# What to Pay a Maid or Nanny in the UAE in 2026: Salary Bands, Raises and Keeping Good Help

> The UAE sets no official maid minimum wage, so pay is driven by nationality, role and the market. Current salary bands for live-in, live-out and part-time help, the source-country floors that apply, what a fair raise looks like, how end-of-service works, and why keeping a good worker beats re-hiring.

_Author: Mariam Al-Suwaidi · Published: 2026-07-29 · 11 min read · Source: https://www.rufy.ae/blog/maid-nanny-salary-raises-retention-uae-2026_

The UAE does not publish an official minimum wage for maids and nannies, so what you pay comes down to three things: nationality, the role, and the going market rate. That leaves a lot of families guessing, and either overpaying at the start or underpaying and losing a good worker within the year.

This guide is for families who already employ, or are budgeting to employ, a maid or nanny and want to pay fairly and keep good help. Whether your worker is live-in, live-out or part-time, it sets out the 2026 salary bands, the source-country floors that apply, what a fair raise looks like, how the end-of-service gratuity is treated, and the honest math of keeping a worker versus starting again. We flag which figures are market ranges and which are legal.

## Live-in salary bands by nationality (2026)

These are typical monthly cash salaries for a live-in maid or nanny, where accommodation and food are provided on top. They are market estimates gathered from licensed agencies, not government figures, and they line up with our [UAE salaries-by-nationality guide](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/domestic-worker-salaries-uae-by-nationality-2026). Filipinas sit at the top, largely because of experience and language; African nationalities usually sit lower.

| Nationality | Maid (AED/month) | Nanny (AED/month) |

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

| Filipina | 1,800 – 3,000 | 2,500 – 3,500+ |

| Indonesian | 1,400 – 2,000 | 1,800 – 2,600 |

| Sri Lankan | 1,400 – 2,200 | 1,600 – 2,500 |

| Indian | 1,200 – 2,500 | 1,600 – 2,600 |

| Nepali | 1,000 – 2,500 | 1,400 – 2,600 |

| Kenyan | 1,200 – 1,800 | 1,300 – 2,000 |

| Ethiopian / Ugandan | 1,000 – 1,600 | 1,200 – 1,800 |

*Typical live-in maid and nanny salaries in the UAE by nationality (2026, market estimates in AED/month)*

Experience is the single biggest premium, often 30% to 50% for a worker with five or more verified years, and good English or Arabic adds a few hundred dirhams.

## The source-country floors that apply

Some sending countries set a minimum salary for their own nationals, which effectively becomes your floor for that nationality. Confirm current figures through the [UAE government portal](https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/jobs/domestic-workers) or the relevant consulate, but as a guide:

- **Philippines**: around USD 400 a month (roughly AED 1,470). A higher USD 500 figure has been discussed but is not confirmed as binding for the Gulf, so treat AED 1,470 as the working floor.
- **Indonesia**: the embassy sets a tiered minimum scale that starts around AED 1,400 and rises with experience; confirm the current tier.
- **India**: reportedly around AED 1,100 via the eMigrate clearance, with food, accommodation and insurance required on top of the wage.
- **Ethiopia, Kenya and others**: deployment rules change and fresh-hire routes are not always open, so many hires are in-country transfers. Do not assume a nationality is freely available; check before you commit.

## Live-in, live-out or part-time?

Your arrangement changes both the cost and what is legal:

| Arrangement | Typical worker pay | Who it suits |

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

| Live-in | AED 1,000–3,000/mo cash, plus room and board | Full-time childcare or household help, always available |

| Live-out full-time | AED 2,000–3,500 cash (total employer cost AED 3,500–6,000) | Families who cannot or prefer not to house a worker |

| Part-time / hourly | About AED 35/hour via a Tadbeer centre | Occasional cleaning, no full-time need |

*Maid arrangements in the UAE compared (2026)*

> There is no freelance or “own-visa” domestic-worker route in the UAE. Part-time help must be arranged through a licensed Tadbeer centre. Employing a maid privately by the hour, or taking on someone on a visit visa, is illegal and carries fines that start at AED 50,000. Do it the licensed way.

Our [full-time, part-time or hourly guide](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/full-time-part-time-hourly-maid-dubai-uae-2026) walks through which arrangement fits which household, and you can benchmark any figure with the [Salary Index](https://www.rufy.ae/tools/salary-index).

