UAE Labour Law Sick Leave: Your Day Tiers, Pay, and Rights in 2026

Falling ill while employed in the UAE raises an immediate, practical worry: will you still be paid, and for how long? Most private-sector workers are entitled to paid sick leave, but the amount you receive changes as the days add up, and the rules differ depending on whether you are still in your probation period. Knowing exactly where you stand protects both your income and your job.

Direct answer. Under UAE labour law, sick leave for private-sector employees is governed by [Federal Decree-Law](/dictionary/federal-decree-law) No. 33 of 2021, Article 31. After you complete your probation period, you may take up to 90 days of sick leave per year. Those 90 days are split into three pay tiers: the first 15 days at full pay, the next 30 days at half pay, and the remaining 45 days unpaid. You must notify your employer of your illness within 3 working days. During probation there is no automatic right to paid sick leave, though unpaid sick leave may be granted subject to a medical report. Always confirm the current detail on mohre.gov.ae before relying on it, as ministerial resolutions can refine how the law is applied.

How the 90-day sick leave entitlement works

The headline figure under UAE labour law sick leave rules is 90 days per year of service. That is not 90 days of full salary — it is a tiered entitlement that steps down as your absence lengthens:

• Days 1–15: full pay
• Days 16–45: half pay
• Days 46–90: unpaid

The 90 days can be taken continuously or intermittently across the year. So an employee who takes a week off in spring and another fortnight in autumn draws from the same annual pool. Once the 90 days are exhausted within the same year, no further statutory paid or unpaid sick-leave protection applies under Article 31, and what happens next is discussed in the dismissal section below.

This structure sits alongside the broader leave framework in the law. If you want the wider picture of how leave, hours and end-of-service entitlements fit together, our complete guide to UAE labour law walks through the whole system.

The probation rule: why timing matters

Sick leave is one of the clearest examples of how your probation period changes your rights. The paid sick-leave entitlement under Article 31 applies after you complete probation. During probation, an employee does not have an automatic right to paid sick leave.

That does not mean you must work through an illness. The employer may grant unpaid sick leave during probation, typically against a medical report from an approved clinic or hospital. The practical takeaway: if you fall ill in your first months, expect time off to be available but not necessarily paid, and keep your medical documentation in order.

Because probation interacts with so many entitlements — notice, termination, and leave among them — it is worth understanding the full picture. See our explainers on employment contract termination in the UAE and the UAE notice period and garden leave for how those rules connect.

Your reporting duty: the 3-working-day rule

Entitlement is not automatic — you have to claim it correctly. UAE labour law requires you to notify your employer of your illness within 3 working days and to support the absence with a medical report from a competent medical authority.

A few practical points:

• Tell your employer as soon as you reasonably can; do not wait until the third day if you can notify sooner.
• Keep written proof of the notification (an email or message is ideal) so the date is recorded.
• Obtain a medical certificate from a licensed clinic, hospital, or government health authority; a private note without proper credentials may be challenged.

Missing the reporting window or failing to produce a valid medical report can put your entitlement — and in some cases your continued employment — at risk. If you are unsure what counts as a competent medical authority in your emirate, confirm the current guidance on mohre.gov.ae.

Full pay, half pay, unpaid: a clear comparison

It helps to see the three tiers side by side, because the financial impact escalates quickly:

For most short-term illnesses, you will never leave the full-pay band. The half-pay and unpaid tiers matter most for serious conditions, surgery recovery, or long-term treatment. If your "pay" includes allowances, confirm whether sick-leave pay is calculated on basic wage or total wage for your contract — practice can vary, so check your contract terms and confirm the current position on mohre.gov.ae before relying on a figure.

Work injury vs ordinary sickness: an important distinction

The 90-day tiered system above covers ordinary illness — the flu, a non-work-related condition, a planned operation. It does not govern injuries or illnesses caused by your work.

