Managing leave for part-time staff in the United Arab Emirates
Reviewed by Mellow Editorial Team, HR & payroll content team
Part-time employees in the UAE are entitled to annual leave, and their entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis relative to the hours or days they work compared to a full-time equivalent. Here is how to manage it correctly.
What the law says about part-time work
Federal Decree-Law No. 33/2021 formally recognised part-time employment as a distinct work pattern in the UAE. Under this framework, an employer and employee can agree on a contract where the employee works fewer hours than a standard full-time schedule, either for a single employer or across multiple employers.
The law grants part-time employees the same rights as full-time employees, proportionate to their working time. That principle applies directly to leave entitlements.
How to calculate pro-rata annual leave
A full-time employee who has completed one year of service is entitled to 30 calendar days of annual leave. For a part-time employee, you scale that entitlement down based on the fraction of full-time hours they work.
The formula is straightforward:
Part-time annual leave = (Part-time hours per week ÷ Full-time hours per week) × 30 days
For example, if your standard full-time week is 48 hours and a part-time employee works 24 hours, they work at 50% of full-time. Their annual leave entitlement is 15 calendar days after one year of service.
A few practical points to keep in mind:
- The one-year service threshold still applies before an employee accrues the full entitlement. During the first year, leave accrues monthly at the pro-rata rate.
- If an employee has not completed one year but their contract ends, they are entitled to leave pay for the portion of the year worked, again calculated on a pro-rata basis.
- "Calendar days" means weekends and public holidays that fall within a leave period are counted as part of the leave, consistent with how full-time leave is treated.
Sick leave and other leave types
Annual leave is not the only entitlement that applies proportionately. Part-time employees also have access to sick leave under the same pro-rata logic. Full-time employees are entitled to 90 days of sick leave per year (15 days on full pay, 30 days on half pay, 45 days unpaid under the standard statutory structure). A part-time employee's entitlement mirrors their working fraction.
Maternity leave under UAE law is granted at 60 calendar days (45 on full pay, 15 on half pay) for eligible female employees. For part-time staff, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) guidance treats maternity leave as a fixed entitlement rather than a proportionate one — it is not reduced simply because the employee works reduced hours. Confirm the current MOHRE position on your specific case if there is any ambiguity, as interpretations can vary by free zone and jurisdiction.
Bereavement and Hajj leave entitlements are similarly tied to the employment relationship rather than hours worked, so they generally apply in full rather than pro-rata.
Wage Protection System obligations
All employers in mainland UAE are required to process wages through the Wage Protection System (WPS), and this obligation applies equally when paying part-time staff. The salary you pay must match the contracted wage agreed in the part-time employment contract, and that contract must be registered with MOHRE.
Part-time contracts in the UAE are registered using a specific work permit category. Failing to register a part-time arrangement correctly — or paying a part-time employee as a freelancer when they are actually a contracted worker — creates compliance risk. Make sure the work permit type matches the actual working arrangement before the employee starts.
End-of-service gratuity for part-time staff
Part-time employees accrue end-of-service gratuity under the same statutory framework as full-time employees. The accrual is based on basic wage: 21 days' basic wage per year for the first five years of service, and 30 days' basic wage per year after that, capped at two years' total pay.
Because a part-time employee's basic wage is lower than a full-time employee's, the gratuity naturally reflects the part-time pay rate. There is no separate pro-rata adjustment — the calculation simply uses the actual basic wage the employee receives. Keep clear payroll records showing the basic wage component separately from any allowances, since only basic wage feeds into the gratuity calculation.
If you manage payroll across multiple employment types and jurisdictions, a structured payroll process helps keep these calculations consistent. How Mellow runs payroll across six countries on one platform gives a practical illustration of what that looks like in practice.
Record-keeping and disputes
MOHRE can audit employment records, and disputes about leave balances are among the more common complaints lodged by employees. Keep a written record of:
- The agreed part-time hours and the full-time equivalent used for pro-rata calculations
- Leave accrued, taken and remaining, updated each pay cycle
- Any leave carry-over agreements, since UAE law permits employers to set carry-over policies within the statutory floor
Clear documentation protects both the employer and the employee, and makes any end-of-service calculation straightforward to verify.
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