HR & Labour10 Aug 2026 · 6 min read · explainer

UAE Working Hours, Overtime and Ramadan

Apply UAE working-hour, break, overtime, weekly-rest, public-holiday and Ramadan rules with the correct basic-wage premiums and limits.

Normal UAE private-sector working hours are eight hours a day or 48 hours a week under Article 17 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. During Ramadan, Article 15 of the Executive Regulation reduces normal working hours by two hours a day. Overtime is limited and normally attracts a premium calculated from basic wage.

The controlling sources are Articles 17 to 21 of the current consolidated Decree-Law and Article 15 of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022.

Normal hours are the baseline, not a universal roster

Article 17 sets a maximum normal baseline of eight hours per day or 48 hours per week. The law allows the daily hours to be increased or reduced for specified economic sectors or worker categories under the Executive Regulation and ministerial decisions. Work patterns such as part-time and flexible work also need to match the MOHRE contract.

Do not assume a title such as manager automatically removes every working-time protection. Article 20 sends exempt categories to the Executive Regulation, and Article 15 lists defined categories and activities. If an employer relies on an exemption, record the exact legal category instead of using a broad title-based policy.

Breaks after five consecutive hours

Article 18 says a worker should not work more than five consecutive hours without one or more breaks totalling at least one hour. Those breaks do not count as working hours. Shift-based establishments and specified work categories may be organised differently under the Executive Regulation.

A compliant timesheet should distinguish worked time from meal or rest breaks. Automatically deducting a break the worker did not actually receive creates a different problem from scheduling it correctly.

Commuting time

Ordinary travel between home and work is not working time under Article 17. Article 15 of the Executive Regulation gives limited exceptions, including time in employer-provided transport affected by a traffic accident or sudden breakdown, time caught in severe weather under official warnings, and an express contractual agreement.

Travel between work sites during the workday is not the same as the normal home-to-work commute and should be assessed as part of the assigned work.

Overtime limit

Article 19 permits the employer to require overtime within the legal controls. Article 15 of the Executive Regulation generally limits additional work to two hours a day, except where work is necessary to prevent or address serious accident or gross loss. In all cases, total working hours must not exceed 144 hours over three weeks.

Overtime should be authorised before it is worked, but an internal pre-approval rule does not safely erase overtime the employer required or knowingly accepted. Keep the roster, clock records, approval, reason, and payroll result together.

Overtime pay rates

Article 19 calculates the premium from basic wage:

For ordinary overtime, pay the amount corresponding to the normal working hours, calculated on basic wage, plus at least 25% of that amount.
For overtime between 10 pm and 4 am, pay the normal-hours amount calculated on basic wage plus at least 50%. The night premium does not apply to shift workers.

In shorthand, the statutory overtime component is commonly represented as at least 1.25 times the hourly basic-wage rate, or 1.50 times for qualifying night overtime. The worker's contract or policy may provide a more favourable rate. Verify the monthly-to-hourly conversion used by payroll against the actual work pattern and legal requirements.

The UAE salary calculator can help sense-check basic salary versus allowances, but it does not replace the attendance record or an overtime entitlement decision.

Working on the weekly rest day

Article 21 gives a paid weekly rest of at least one day, as set out in the contract or work regulations. If work circumstances require the worker to work on that rest day, Article 19 requires either another rest day or the normal-day wage plus an increase of at least 50% of the basic wage for that day. Except for day workers, a worker may not be required to work more than two consecutive rest days.

Do not merge a substitute weekly rest day with an annual-leave deduction. They come from different entitlements.

Working on a public holiday

Public holidays use Article 28, not the ordinary overtime paragraph. A worker required to work on an official holiday must receive either another rest day for each holiday worked, or the normal-day wage plus at least 50% of the basic wage for that day. See annual leave and public holiday entitlement and plan official dates with the UAE public holidays 2026 tool.

Ramadan working hours

Article 15(2) of the Executive Regulation reduces normal working hours by two hours during the holy month of Ramadan. The provision is written as a reduction to normal hours for workers within its scope, not as a discretionary benefit tied to whether an individual worker is fasting. MOHRE's working-hours guidance repeats the two-hour reduction.

For an eight-hour normal day, the Ramadan normal schedule becomes six hours before overtime analysis. Employers should publish the temporary roster, breaks, remote-work expectations, and coverage plan before Ramadan starts. If hours beyond the reduced normal schedule are required, assess them under the overtime rules rather than quietly preserving the old schedule.

Payroll control example

For every overtime line, store:

worker and work pattern;
date and actual start, break, and finish times;
normal hours for that day, including Ramadan reduction if applicable;
ordinary, night, rest-day, or public-holiday classification;
last applicable basic wage and hourly conversion;
statutory or more favourable multiplier; and
substitute day, payment, and payroll date.

This makes the calculation reviewable at final settlement and avoids treating every extra hour as the same category.

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Primary legal sources

Important note

Shabang is a UAE business and marketing partner, not a law firm. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm exemptions, unusual shifts, free-zone rules, and disputed overtime with MOHRE, the relevant authority, or qualified UAE legal counsel.