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UAE Legal First-Aid · Employment 15-Day WPS Window

Your salary is unpaid. Here is how to escalate from WPS to MOHRE.

UAE employers must pay through the Wages Protection System within 15 days of the due date (Cabinet Decision 27/2018). After that window, MOHRE sanctions begin and the labour-court track opens. The complaint is free.

MOHRE: 600 590000 Counsel: +971 4 241 3555 Print / Save as PDF

Last reviewed: 1 May 2026 · UAE-licensed counsel · Save this page offline before you need it.

1
الخطوة 1 — تأكد من نظام حماية الأجور Day 1 of delay

Confirm whether the salary cleared via WPS.

Check your bank app for the salary credit. If the employer claims to have paid but you have nothing in the bank, request the WPS payment reference (the SIF transaction ID) from HR. The reference allows you to trace the payment with your bank.

Do notDo not accept "we paid in cash" — UAE-mainland salaries above AED 5,000 must flow through WPS. Cash payment in lieu of WPS does not discharge the employer.
Your bank's customer service / branch
2
الخطوة 2 — وثّق التأخير Day 1–3 of delay

Document the delay in writing.

Send HR / your manager a calm, factual written email asking for the salary status. Avoid emotional language. Keep the read receipt and any reply. This becomes contemporaneous evidence at MOHRE and at court.

Do notDo not send threats or quit immediately by text — abandonment damages your claim and can void end-of-service entitlements.
Use your work email AND a personal-email cc
3
الخطوة 3 — راجع العقد Within 1 week

Pull your contract, offer letter and recent payslips.

Identify the contract type (limited or unlimited under FDL 33/2021), agreed salary structure (basic + allowances), notice period, and any commission terms. End-of-service gratuity is calculated on basic salary alone — confirm the basic figure now.

Do notDo not rely on what HR verbally tells you — the signed MOHRE contract governs. Pull yours from the MOHRE app.
MOHRE App: download contract PDF
4
الخطوة 4 — مهلة 15 يوماً Day 15 of delay

The 15-day WPS deadline triggers MOHRE sanctions.

Under Cabinet Decision 27/2018, salaries must be paid via WPS within 15 days of the due date. After day 15, MOHRE imposes graduated sanctions on the employer: new work-permit blocks, fines, and at 60 days, possible suspension of the company file.

Do notDo not file your MOHRE complaint before day 15 — it will be returned. Wait for the window to elapse and then file immediately.
Track via MOHRE app — wages tab
5
الخطوة 5 — شكوى وزارة الموارد Day 16 onwards

File a MOHRE labour complaint.

Open the MOHRE app or call 600 590000 to file a wage complaint. The complaint is free. You upload contract, payslips, bank statement showing missing credit, and any HR correspondence. MOHRE assigns a case number same-day.

Do notDo not pay any "intermediary" who offers to file the complaint for a fee — the official channel is direct, free, and tracked.
MOHRE: 600 590000
6
الخطوة 6 — جلسة المصالحة Within 14 days of filing

Attend the MOHRE conciliation session.

MOHRE schedules a conciliation session, usually within 14 days. Both sides attend. Approximately 60% of UAE wage disputes settle at this stage. Bring originals of contract, ID, payslips and bank statements.

Do notDo not skip the session — non-attendance can result in your file being closed for inactivity. If unable to attend, send a formal representative with power of attorney.
Held at MOHRE Tasheel centres
7
الخطوة 7 — الإحالة إلى المحكمة Day 30+ if unresolved

Refer the matter to the Labour Court.

If MOHRE conciliation fails, MOHRE issues a referral letter (إحالة) to the Labour Court. The letter, contract, and complaint file go to the court. Court fees are waived for claims up to AED 100,000. Expedited summary procedure now applies under FDL 33/2021.

Do notDo not let the referral letter expire — most are valid for a defined window. File the case within that window or restart the process.
Labour Court of the relevant Emirate
8
الخطوة 8 — العاملون في المنازل Same-day for domestic workers

Domestic workers — escalate via Tadbeer / dedicated line.

Domestic workers (governed by FDL 9/2022 on Domestic Workers, separate from the general labour law) escalate via Tadbeer service centres and MOHRE's dedicated domestic-worker complaint route. The 15-day rule and conciliation framework still apply but the channel is different.

Do notDo not return your passport or sign exit papers under pressure — passport withholding is itself a violation reportable to MOHRE.
MOHRE Domestic Workers: 600 590000 · Tadbeer centres
9
الخطوة 9 — أبلغ سفارتك If at risk: immediate

Notify your embassy if you are vulnerable.

Most major embassies operate labour aid desks for nationals in distress — repatriation support, shelter referrals, lists of pro-bono counsel and consular protection. Call your embassy if you are without housing, food, or facing detention threats.

Do notDo not leave the UAE while a labour case is open — your case continues in absentia but enforcement of judgment becomes harder.
Your embassy's labour or welfare desk
10
الخطوة 10 — مدة التقادم Within 1 year of breach

File within the 1-year limitation window.

Under Article 54 of FDL 33/2021, labour claims must be filed within 1 year from the date of the breach or end of the employment relationship. After that, the claim is statute-barred — even if MOHRE accepts a complaint, the court will dismiss as time-expired.

Do notDo not assume the time limit pauses while you negotiate — it runs continuously. Lock the limitation date in your calendar from day one.
Counsel can run the calendar with you

Key contacts.

MOHRE

600 590000

All labour complaints. Multi-language.

Tadbeer (Domestic Workers)

600 590000

MOHRE-licensed domestic-worker centres.

DET (Dubai)

800 12343

For Dubai economic-license employers.

DIFC Employment Tribunal

+971 4 404 2222

DIFC-registered employers (separate regime).

ADGM Employment

+971 2 0 333 8888

ADGM-registered employers (separate regime).

Noura Lawyers

+971 4 241 3555

Same-day partner response.

Your rights as an employee

  • You have the right to receive your salary via WPS within 15 days of the due date — Cabinet Decision 27/2018.
  • You have the right to your end-of-service gratuity calculated on basic salary — Article 51 FDL 33/2021.
  • You have the right to file a free MOHRE complaint with case-tracking.
  • You have the right to a court fee waiver for labour claims up to AED 100,000.

Common mistakes

  • Resigning by WhatsApp before securing the WPS evidence — weakens the wage-arrears claim.
  • Filing the MOHRE complaint before day 15 — the complaint is rejected and you must restart.
  • Accepting "cash advance" or partial payment without written acknowledgment of the underlying debt.
  • Letting the 1-year limitation lapse during settlement talks.

When to escalate without waiting.

Engage counsel immediately if: you have been on the company's payroll for more than 5 years (gratuity becomes a meaningful sum), the unpaid amount is more than two months' salary, the employer is signalling insolvency or licence cancellation, you have been asked to resign in exchange for back pay, your visa is being threatened in connection with the dispute, or the employer is a multi-entity group where wage-source confusion may apply. These cases compound quickly and the strategic decisions (MOHRE vs DIFC/ADGM jurisdiction, claim packaging, parallel visa moves) materially affect outcome.

DIFC and ADGM employees follow a separate regime — same urgency, different forum. Confirm your jurisdiction before filing.

Need help right now?

Wage-arrears, end-of-service and arbitrary-dismissal claims handled at the partner level.

+971 4 241 3555