UAE and Saudi leave and notice calculator

Annual leave

	UAE	Saudi Arabia
First 6 months	None	21 days a year, earned from the start
6 to 12 months	2 days per full month	21 days a year
After 1 year	30 days a year	21 days a year
After 5 years	30 days a year	30 days a year
Unused leave on leaving	Paid on basic salary	Paid on the wage

In the UAE, unused leave can be carried over with the employer’s agreement, but the employer can’t stop you using leave for more than two years in a row. When you leave, every unused day is paid, plus a share for the part of the year you’ve worked. In Saudi Arabia leave must normally be taken in the year it’s earned, and unused days are paid when the job ends.

The calculator pays each day at a month’s pay divided by 30, the usual method. In the UAE that’s basic salary; in Saudi Arabia it’s the wage including housing allowance.

Notice periods

• UAE: the contract sets the notice period, between 30 and 90 days, and it’s the same for both sides unless it favours the worker. If your employer ends the contract, you can take one unpaid day a week during notice to look for a new job.
• Saudi Arabia: since 19 February 2025, open-ended contracts need 30 days’ notice from a worker who resigns and 60 days from an employer. Fixed-term contracts simply end on their date.
• Pay in lieu: in both countries, a side that doesn’t give the full notice pays the other the wage for the notice period it skipped.

Probation

UAE probation can last up to six months. An employer ending it gives 14 days’ notice; a worker gives 14 days to leave the UAE, or a month to move to another UAE employer. Saudi probation can last up to 180 days and must be written into the contract.

Other paid leave

	UAE	Saudi Arabia
Sick leave	15 days full pay, 30 half pay, 45 unpaid (after probation)	30 days full pay, 60 at 75%, 30 unpaid a year
Maternity	60 days: 45 full pay, 15 half pay	12 weeks full pay
New parent	5 working days	3 days
Bereavement	5 days for a spouse, 3 for a parent, child, sibling or grandparent	5 days for a spouse, parent or child, 3 for a sibling
Marriage	None set by law	5 days
Hajj	Up to 30 days unpaid, once	10 to 15 days paid, once, after 2 years
Study	10 working days a year after 2 years	Set by the employer

These are the minimums in the UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021) for mainland private-sector employers and the Saudi Labour Law as amended in 2025. Free zones such as DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws, and your contract can always give more. When you leave, check your gratuity too with the UAE gratuity calculator or the Saudi end-of-service calculator.