How much of my monthly salary can legally be deducted in the UAE?

UAE labour law does not let an employer deduct an unlimited portion of your wages. To protect your basic livelihood, the law caps the total amount that can be deducted from your pay in a given period, even when the underlying deduction (such as repaying a loan or recovering damage) is otherwise lawful. This means several valid deductions cannot be stacked to swallow most of your salary. The specific maximum proportion is set in the regulations and can be updated, so confirm the current figure directly with MOHRE rather than relying on a fixed number. The principle to remember is that deductions must both have a lawful reason and stay within the overall cap. If the amounts taken from your salary leave you with little or nothing, that is a strong sign the cap is being breached. Keep your payslips showing each deduction and the resulting net pay, and raise the matter with MOHRE. To check whether your deductions exceed the legal limit, you can compare verified UAE employment lawyers on LEXAI.