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UAE Handbook

Salary not paid in the UAE: MoHRE complaint and deadlines

On the UAE mainland last month's salary is due on the first day of each month, and at least 85 per cent must be paid on time[source]. If it is not, MoHRE starts acting against the employer from the second day[source]. You can also file a complaint with MoHRE yourself, and a claim can be heard for two years after the job ends[source].

Verified against u.ae: Payment of salaries/wages (Ministerial Resolution 340/2026), updated 25 Sep 2026, Due date, UAE Government portal (u.ae) ; Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regulating Labour Relations (consolidated English text, last updated 29 Jul 2024), Art. 54(2)-(3), UAE Federal Government (uaelegislation.gov.ae) ; Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regulating Labour Relations (consolidated English text, last updated 29 Jul 2024), Art. 45(1), UAE Federal Government (uaelegislation.gov.ae) ; Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Regulating Labour Relations (consolidated English text, last updated 29 Jul 2024), Art. 54(9), UAE Federal Government (uaelegislation.gov.ae) , on .

Covers the mainland, where WPS and MoHRE apply, and ADGM. The DIFC payment rule is still being checked. Other free zones are not covered yet.

How a MoHRE complaint works

  • You apply to MoHRE, which examines the complaint and tries to settle it[source].
  • If the claim is AED 50,000 or less, MoHRE decides it and the decision can be enforced. Either side can take it to court within 15 working days[source].
  • Above that, if there is no settlement within 14 days, MoHRE refers the dispute to court[source].
  • Labour cases are free of court fees at every stage[source].
  • If you give MoHRE 14 business days' notice and the employer does not fix the breach, you may leave without notice and keep your rights[source].

Not yet verified: MoHRE's own complaint service page, its channels and the 80084 hotline. mohre.gov.ae could not be opened from our network, so we link to the service through u.ae and give no channel details as fact.

Two years, not one

u.ae still says that no claim is heard after one year under Article 10[source]. The consolidated law text, last updated on 29 July 2024, sets two years from the end of the work relation in Article 54(9)[source]. Article 10 is about non-compete clauses[source]. We follow the law text. Do not wait: the WPS steps below run from the first day.

Your dates

Enter the dates you know. The deadlines below are worked out in your browser; nothing is saved or sent.

Mainland: step by step

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Ministerial Resolution 340/2026 (WPS) and 47/2022, as summarised on u.ae.

  1. Day 0

    EmployerLast month's salary falls due; at least 85% must be paid on time.

    Where: WPS

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  2. Day 2

    MoHREAlerts and notifications to the employer.

    Where: Automatic

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  3. Day 5

    MoHRENew work permits for the employer are suspended.

    Where: Automatic

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  4. Day 11

    MoHREFine and downgrade of the establishment on a repeat within six months.

    Where: Automatic

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  5. Day 16

    MoHREAutomatic registration of a labour dispute, for employers with 25 or more workers (and certain sectors).

    Where: Automatic

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  6. Day 21

    MoHREExecutive instrument for the wages (under 50 workers), precautionary attachment, travel ban on the person in charge.

    Where: Automatic

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  7. Any time

    YouFile a salary complaint ("My Salary Complaint").

    Where: MoHRE service linked from u.ae

    Partly verified. Link verified on u.ae; the MoHRE service itself not read (S).

    Legal basis
  8. Complaint + 14 business days

    YouYou may leave without notice and keep your rights if you notified MoHRE 14 business days ahead and the employer did not fix the breach.

    Counted in business days, Monday to Friday. Public holidays are not counted here, so the real deadline can be later.

    Where: Notify MoHRE

    Legal basis
  9. During the dispute

    MoHREMoHRE can order the employer to keep paying wages for up to 2 months.

    Legal basis
  10. MoHRE decision + 15 working days

    Both partiesMoHRE decides disputes up to AED 50,000 itself; the decision is enforceable. To challenge it, file a case within 15 working days.

    Counted in business days, Monday to Friday. Public holidays are not counted here, so the real deadline can be later.

    Where: Court of first instance. No fee

    Legal basis
  11. Complaint + 14 days

    MoHREAbove AED 50,000 and no settlement: referred to court.

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  12. Referral + 14 days

    YouRegister the case with the labour court in your emirate.

    Where: Labour court of the emirate. No fee

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  13. Referral + 6 months

    MoHREIf the complaint led to the work stopping, the work permit is cancelled.

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  14. Judgment + 14 days

    YouApply to cancel the old permit if the employment has ended.

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis
  15. If the employer goes bankrupt

    YouClaim from the employer's insurance or bank guarantee, up to AED 20,000 per worker.

    Source is u.ae, the official government portal. It is guidance, not the law text, and the law text for this step has not been checked yet.

    Legal basis

ADGM: step by step

ADGM Employment Regulations 2024 (consolidated, September 2025).

  1. Pay period end + 14 days

    EmployerADGM: wages must be paid within 14 calendar days of the end of the pay period. Claims go to the ADGM Courts.

    Legal basis

DIFC: step by step

DIFC Employment Law No. 2 of 2019 (consolidated, July 2025).

Not yet verified

  • DIFC: the equivalent pay-period rule has not been extracted. Claims go to the DIFC Courts within six months of the end of employment.

We have not read an official source for this yet, so we give no deadline. Do not rely on it.

Also worth knowing

If the job ends

Final pay, the ILOE claim and the visa grace period are on fired or made redundant: what happens on which day. Every situation we cover is listed under when things go wrong.

Not legal advice. Checked against the law and official sources on 6 October 2026. The official Arabic text of federal law prevails over English translations.

What changed on this page

  • Published: the WPS steps under Ministerial Resolution 340/2026 and the MoHRE complaint route, with a two-year claim limit (Art. 54(9)).