Work-related injury or occupational illness is treated under a separate, more protective part of UAE labour law. In broad terms, an employee injured at work is generally entitled to medical treatment and, while recovering, to continued payment of wages for a defined period, with the framework distinguishing between full-pay and reduced-pay phases of recovery and providing compensation where a permanent disability results. The exact entitlements, percentages, and timelines for work injuries differ from the ordinary sick-leave tiers — so do not assume the 15/30/45 split applies to a workplace accident.

If your absence stems from a work injury, this is an area where the specifics genuinely matter. Confirm the applicable rules on mohre.gov.ae and consider speaking to a lawyer, because misclassifying a work injury as ordinary sickness can cost you significant compensation.

Can you be dismissed while on sick leave?

This is the question that worries most employees, and the law offers real protection. UAE labour law restricts an employer's ability to terminate an employee during a legitimate sick-leave period.

The key limits to understand:

• An employer generally cannot dismiss you simply because you are on sick leave within your entitlement.
• If you exhaust the 90-day entitlement in a year and remain unable to return to work, the employer may then be permitted to terminate — typically after the entitlement is fully used and the employee still cannot resume duties.
• Termination connected to sickness must still respect the law's procedural requirements, and an employee dismissed in breach of these rules may have a claim.

If you believe you were dismissed unlawfully while sick, you can raise the matter — first through the Ministry, then potentially through the labour court. Our guide to labour court procedure in Dubai explains how that process works. Confirm the current termination protections on mohre.gov.ae, as these are exactly the provisions most often refined by resolution.

How sick leave interacts with your other leave

Sick leave does not exist in isolation. Employees often ask how it lines up with annual leave, and the two are distinct entitlements:

• Sick leave is for genuine illness, supported by a medical report, and follows the 90-day tiered structure.
• Annual leave is your paid holiday entitlement, accrued separately, and cannot be used to disguise long-term sickness.

Falling ill during a booked annual leave can raise questions about whether those days convert — practice varies, so check your contract and your employer's policy. To understand your paid-holiday rights in parallel, see our UAE annual leave entitlements for 2026. And if you want to see exactly how leave pay is calculated, our UAE leave salary calculation guide with formulas and examples breaks down the maths.

You can also explore these topics conversationally with our free legal AI assistant, which can point you to the right rules for your situation.

Practical steps if you fall ill

To keep your entitlement secure, follow a simple routine the moment you know you cannot work:

1. Notify your employer promptly — within the 3-working-day window, and ideally on day one. Put it in writing.
2. Get a proper medical report from a licensed or government-approved medical authority.
3. Keep copies of every certificate and message; you may need them if a dispute arises.
4. Track your sick days across the year so you know which pay tier you are in.
5. Check your contract for how sick pay is calculated and whether your company policy is more generous than the legal minimum — many are.

Employers cannot lawfully reduce entitlements below the statutory floor, but they can offer more. Knowing the legal minimum lets you tell the difference.

Common situations and what the law suggests

• "I'm still on probation and I'm sick." Expect time off to be available, but it may be unpaid; bring a medical report.
• "I've used my 15 full-pay days." Your next absences this year fall into the half-pay band, then the unpaid band.
• "I was hurt at work." This is likely a work-injury matter, not ordinary sick leave — different and usually stronger protections apply.
• "My employer is threatening to fire me while I'm signed off." Dismissal during legitimate sick leave is restricted; document everything and seek advice.

In every case, the safest move is to keep records and confirm the current rule before acting on a figure, because ministerial resolutions periodically update the detail.

When to talk to a lawyer

Most sick-leave situations resolve with good records and a clear understanding of the tiers above. But some are worth professional advice: a dismissal during or just after sick leave, a disputed work injury, an employer refusing to pay the full or half-pay tiers you are owed, or a medical report being rejected without good reason. The compensation difference between an ordinary-sickness classification and a work-injury claim alone can be substantial.

If your situation involves any of these, you can browse verified UAE lawyers on LEXAI and contact one directly to discuss your case. Getting the classification and the timing right early is far cheaper than untangling a wrongful-dismissal claim later.

This article is general information about UAE labour law sick leave, not legal advice for your specific circumstances. Statutory detail can change through ministerial resolutions — confirm the current position on official UAE government sources before you act.