Annual Leave

Annual leave is the paid vacation entitlement of UAE private-sector employees: thirty calendar days for each completed year of service, with a pro-rated entitlement after six months. The employer may set leave timing for operational reasons but cannot eliminate the right; leave accrued and untaken must be paid out (cash in lieu, calculated on basic salary) when employment ends, which makes leave balances a standard line item in every end-of-service settlement and MOHRE complaint. Carry-over and forfeiture rules are a frequent dispute area — the law restricts how long leave can be banked and requires employer consent frameworks for carry-over — and employers who claim an employee 'took all leave' must prove it with records. You meet annual leave questions in settlement calculations, employment handbook drafting, and exit negotiations where untaken leave is traded against notice.