Correction, 7 October 2026: This guide has been revised to remove unsupported salary-band calculations, automatic old/new-law splits and assumptions that DIFC and ADGM share the same benefits system.
If your employer has not paid what you believe is owed, preserve the evidence and contact the authority governing your employment. Do not rely on promised success rates, automatic penalties or a guaranteed resolution timetable.
Prepare the evidence
Collect your labour contract, amendments, last basic-wage records, service and unpaid-absence records, termination or resignation correspondence, employer’s settlement and payment evidence. Make a short list of unpaid or disputed items and the amount claimed for each.
Use the current service
Open MoHRE’s official website or app and check the labour-complaint service’s eligibility, required documents and authentication steps. Keep the submission reference and respond to requests for further evidence. Do not confuse a salary-reporting service with every type of final-settlement complaint.
Check decisions and deadlines
MoHRE has decision-making powers in qualifying disputes as well as settlement and referral functions. Follow the instructions and appeal deadlines in the actual decision. Ask the authority or a qualified lawyer about time limits; this guide does not set a universal filing window or promise recovery.
Free-zone employment
Confirm the zone’s complaint channel. DIFC and ADGM are separate jurisdictions; do not assume their cases follow the ordinary MoHRE route. If you are abroad, check representation and service requirements rather than assuming all stages can be completed remotely.
The standard federal calculation
For a foreign full-time employee under federal private-sector law, Article 51 uses the last basic wage: 21 days for each of the first five qualifying years, then 30 days for each additional year. After one year of continuous service, fractions of a year are counted proportionately. Unpaid absence is excluded from the gratuity service calculation. Housing and transport allowances are not part of the basic-wage calculation. The statutory ceiling is two years’ wage; keep the distinction between basic wage and total contractual wage clear.
Check which rules apply before using a calculator
DIFC’s DEWS or another qualifying scheme, ADGM employment regulations and the federal alternative Savings Scheme have distinct rules. Part-time work needs its contractual hours ratio; domestic, government and pension-covered employment are outside this standard calculation. Use the free-zone comparison to identify your arrangement.
Compare an itemised breakdown
Use the Final Settlement Checker for a standard federal monthly-paid case. Ask HR for the wage basis, qualifying service, unused leave, notice position, earned pay and each proposed deduction. A calculator estimate is a starting point for questions, not a decision on your legal entitlement.
Reviewed 7 October 2026. General information, not personalised legal advice. If the contract, service continuity, salary change or deduction is disputed, confirm the facts with the relevant authority or a qualified employment adviser.