UAE Salary Deductions Checker
Checks each deduction from a month’s wage against the closed list and the limits of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 25 (mainland private sector). Last reviewed: 2026-09-23.
This checker is for workers in the UAE mainland private sector. Enter the month’s wage and each deduction on your payslip, and it holds every deduction against Article 25 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 — the closed list of cases in which anything may be deducted or withheld from the wage — and the limit that applies to each case, then adds them up against the 50% cap. Each verdict comes with the article, a link to the official text and the article’s words. Everything runs in your browser.
What May Be Deducted From a Wage
Article 25(1) opens: “No amount may be deducted or withheld from the worker’s wage except in the following cases”. A deduction that fits none of them is not permitted.
The cases: (a) repaying a loan, with the worker’s written consent and without any interest; (b) recovering an overpayment, up to 20% of the wage; (c) pension and insurance contributions under the law; (d) a savings fund at the establishment approved by the Ministry; (e) a social project or other service or benefit from the employer approved by the Ministry, which the worker agreed in writing to join; (f) fines under a penalty regulation approved by the Ministry, up to 5% of the wage; (g) a debt under a court judgment, up to a quarter of the wage, except awarded alimony, which may take more; (h) repairing damage the worker caused to the employer’s tools, machines, products or materials, up to five days’ wage a month unless the competent court approves more.
Where there are several reasons for deduction, all of them together may not exceed 50% of the wage in any case (Article 25(2)).
Separately, the employer may not charge the worker recruitment and employment costs, directly or indirectly (Article 6(4)) — a deduction for the visa or work permit collects them.
Unpaid leave taken with the employer’s approval (Article 33(1)) and absence after a leave without a legitimate reason (Article 34) are not deductions: no wage is due for those days. The checker asks you to check the days and leaves them out of the 50% cap.
How Each Deduction Is Checked
Share of the wage = deduction ÷ monthly wage × 100. One day’s wage = monthly wage ÷ 30, because the law counts the month as thirty days (Article 67). Limits are compared to the fils, so a deduction exactly at its limit is within it.
Several lines of the same type are added up and the month’s total is held against that type’s limit — the limits are per month, however the employer splits them.
Overall: the sum of every deduction except unpaid leave, against 50% of the wage. Over it with two or more types of deduction → conflicts with the law; over it with one type only → check, because Article 25(2) is written for several reasons and that type’s own limit applies.
Scope and Limits
Mainland private sector only. The DIFC and ADGM free zones have their own employment laws; government employees, the armed forces, police and security, and domestic workers are outside Decree-Law No. 33 (Article 3(2)).
The wage is the one the limits are written against: the basic wage plus allowances (Article 1). If your payslip uses a different figure, the result follows the figure you enter.
Loans: Article 25(1)(a) limits repayment to “the maximum limit of the monthly deduction percentage from the worker’s wage stipulated in this Article” without naming which percentage, and Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 does not name one either. The checker applies only the 50% overall cap and says so; it does not invent a loan limit.
Fines: Article 25(1)(f) caps them at 5% of the wage, while Article 39(1)(c) lets a disciplinary deduction reach five days’ wage a month. A fine between the two is marked “check”. The MOHRE consolidated English text of Article 39(1)(c) reads “not less than” five days; the official English text on uaelegislation.gov.ae reads “not exceeding”, which is what the Arabic says. The Arabic text prevails.
Facts the page cannot know — the Ministry’s approval of a savings fund, a service or a penalty regulation; the written procedure before a penalty (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 24(3)); whose mistake caused the damage — produce “check”, never “OK”.
Worked Examples
Monthly wage and deductions in AED, with the checker’s verdicts:
Wage 6,000: loan 1,500 (written consent, no interest), fine 400
fine: 5% = 300 < 400 ≤ 1,000 (five days’ wage); total 1,900 = 31.66%
= loan OK; fine “check” (the two limits differ); all together within 3,000 — OK
Wage 4,500: housing 1,000 with no written agreement
Article 25(1)(e) needs the worker’s written agreement
= conflicts with the law
Wage 3,000: damage 800, no court approval
five days’ wage = 3,000 ÷ 30 × 5 = 500 < 800
= conflicts with the law (Article 25(1)(h))
Wage 5,000: loan 2,000 (written consent, no interest), court debt 1,000, “admin fee” 200
court debt ≤ 1,250 (a quarter); total 3,200 = 64% > 50% (2,500)
= overall cap: conflicts with the law, 700 over; admin fee “check” — not on the list
Wage 8,000: visa cost 500
Article 6(4): recruitment and employment costs may not be charged
= conflicts with the law
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can an employer deduct from my salary in the UAE?
Only the deductions Article 25(1) of Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 lists, each within its own limit, and where there are several reasons for deduction, never more than 50% of the wage in total (Article 25(2)).
Can my employer fine me?
Only under a penalty regulation approved by the Ministry, after the written procedure of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 24, and within the limit of the law: 5% of the wage under Article 25(1)(f); Article 39(1)(c) allows a deduction penalty of up to five days’ wage a month.
Can my employer deduct the visa or recruitment costs?
No. Article 6(4) prohibits the employer from charging the worker the fees and costs of recruitment and employment, or collecting them, directly or indirectly.
Can my employer deduct a salary advance or a loan?
Yes, if you agreed in writing and no interest is charged (Article 25(1)(a)). The law ties the repayment to the Article’s monthly deduction limit without naming it; the 50% overall cap of Article 25(2) applies in any case.
Can my employer deduct for something I damaged?
Only for damage caused by your mistake or breach of instructions to the employer’s tools, machines, products or materials, and not more than five days’ wage a month unless the competent court approves more (Article 25(1)(h)).
What if a deduction is not on the list?
Article 25(1) allows no deduction outside its cases. Ask the employer in writing for the basis of the deduction and check it with MOHRE.
Sources
Last reviewed: 2026-09-23
Disclaimer
* Mainland private sector only. Limits are measured against the wage you enter; a day’s wage is a thirtieth of it (Article 67). The loan limit is not set by any implementing rule, so only the 50% cap is applied. The official English text of Article 39(1)(c) reads “not exceeding” five days’ wage; the MOHRE consolidated English text reads “not less than”; the Arabic text prevails. Last reviewed: 2026-09-23. This is an automated check against the text of the law, not legal advice. Your employment contract, the establishment’s by-laws, the law that actually applies (the DIFC and ADGM free zones have their own employment laws) and any decision of MOHRE or a court prevail over it — verify with MOHRE or a licensed legal consultant.