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What is the difference between basic salary and gross salary in the UAE?

Asked by Anonymous·Jun 26, 2026·1 answers
A job seeker comparing two offers is confused by the terms 'basic' and 'gross' on the contract.

This answer is AI-generated by LEXAI. It is general legal information, not legal advice — verify anything you act on with a licensed UAE lawyer. How LEXAI uses AI

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Jun 26, 2026
Basic salary is the wage written in your contract for your work, before any allowances or benefits in kind (Article 1, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021). What people call gross salary matches the law's "wage": basic plus housing, transport and other cash allowances and benefits in kind. Your monthly pay, annual leave taken during service and the salary deduction caps use the full wage. End-of-service gratuity, overtime, the rest-day and public-holiday premium and the unemployment insurance benefit use basic only. Two packages with the same gross can therefore produce different entitlements, so compare the basic figure in each offer, not only the total. The full table is in our guide to basic salary in the UAE.
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