UAE Working Hours Checker
Based on Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Articles 17 to 19, and Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15 (with the Ramadan reduction). Last reviewed: 2026-09-28.
Enter the hours worked on the longest day and in the week. The page shows the hours above the normal limit, whether the day’s overtime passes the two-hour cap and whether three such weeks pass 144 hours, under Articles 17 to 19 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 and Article 15 of its Implementing Regulation. For Ramadan it uses the six-hour day. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
The Working Hours Rules
The maximum normal working hours are 8 a day or 48 a week (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 17(1)). The Cabinet may raise or lower daily hours for some sectors or categories of workers (Article 17(2)). A full-time worker may not be required to work more than the hours agreed in the contract without the worker’s written consent (Article 17(5)).
In Ramadan the normal working hours are reduced by two hours (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(2)); the u.ae government portal states the reduction as two hours per day, for Muslim and non-Muslim employees, without a cut in wages.
A worker may not work more than five consecutive hours without a rest, or rests, of at least one hour in total (Article 18). Overtime may not exceed two hours a day, unless the work is needed to prevent a gross loss or a serious accident or to remove or reduce its effects, and total working hours may not exceed 144 in any three weeks (Article 19(1); Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(3)).
Overtime is paid at the hourly rate of the basic wage plus at least 25%, or at least 50% for overtime between 10 pm and 4 am, shift workers excepted (Article 19(2)–(3)). Five categories are exempt from the maximum hours, including supervisors with an employer’s powers and successive-shift work averaging no more than 56 hours a week (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(4)).
How the Check Works
Daily hours above the limit = hours on the longest day − 8 (− 6 in Ramadan). Weekly hours above the limit = hours in the week − 48 (outside Ramadan). The day’s overtime is compared with the two-hour cap.
The three-week test multiplies the week by three and compares it with 144 hours. A single long week does not break the rule by itself: shorter weeks around it can keep three weeks within 144, so the page reports the projection and says so.
Scope and Limits
A mainland private-sector worker under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. The DIFC and the ADGM have their own employment laws. Your contract may set fewer hours than the legal maximum; the page compares with the law, not with the contract.
Neither the Decree-Law nor the Regulation gives a weekly figure for Ramadan, so in Ramadan only the day is compared with a normal limit. The page does not decide whether a job falls in an exempt category, whether a longer day was needed to prevent a loss or an accident, or whether travel time counts as work (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(1) lists when it does).
Worked Examples
Results the checker produces:
8 hours a day, 48 a week
8 − 8 = 0 · 48 − 48 = 0 · 48 × 3 = 144
Within the normal hours; three such weeks are exactly 144 hours.
10 hours on the longest day, 54 in the week
10 − 8 = 2 · 54 − 48 = 6 · 54 × 3 = 162
2 hours of overtime in the day (at the cap), 6 in the week; three such weeks would pass 144 hours.
Ramadan: 8 hours on the longest day
8 − 6 = 2
2 hours above the six-hour Ramadan day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the legal working hours in the UAE private sector?
At most 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week of normal working time (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 17(1)). The Cabinet may set other daily hours for some sectors or categories.
What are the working hours in Ramadan?
The normal working hours are reduced by two hours during Ramadan (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(2)). u.ae states it as two hours per day, for Muslim and non-Muslim employees, without a cut in wages: 6 normal hours instead of 8.
How much overtime is allowed?
No more than 2 hours a day, and total working hours of no more than 144 in any three weeks (Article 19(1); Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(3)). More is allowed only where the work is needed to prevent a gross loss or a serious accident, or to remove or reduce its effects.
Is a lunch or rest break required?
A worker may not work more than five consecutive hours without a rest, or rests, totalling at least one hour (Article 18). Shift work and some jobs have their hours and rests regulated in the establishment.
How is overtime paid?
At the hourly rate of the basic wage plus at least 25%, or plus at least 50% for overtime between 10 pm and 4 am (Article 19(2)–(3)). The Overtime Pay calculator works out the amount.
Who is exempt from the maximum hours?
Chairmen and members of boards of directors, supervisors with an employer’s powers, ships’ crews and workers at sea with special service conditions, successive-shift work averaging no more than 56 hours a week, and preparatory or supplementary work outside the establishment’s general hours (Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022, Article 15(4)).
Sources
Checked against the official texts on 2026-09-28.
Disclaimer
* General information, not legal advice. The hours are compared with the limits of the Labour Law and its Implementing Regulation; your contract or a MOHRE decision may set other hours. Last reviewed: 2026-09-28. 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.