UAE Overtime Pay Calculator (Night and Rest Day Rates)

How is overtime calculated in the UAE?

Working hours and overtime for private sector employees are set by Articles 17 to 19 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Normal working hours are up to 8 a day and 48 a week. Anything your employer asks you to work beyond that is overtime.

The calculator works in three steps:

1. Find your basic hourly wage: monthly basic salary / 30 days / 8 hours. This is the common way to do it, though the law does not fix the formula, so your contract may use another.
2. Multiply each type of overtime hour by the right rate: +25% for normal overtime, +50% for overtime between 10pm and 4am, and +50% for hours on a rest day or public holiday.
3. Add the three amounts together.

As with gratuity, only your basic salary counts. Housing, transport and other allowances are left out unless your contract says otherwise.

A worked example

Say your basic salary is AED 6,000 a month. Your basic hourly wage is 6,000 / 30 / 8 = AED 25. This month you worked:

• 10 hours of normal overtime: 10 x 25 x 1.25 = AED 312.50
• 4 hours of overtime between 10pm and 4am: 4 x 25 x 1.5 = AED 150
• 8 hours on your rest day, paid instead of a day off: 8 x 25 x 1.5 = AED 300

Your overtime pay for the month is 312.50 + 150 + 300 = AED 762.50, on top of your normal salary.

If your employer uses a different formula for the hourly wage, the result changes in proportion. The calculator shows the hourly figure it uses, so you can compare it with your payslip and ask HR how theirs is worked out.

Rules to know

The 144-hour limit means you cannot work 2 extra hours every day for weeks on end. Eight normal hours plus 2 overtime hours, six days a week, would add up to 180 hours in three weeks, well over the limit.

What about Ramadan?

During Ramadan, normal working hours in the private sector are cut by 2 hours a day. If you keep working your usual hours, the extra time can count as overtime. Our guide to Ramadan in the UAE explains how the month changes daily life and work.

Who is not covered by these rules?

• Senior staff: board members and supervisors who hold the employer's powers are excluded from the overtime rules.
• Shift workers: the night rate does not apply to people whose job is organised in shifts that include night hours.
• Some other roles: certain jobs that by their nature need different hours follow their own rules.
• Better contracts: your contract or company policy may pay more than the legal minimum. The law sets the floor, not the ceiling.

Tips if you work extra hours

• Keep your own record of dates and hours, and note which hours fell between 10pm and 4am.
• Check whether a rest day was paid or swapped for another day off. You get one or the other, not both.
• Overtime is not part of your basic salary, so it does not raise your gratuity. You can check your end of service amount with our gratuity calculator.
• If overtime is not paid, raise it with HR first, then with MOHRE. Our UAE labour law guide for employees covers working hours and complaints.