UAE Sick Leave Rules for Abu Dhabi Employees

Independent educational information. This publication does not provide immigration applications or individual legal advice. Confirm requirements with the responsible authority before acting.

For an employee covered by the federal private-sector Labour Law who has completed probation, sick leave can total up to 90 days per year of service, whether taken together or intermittently. The payment tiers are 15 days at full pay, the next 30 at half pay and the remaining 45 without pay. This is not a rule for every employee working in Abu Dhabi.

The first task is to establish whether the illness is ordinary sickness, a work-related injury or an occupational disease. Those situations should not be placed into one payroll category. The UAE Government sick-leave guidance expressly separates ordinary sick leave from occupational injuries and hazards.

Notify the employer promptly

Under Article 31 of the federal law, the employee must notify the employer of sickness within a maximum of three working days and provide a medical report from the medical entity. Follow the workplace's reporting process as soon as reasonably possible, rather than treating the outer limit as a recommended waiting period.

If you are admitted to hospital or cannot access the HR system, arrange a concise notification through a practical channel. Keep the message and send the certificate when available. Tell HR the period you are medically unable to work and how they can contact you for necessary administration. A manager generally needs confirmation of the authorised absence; avoid circulating sensitive medical information widely among colleagues.

Ask which certificate format and any local attestation process are required. An appointment confirmation does not necessarily establish a period of incapacity. Equally, an employer should not treat a properly documented sickness as annual leave simply because a different category is easier to process.

Keep a running pay record

Because intermittent absences count toward the entitlement, several short illnesses can move an employee into the next payment tier. Maintain a record of certified dates and how payroll classified each period. Compare it with the employer's leave ledger, particularly where an absence spans two payroll months.

For example, an employee who has already used 12 days in the relevant service year should not assume that a subsequent ten-day absence is paid entirely at the first tier. The remaining full-pay balance and the next tier must be applied to the correct days. The example demonstrates the sequence only; payroll must still establish the correct reference year and dates.

Ask for the calculation if a payslip shows a reduction that you cannot reconcile. Separate a sick-pay adjustment from unrelated deductions, allowances or unpaid absence. A clear ledger is more useful than an argument based only on the difference between two net salary transfers.

Probation has a different position

Federal private-sector employees are not entitled to paid sick leave during probation under this statutory scheme. The employer may grant unpaid sick leave on a medical report showing its necessity. A contract may provide a better benefit, so read the written terms before concluding that an absence must always be unpaid.

Illness during probation does not remove the need to notify the employer and document the absence. Discuss whether the employee is fit to return and how the absence is being recorded. The probation guidance explains why probation and ordinary termination notices also require separate treatment.

Work-related injuries need separate handling

If the illness or injury arose from work, report the circumstances accurately and ask for the occupational-injury process. Record when and where it occurred, witnesses, treatment and the employer's incident reference. Do not simply accept an ordinary sick-leave debit without checking whether the appropriate injury provisions apply.

The federal guidance also identifies situations where paid sick leave is unavailable because sickness resulted from specified misconduct or breaches of safety instructions. An allegation of misconduct is not a substitute for evidence. Where the classification is disputed, obtain advice about the facts and relevant rule rather than attempting to resolve it through a generic online calculation.

Extended illness and termination

The official federal guidance states that an employer may not dismiss an employee or give termination notice while the employee is on sick leave. After the employee exhausts the 90-day entitlement and cannot return, termination may be possible with the applicable end-of-service rights. An approaching leave limit should therefore trigger a documented discussion about medical evidence, fitness and remaining entitlement.

Do not assume an internal email ending sick pay also cancels residence permission. Employment, immigration status and health-insurance administration are connected but separate processes. If prolonged illness affects continued employment, ask for the proposed sequence in writing and obtain case-specific help where necessary.

Check the correct Abu Dhabi regime

ADGM's Employment Regulations 2024 use a different allowance: up to 60 working days in a 12-month period, with ten working days at full pay, 20 at half pay and 30 unpaid, as described in its official guidance. Those working-day figures must not be substituted into the federal 90-day rule.

Government employees and domestic workers have separate frameworks. Ask HR to identify the legal basis for its calculation and retain the reply with the medical and payroll records. If a federal private-sector dispute remains unresolved, approach MoHRE; an ADGM employee should use ADGM's guidance and dispute channels.

Continue with Abu Dhabi Employment Regulations: Worker Rights, Labour Contracts, Leave and Workplace Obligations for the wider process and supporting guides.

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