UAE overtime calculator. Day, night and rest day.
Your normal hour comes off your basic salary. The law then adds 25% to it — or 50% between 22:00 and 04:00, and on a day off.
Basic only — not housing, transport or other allowances.
8 by law, or 48 a week.
Only used to check the 2-hour daily limit.
Overtime pay
20 h on a normal hourly rate of AED 25
- Daytime overtime 20 h × AED 31 (125%)
- AED 625
- Basic salary
- AED 6,000
- Basic + overtime
- AED 6,625
Hourly rate = basic salary ÷ (30 days × 8 hours) = AED 25. The law fixes the uplift but not this divisor — see the note below.
What an overtime hour is worth
On an 8-hour day. The normal hour is the basic salary divided by 30 days and then by the hours in a day; the two columns beside it add the statutory uplift.
| Monthly basic | Normal hour | Daytime overtime (125%) | Night / rest day (150%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 3,000 | AED 12.50 | AED 15.63 | AED 18.75 |
| AED 4,000 | AED 16.67 | AED 20.83 | AED 25.00 |
| AED 5,000 | AED 20.83 | AED 26.04 | AED 31.25 |
| AED 6,000 | AED 25.00 | AED 31.25 | AED 37.50 |
| AED 8,000 | AED 33.33 | AED 41.67 | AED 50.00 |
| AED 10,000 | AED 41.67 | AED 52.08 | AED 62.50 |
| AED 15,000 | AED 62.50 | AED 78.13 | AED 93.75 |
| AED 20,000 | AED 83.33 | AED 104.17 | AED 125.00 |
The rule, in one pass
Step one
Take the basic salary — allowances are outside it — and turn it into an hour.
Step two
Add 25% to that hour, or 50% if it fell between 22:00 and 04:00, or on a day off.
Step three
Multiply by the hours. No more than 2 extra hours may be asked of you in one day.
Leaving on the same day you were paid off? Overtime is not part of the end-of-service calculation, but it is part of the final payslip — the full settlement calculator works out gratuity, unused leave and notice pay, each on its own salary basis.
Where these figures come from
Last checked against the source: 3 September 2026
- UAE Government — Working hours and overtime — the page states it was updated 12 August 2026
One number is a convention, not a rule. The law fixes the uplift in per cent and the basis as the monthly basic salary, but it never states how to turn a month into an hour. We divide by 30 days and then by your contracted hours — the same 30-day month the gratuity calculator on this site uses, so one salary cannot produce two different daily wages here. If MOHRE publishes a worked example that divides differently, this changes.
What this does not cover
- Public holiday work. The working-hours page covers the weekly off-day only; the holiday rule lives elsewhere and we could not retrieve a working official URL for it on 3 September 2026.
- The night rate for shift workers, whom the official page excludes from it by name.
- Categories the Executive Regulations put on different hours, and the summer mid-day break rules under Ministerial Resolution No. 44 of 2022.
- DIFC and ADGM, which run their own employment regimes rather than this law.
Questions
How is overtime calculated in the UAE?
Work out your normal hourly rate from your BASIC salary — not your total package — then add the uplift. The official rule is 25% on top of the normal hour, rising to 50% for overtime worked between 22:00 and 04:00. On a basic salary of AED 6,000 the normal hour is AED 25.00, a daytime overtime hour is AED 31.25 and a night one is AED 37.50.
Is overtime 25% or 125% of my hourly rate?
One hundred and twenty-five per cent. The law says the worker is entitled to pay equal to the normal hour "plus 25 per cent of that pay" — the uplift sits on top of the hour, it does not replace it. Paying only the 25% is the single most common error in the explainer articles on this topic.
What is the maximum overtime allowed per day?
Two hours. The official page states the employer may ask for overtime "provided the number of extra hours does not exceed two hours in one day". This calculator flags it if the hours you enter work out at more than 2 a day.
How does overtime work during Ramadan?
Working hours are reduced by 2 hours a day during Ramadan, so a normal 8-hour day becomes 6 hours and anything beyond that is overtime at the usual rates. Your pay is not reduced, so your hourly rate stays where it was — only the point at which overtime starts moves. The Ramadan switch above does exactly that.
Is overtime paid on basic salary or total salary?
Basic salary. The official wording ties the overtime hour to "normal working hours’ remuneration (which is based on basic salary)". Housing, transport and other allowances are outside it — the same basis as gratuity and unused annual leave, and unlike notice pay, which is on the full wage.
What if I work on my day off?
You are entitled to a substitute rest day, or to pay for those hours at the normal rate plus 50 per cent. It is one or the other, not both, and which one applies is your employer’s choice under the contract or the work regulations.
Does the night rate apply to shift workers?
No. The official page states plainly that the 50% night rule "does not apply on workers who work on basis of shifts". If your contract puts you on a shift pattern that already covers those hours, use the daytime field instead.