UAE notice period calculator: When does the
notice period end?
After probation, UAE notice is the contract's period: 30 to 90 days. During probation it is 14 days, or one month for an employee leaving to join another UAE employer. Enter the notice date to see the last working day.
The pages we read do not say which day is day 1. Tick this if your contract counts the notice day.
Last working day
30 days of noticeLast working day: Wednesday 2 December 2026, after 30 days of notice.
Enter a monthly wage to see the pay in lieu of notice.
Owed by whichever side does not serve the notice: the employer if it ends the contract without the notice being worked, the employee if they leave early without agreement. The two sides can agree to shorten or waive it.
How this was worked out
- Notice given
- 2 November 2026
- Notice period (contract, Article 43)
- 30 days
- Day 1, the day after notice is given
- 3 November 2026
- Day 30, counting calendar days (3 November 2026 + 29)
- 2 December 2026
DenwaysHR keeps the notice period and contract dates on the employee record, and reminds HR 30, 14, 7 and 1 days before a probation ends.
See the employee lifecycleIndicative only. This calculator applies Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, as the UAE Government portal sets it out, to the figures you enter. It counts calendar days. A contract can give more than the law, and DIFC and ADGM have notice rules of their own. Confirm the dates and the amount with your legal adviser before relying on them.
Where these rules come from
- UAE Government portal: Employment contracts, duration and models (probation)
- UAE Government portal: Terminating employment contracts and arbitrary dismissal
- UAE Legislation portal: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, current text with its amendments
The same official pages our probation and notice guide cites. The law is the authority: check it, or ask your adviser, before acting on a figure.
How a UAE notice period is counted
The notice owed depends on whether probation is over, who is ending the contract and, during probation, where the employee goes next. The rules come from Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, as the UAE Government portal sets them out.
The rules the calculator applies
- After probation, notice is the period in the contract: at least 30 days and at most 90 (Article 43)
- The period is the same for both sides, unless a difference favours the employee
- During probation, an employer ending the contract gives at least 14 days' written notice
- During probation, an employee leaving to join another UAE employer gives at least one month, and one leaving the UAE gives at least 14 days
- Notice given during annual leave starts the day after the scheduled return, unless both sides agree otherwise (Article 35)
- A side that does not serve the notice pays the other the wage for the days not served, on the last wage with allowances, not basic alone
The pages we read do not say which day is day one, or whether the days are calendar or working days. The calculator counts calendar days from the day after notice is given, and lets you count the notice day itself instead. An indefinite contract from before 2022 follows Article 65: 30 days under five years' service, 60 over five and 90 over ten.
A worked example
A wage of AED 15,000 a month with allowances, 60 days' notice in the contract. The employer gives notice on Monday 2 November 2026 and does not ask for it to be worked.
- Day 1, the day after notice is given
- 3 November 2026
- Day 60, the last working day
- 1 January 2027
- Daily wage (15,000 ÷ 30)
- AED 500
- Pay in lieu (60 × 500)
- AED 30,000
Had the notice been given while the employee was on annual leave until 15 November, day 1 would be 16 November and the last working day 14 January 2027.
How is the last working day worked out?
Count the notice period from the day the written notice is given. This calculator takes the next day as day one and counts calendar days, so 30 days' notice given on 2 November ends on 2 December. The law sets the length of the notice, not the counting, so follow your contract if it says otherwise.
What is the minimum notice period in the UAE?
After probation, 30 days, and a contract cannot set more than 90 (Article 43 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021). During probation the minimum is 14 days when the employer ends the contract or the employee leaves the UAE, and one month when the employee leaves to join another UAE employer.
How is pay in lieu of notice calculated?
On the last wage, allowances included. Divide the monthly wage by 30 for a daily wage and multiply it by the days not served: on AED 15,000 a month, 60 days not served comes to AED 30,000. It is owed by whichever side did not serve the notice, even if the other side lost nothing.
Can an employee who resigns leave before the notice ends?
By agreement, or by paying for the days not served. The two sides can agree to shorten or waive the notice, and the employee keeps everything else they are owed. An employee who leaves early without that agreement can owe the employer notice pay, and it can be set against the final settlement.
Can notice be given during annual leave or sick leave?
During annual leave it can, but it starts the day after the employee's scheduled return, unless both sides agree otherwise (Article 35). Tick the leave option in the calculator to move day one. During sick leave no dismissal or notice can be given.
What happens if an employee leaves during probation without notice?
They owe the employer the wage for the notice not served. A foreign employee who leaves during probation without following the rules can also be refused a new work permit for a year, subject to the ministry's exemptions. If they join another UAE employer, that employer compensates the old one for the recruitment costs, unless they agree otherwise.
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