UAE pension and end-of-service gratuity

Pensions for UAE nationals

The General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) runs the federal scheme. It covers nationals working for the federal government, for local government bodies that have joined it, and in the private sector in every emirate except Abu Dhabi. Nationals working in the emirate of Abu Dhabi come under the Abu Dhabi Pension Fund, which has its own law.

Two federal laws apply side by side. Federal Law No. 7 of 1999 covers people who were insured before 31 October 2023. Federal Decree-Law No. 57 of 2023 covers those who enter the labour market for the first time from that date. Under both, the pension is the pension calculation salary multiplied by a percentage that rises with years of contribution; the laws differ in how many years are averaged, in the percentage, and in the conditions for a pension on resignation. A national who leaves without qualifying for a pension receives a one-off payment from the Authority instead.

Gratuity for expatriates

Non-nationals are outside the pension system. What they are owed when a contract ends is set by Article 51 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations: a gratuity for the full-time foreign worker who has completed one year of continuous service, calculated on the last basic wage without allowances and subject to a cap. Cabinet Resolution No. 96 of 2023 introduced an optional savings scheme that an employer may use in place of gratuity. Labour disputes go first to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

Using the calculators

Results are estimates from the figures you enter. Your contract may grant more than the legal minimum, and the authority or the ministry decides the final amount on your actual record.