What an expat hire in Dubai really costs
The salary is the whole paycheck, but not the whole bill. This calculator adds the visa package, the legally required health insurance and the gratuity accruing on basic salary, and shows the gratuity owed at any point of tenure.
Inputs
Gratuity accrues only on the basic part; typical packages set it around 50-60%.
Employer-paid by law; the minimum is the Dubai Essential Benefits Plan.
Verified 22 Aug 2026UAE labour law and 2026 Dubai fee guides
Result
Methodology and sources
Gratuity follows Federal Decree-Law 33/2021: 21 days of basic salary per year for the first five years, 30 after, eligible from one year of service, capped at two years of wages. The visa package is amortized over its two-year validity. Assumptions: Dubai mainland, expat hire; GCC nationals carry pension contributions instead.
- Gratuity rule, Federal Decree-Law 33/2021 · UAE labour law, confirmed across current guides
- Visa package and mandatory health insurance ranges, Dubai mainland · MOHRE guidance and 2026 Dubai formation-firm fee guides
Employees keep their full gross salary; the small ILOE unemployment premium (AED 60-120/year) is employee-paid.
Figures assume Dubai mainland; free zones differ slightly, and DIFC replaces gratuity with the funded DEWS plan at the same rates.
Typical packages split salary into basic plus allowances; gratuity follows only the basic part.