Hire and pay employees in United Arab Emirates, hassle-free
With Deel, your business can easily hire employees in United Arab Emirates. No more worrying about local laws, complex tax systems, or managing international payroll. Deel takes care of everything in 150+ countries. The average onboarding time frame in the United Arab Emirates is 20 days with Deel.
Onboard, pay and manage employees in United Arab Emirates with Deel
Usually, to hire in United Arab Emirates, your business needs an entity. That means a local office, an address registered as a subsidiary, and an account with a local bank. All of this, plus navigating regional benefits, payroll, tax, and HR laws, can take months.
Now you can hire employees in United Arab Emirates quickly, easily, and compliantly. Automate tax document collection, payroll, benefits, and more. For your existing direct employees, we can manage your entire payroll operation from end-to-end.
Currency United Arab Emirates Dirham
Capital Abu Dhabi
Official language Arabic
Payroll cycle Monthly
All the necessary benefits for United Arab Emirates built right in
Deel allows you to provide localized benefits for employees in United Arab Emirates within minutes. All in one manageable online dashboard in a single HR platform.
- Health Insurance
- Pension
- Public Health Insurance
- Social Security
- Unemployment Insurance
- Private Health Insurance (CIGNA)
- Workman's Compensation Insurance
- Optional global health insurance - Allianz
Our quickstart guide to hiring in United Arab Emirates
Navigate the tabs below to learn everything you need to know about hiring an employee in United Arab Emirates
Minimum Wage Requirements
In the UAE there is no minimum wage stipulated by law for expatriates.
Individual Income Tax
Employees pay no income tax. However, certain employees may be subject to social security contributions.
Payroll Cost
The estimated employer costs vary depending on the employee’s nationality. For expat employees, the estimated employer cost is 0.06% of their monthly salary plus mandatory health insurance.
Social Security (UAE and GCC nationals only) - 12.5%-15%* of the employee's monthly gross salary for UAE nationals. The contribution percentage may vary for GCC nationals.
Workmen Insurance Compensation - 0.06%
Mandatory Private Health Insurance - Monthly estimate: AED 1,083.33
*12.5% for salaries below AED 20,000, 15% for salaries higher than AED 20,000, capped at a maximum salary for the contribution of AED 70,000. The cost may vary for GCC nationals.
Additional information about the mandatory private health insurance
The cost for the medical insurance will be adjusted based on the gender, age, and marital status of the employee and varies from AED 7,388 to AED 38,071 (including issuance fee and VAT) per year. The cost is invoiced annually. In the first invoice, this cost will be pro-rated from the enrolment date to the next policy expiration (June 8).
Please note: Visa fees will be determined case by case. Additional costs apply to employees who are UAE and GCC nationals.
These costs are provided as estimates and are intended solely for general informational purposes. To fully comprehend all associated costs and fees related to the terms of any employment agreement for this country, please contact our Sales team for a quote.
Overtime Pay & Maximum Hours
Standard working hours are 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week. The standard workweek is from Sunday to Thursday. During Ramadan work hours are reduced to 6 hours per day.
Overtime payment is mandatory for non-managerial positions. Managerial staff may take a day off in lieu if they have worked additional hours or days. Hours outside of standard work hours are considered overtime. Employees can not work more than a maximum of 2 hours of overtime per day or 144 hours in total over a 3 week period. For additional hours, employees are paid:
-
General Overtime - 125% of the hourly rate
-
Between 10pm and 4am - 150% of the hourly rate
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Weekends and public holidays - 150% of the hourly rate
Download the complete guide to hiring in United Arab Emirates
Hiring in United Arab Emirates, hassle-free
With Deel, your business can easily hire employees in United Arab Emirates with our EOR solution. If you have an entity, our Global Payroll solution takes care of payroll and compliance for your direct employees. Our 250+ in-house experts handle everything from managing local laws, complex tax systems, or your payroll in United Arab Emirates and 150+ countries.
Management fee
Starting at
$599
/month
Estimated Employer Cost
0.06%
of employee salary