What the law says
Under Articles 17 to 19 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, normal working hours are a maximum of 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week. Overtime is paid at the basic wage for the hours worked plus an increase of not less than 25 percent. Overtime worked between 10 pm and 4 am carries an increase of not less than 50 percent, except for shift workers. Work on the weekly rest day is compensated either with another day off or with the wage for that day plus an increase of not less than 50 percent of the basic wage for that day. The same applies to work on a public holiday under Article 28.
Limits
- Overtime may not exceed 2 hours per day, and total working hours may not exceed 144 hours every 3 weeks.
- The Executive Regulations allow an exception where the work is needed to prevent a serious loss or accident.
- No more than 5 consecutive hours may be worked without a break of at least one hour in total.
- During the holy month of Ramadan, regular working hours are reduced by two hours a day under the Executive Regulations.
How the calculator works
It converts the monthly basic wage into an hourly wage by dividing by 30 days and by 8 hours, which is a common convention because the law bases overtime on the basic wage for normal hours. It then pays normal overtime at 125 percent, night overtime at 150 percent and rest-day or holiday hours at 150 percent. Rest-day work paid in cash is shown here at 150 percent of the hourly wage; your employer may instead give another day off. Your contract may provide higher rates, and overtime may not be due to some categories of employees. Treat the result as a minimum estimate.
Records that protect both sides
Overtime disputes are usually settled by records, so keep a short approval for each overtime request, the actual start and finish times, and a note when the hours fall between 10 pm and 4 am or on a rest day or public holiday. Pay overtime in the same payroll run as the month it was worked and show it as a separate line on the payslip. If a worker's total overtime in any three weeks approaches 144 hours, review the roster instead of approving more hours.