Is the lunch break included in working hours in the UAE?

Generally, under the UAE Labour Law, rest and meal breaks taken during the working day are not counted within the actual working hours. The law requires that employees are not made to work several continuous hours without a break for rest, meals and prayer, and these break periods normally sit outside the calculated working time rather than inside it. In practice this means a typical schedule spans the working hours plus the break, so an 8-hour working day may run longer on the clock once the break is added. There are exceptions for certain roles and operations where, by the nature of the work, the employee cannot leave their post; in those cases the arrangement may be treated differently. Your contract and company policy should specify your break timing and whether it is paid. Because the precise break duration and the threshold of continuous hours are set by the law and its regulations, confirm the current rule with MOHRE. If you believe your breaks are being wrongly counted or denied, you can raise it with MOHRE, and you can compare verified UAE legal professionals on LEXAI.