Overtime pay (UAE · Qatar · Saudi)
A month's extra hours — day, night, rest day — and what the labour law says they add to your pay.
The law's formula on your figures, not legal advice. Contracts can pay more, never less. If the payslip shows less than this, the labour office (MOHRE / MOL / HRSD) is the place to take it.
UAE Decree-Law 33/2021, Art. 19: overtime at basic hourly + 25%; between 10 pm and 4 am + 50%; a rest day worked is a day off in lieu or + 50%. Overtime is on basic, at most 2 hours a day as a rule; the hour is basic ÷ 30 ÷ 8.
On your figures one hour is د.إ 6.25. 40 normal hours at 125%, 10 night hours at 150% and 16 rest-day hours at 150% come to د.إ 556.25 on top of د.إ 1,500.
- Keep your own record of hours — a photo of the timesheet or a note each day. A claim without hours is a claim without a number.
- Compare the overtime line on your payslip with this figure; if it is calculated on a lower "basic" than your contract, that is the place to ask.
- The hourly rate is the monthly figure ÷ the basis hours (240 unless you changed it); some employers use 26 working days × 8 = 208, which gives a slightly higher hour.
- Hours entered are genuinely beyond the legal day and week; a rest day worked is paid at the premium rather than replaced by a day off.
- Ramadan hours, shift-work exceptions and managerial exemptions are not applied.
Legal basis and official sources
| Applies to | Law / reference | Effective date | Last verified | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAE | Federal Decree-Law 33/2021, Arts. 17–19 (8-hour day, 48-hour week; +25%; 10 pm–4 am +50%; rest day: day off or +50%) | www.mohre.gov.ae | ||
| Qatar | Law 14/2004, Arts. 73–75 (+25%; 9 pm–3 am +50% — the Arabic text; rest day: day off or the premium)The portal's English rendering of Art. 74 says 9 pm–6 am; the Arabic original says 9 pm–3 am and is followed here. | www.almeezan.qa | ||
| Saudi Arabia | Labour Law, Art. 107 (hourly wage + 50% of the basic hourly wage, every overtime hour); Art. 2 "month = 30 days" | www.hrsd.gov.sa |
Dates are AD (YYYY-MM-DD). If the law or the budget has changed since the last verified date, the official source wins.
A worked example
The form starts with these figures (in AED) so you can see how it works before typing your own. They are made up — nobody's real numbers appear here.
Questions people ask
My company pays overtime on a lower "basic" than my contract.
Overtime is on the basic wage in your contract (in Saudi, on the wage including fixed allowances). If the payslip uses a smaller number, the difference is owed. Compare the two and ask in writing first.
Is there a limit to overtime?
UAE and Qatar: at most two extra hours a day as a rule, and a 48-hour week. Saudi: 48 hours a week, with overtime allowed beyond it. Being made to work more than that is itself a complaint, separate from pay.
I worked on Friday and got a day off instead. Is that allowed?
Yes — a day off in lieu is one of the two lawful options in the UAE and Qatar. What is not allowed is neither the day nor the money.
What about Ramadan?
Working hours are cut by two a day for everyone in the UAE and to 36 a week in Qatar, so overtime starts earlier. This page does not model that; count the hours beyond the reduced day.
Do you keep what I type here?
No. The figures are used to work out the answer and are not stored, and never appear in the page address.
These are estimates. The figures depend entirely on the numbers you enter and on assumptions that are listed on every result. They are not financial advice, and a bank, employer or authority may use different rules. Check anything important with them before you decide.
We do not keep your figures. Salary, debt and savings you type here are used to work out the answer and are not stored, and never appear in the page address. The only thing remembered is your country and language choice (a small cookie), so the currency can be suggested next time — never a figure you typed. Anonymous counters record that a calculation happened, not what it was.