and the gratuity conversation, before the new count starts with a new family.

### What should I do if my employer refuses to pay my end-of-service dues?

Ask in writing with your calculation, then call MOHRE's Labour Claims and Advisory Center on 80084 (the ministry's main call centre is 600590000) and file a labour complaint; mediation is the designed first step, and the mandatory insurance covering unpaid dues up to AED 20,000 sits behind it. Never sign a full-and-final receipt for money you have not received.

### Should the gratuity be written into a domestic worker's contract?

Yes, for both sides. With no published statutory formula, a clear contract clause, commonly anchored around 14 days per year, is the strongest number either party has: enforceable for the worker, predictable for the employer, and cheaper than any dispute.

### Is the return ticket part of my end-of-service settlement?

Treat it as its own line in the settlement list. In the normal end-of-contract case, the return ticket home falls on the employer under the framework your contract sits in, separate from the gratuity conversation. Ask for the settlement as an itemised list, wages, leave, ticket, gratuity, so no line quietly disappears inside a round number.