Your Dubai salary is tax-free. Now see what it's really worth.
Work out your take-home pay, the end-of-service gratuity you are owed, and whether you will genuinely be better off than back home.
How is UAE end-of-service gratuity calculated?
Gratuity is 21 days' basic pay for each of the first five years of service, then 30 days a year after that, capped at two years' wage. Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 51.
Source: UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 51. Daily rate is monthly basic salary divided by 30. One year of continuous service is the minimum; part-years are pro-rated. Checked 27 August 2026.
Or work out the gratuity you are owed →
Where are you right now?
One tap takes you to the right tools, the right numbers and the right next step.
I have an offer I have not signed
Paste the numbers and get a colour-coded verdict on the basic split, the housing gap and the school-fee gap before you commit.
I am leaving and owed a settlement
Final settlement is due within 14 days of your last working day. Work out the gratuity figure before you sign anything off.
I already work here
On the ground. Work out the gratuity you have already earned, and what your basic split is costing you.
I am moving the family
Rent, schools and the car add up. Will the tax-free pay still leave us ahead?
Four calculators, in the order the money matters
Every figure names the law behind it and the assumption it rests on. Nothing is stored, and nothing is sent to your employer.
1. Decode My Dubai Job Offer
You have an offer and have not signed it. Paste the package and get a colour-coded verdict in seconds: the basic split, the gratuity it buys, whether the housing allowance covers your area, and the school-fee gap, with a 0–100 offer score.
2. UAE Gratuity Calculator
You are leaving and want the number before your employer gives you one. Enter your dates and basic pay for the end-of-service figure under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021: 21 days a year to five years, 30 days a year after.
3. Take-Home & Gratuity Calculator
Enter your AED package and see your tax-free take-home, the basic-versus-allowance split that decides your gratuity, and the end-of-service payout building up month by month.
4. "Am I Better Off?" Relocation Calculator
Put your UK salary next to a UAE package. We strip out UK tax and National Insurance, add the real cost of rent, schooling, the car and flights home, and show the honest gap either way.
We decode the package, not just the headline number
A Dubai job offer hides its real value in the allowances. Housing, transport and schooling change your gratuity and your real spending power. We flag what's worth questioning — colour-coded, in plain English.
- Green — looks right for your role and the law.
- Amber — worth a question before you sign.
- Red — likely costing you money.
Worked example on the decoder’s default inputs: AED 28,000/mo, 40% basic, AED 6,000 housing, Dubai Marina, 2 children, 3 years. Your own figures are generated live from what you enter.
Honest by design, in a niche full of guesswork
Every figure on this site names the law it comes from, the assumption it rests on and the date it was checked.
Named legal basis
Gratuity follows the UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021): 21 days' basic pay per year for the first five years, 30 days after — capped at two years' wage.
UK side covered
We don't pretend the UK forgets you. Split-year treatment, the P85, the Statutory Residence Test and your NI record are built into the guidance.
No fake anything
No invented review counts. No "we beat everyone" claims. No guaranteed values before inspection. Clear estimates, clear limits, sources you can check.
Does dismissal cancel your UAE end-of-service gratuity?
No. Dismissal under Article 44 does not forfeit gratuity. Article 39 lists dismissal among the disciplinary penalties while preserving the worker’s right to end-of-service gratuity.
- Article 39, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 — the list of disciplinary penalties ends with dismissal while preserving the worker’s right to end-of-service gratuity.
- Article 44, Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 — the grounds on which an employer may dismiss without notice. It says nothing about forfeiting gratuity.
- The forfeiture rule people remember was Articles 120(e) and 139(1) of Federal Law No. 8 of 1980, which was repealed.
Source: UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, and the repealed Federal Law No. 8 of 1980. Checked 27 August 2026. If yours has been withheld, read gratuity after dismissal.
How much of a UAE package should be basic salary?
Aim for at least 50%. Gratuity is calculated on basic pay alone, so on an AED 30,000 package over three years a 30% basic pays AED 18,900 and a 60% basic pays AED 37,800.
- 30% basic = AED 9,000/mo. 63 days × (9,000 ÷ 30) = AED 18,900 after three years.
- 40% basic = AED 12,000/mo. 63 days × (12,000 ÷ 30) = AED 25,200.
- 50% basic = AED 15,000/mo. 63 days × (15,000 ÷ 30) = AED 31,500.
- 60% basic = AED 18,000/mo. 63 days × (18,000 ÷ 30) = AED 37,800.
Source: UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 51. Gratuity accrues at 21 days’ basic pay a year for the first five years, with a daily rate of monthly basic divided by 30, so three years of service earns 63 days. Same total monthly salary in every row. Checked 27 August 2026. Run your own split.
Halve the basic salary and you halve the gratuity: AED 18,900 against AED 37,800
End-of-service pay is calculated on basic salary only. On an AED 30,000 package over three years, a 30% basic pays AED 18,900 and a 60% basic pays AED 37,800. Same total salary, double the payout. Our calculator shows your split before you sign.
Check my basic-salary split →The questions every British expat asks first
Do I really pay no income tax in the UAE?
What is "gratuity" and how much will I get?
Will I still owe UK tax once I move?
Is this financial or legal advice?
Stop guessing what Dubai really pays
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