## Raises: expected, but not required

The domestic workers law requires you to pay the agreed wage in full and on time; it does not require an increase. Raises are custom, not law, and there is no reliable published “typical percentage,” so be wary of anyone who quotes one as a rule. In practice, families revisit pay at the two-year contract renewal, rewarding a worker who has proven herself and knows the household. A modest raise at renewal is one of the cheapest retention tools you have.

## End-of-service gratuity: how it really works

A domestic worker who completes at least one year of continuous service is entitled to an end-of-service benefit, paid when the relationship ends. It is worth understanding how it is set, because families routinely reach for the wrong formula.

> Do not assume the mainland labour-law figure of 21 days a year applies. That rule is for private-sector company employees, not domestic workers. The domestic-worker gratuity is set under the domestic workers law by Cabinet decision, and the amount applied in practice is commonly cited as around 14 days’ wage per year of service, though the figures quoted online conflict.

Because the exact entitlement is not a single fixed published number the way the mainland rule is, confirm the current figure with [MOHRE](https://www.mohre.gov.ae/en) or its [gratuity calculator](https://www.rufy.ae/tools/gratuity-calculator) before you settle up. Two things are clear: the benefit accrues the whole time she stays, and you may not deduct it, or any recruitment cost, from her salary.

## Retain or re-hire? The real cost

Before deciding a worker is not worth a raise, price the alternative. Recruiting again through a Tadbeer centre means a new package, medical, insurance and visa, plus the weeks in between with no help. Our [real cost of hiring a maid in the UAE](https://www.rufy.ae/blog/real-cost-of-hiring-a-maid-uae-2026) breaks the full first-year figure down, and it dwarfs a couple of hundred dirhams a month on a raise. In most cases, keeping a good, settled worker is simply the cheaper decision, before you even count the value of trust with your children.

## Common mistakes to avoid

- Assuming the mainland 21-day gratuity applies to a maid; the domestic-worker figure is different and Cabinet-set.
- Hiring part-time help off the books, which is illegal and carries fines starting at AED 50,000.
- Quoting a live-out “AED 5,000” as the worker’s salary when it is really the total employer cost, sponsorship included.
- Ignoring a source-country floor and offering below it, which can block the hire.
- Inventing a “standard raise percentage”; there is no reliable published one, so size a raise to tenure and the market.

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## The bottom line

Benchmark against the market bands, respect the source-country floor where one applies, reward tenure at renewal, and remember that gratuity is building in the worker’s favour the whole time. If you are hiring or comparing, [browse verified maids and nannies](https://www.rufy.ae/browse?service=maid) to see live market pay, or check a fair figure in the [Salary Index](https://www.rufy.ae/tools/salary-index).

## FAQ

### What is the minimum salary for a maid in the UAE?

The UAE sets no official minimum wage for domestic workers. Some source countries set a floor for their own nationals: the Philippines is around USD 400 a month (about AED 1,470). Market pay ranges from roughly AED 1,000 to 3,000+ depending on nationality, role and experience.

### How is a maid’s end-of-service gratuity calculated in the UAE?

A domestic worker who completes at least a year is entitled to an end-of-service benefit, paid at the end of the contract. It is not the mainland 21-days-a-year rule (that is for company employees); the domestic-worker gratuity is set under the domestic workers law by Cabinet decision, commonly applied at around 14 days per year. Because quoted figures vary, confirm the current amount with MOHRE before settling.

### Can I hire a part-time maid privately by the hour in Dubai?

No. There is no freelance domestic-worker visa in the UAE. Part-time and hourly help must be arranged through a licensed Tadbeer centre. Employing a maid privately by the hour, or someone on a visit visa, is illegal and carries fines starting at AED 50,000.

### Does a source-country minimum salary apply in the UAE?

Often, yes. Several sending countries set a minimum for their nationals, which becomes your effective floor: the Philippines around AED 1,470, Indonesia a tiered scale from about AED 1,400, and India reportedly around AED 1,100 plus food, accommodation and insurance. Confirm the current figure with the relevant consulate before you offer.

### Is live-out or live-in cheaper for the employer?

Live-in is usually cheaper in total, because the worker’s cash salary is lower when room and board are provided. Live-out looks higher (often quoted at AED 3,500–6,000) because that figure is the total employer cost including sponsorship, not the worker’s take-home. Part-time via Tadbeer suits families who only need occasional help.