How long is maternity leave in the UAE private sector?
Sixty days. Article 30 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 pays the first 45 days in full and the next 15 at half pay. A worker can start it from the last day of the month before the expected birth, and the employer cannot end her service because of pregnancy or maternity leave.
Additional time the law allows
After maternity leave, a worker may be absent without pay for up to 45 days if she or the child is ill because of the pregnancy or birth, proven by a medical certificate. That period does not count toward service for gratuity.
If the child is sick or a person of determination who needs a constant companion, she is entitled to 30 more days at full pay, which she may extend by 30 days unpaid.
After returning to work
For up to six months from the birth she is entitled to one or two nursing breaks a day, together no longer than an hour. Maternity leave does not reduce her other leave entitlements, and the five working days of parental leave under Article 32 are also available to her.
How SupaJack Construct records it
Maternity is a leave type in the leave ledger. Payroll reads the approved leave and pays the full-pay and half-pay days on the payslip, and the WPS file carries the result, so the bank transfer matches the leave record.
Related tools and guides
See the UAE labour law guide for contractors, the final settlement calculator, the gratuity calculator, the annual leave calculator, the unpaid leave deduction calculator, payroll and WPS in SupaJack Construct, time and attendance and the meaning of basic salary.
Worked example
A quantity surveyor with a daily wage of AED 400 takes 60 days of maternity leave. She is paid AED 18,000 for the first 45 days and AED 3,000 for the next 15 at half pay, AED 21,000 in total for the leave.
Questions people ask
When can maternity leave start?
From the last day of the month before the expected delivery month, on a medical certificate.
Is maternity leave paid for a stillbirth?
Yes, if delivery took place six months or more after pregnancy began.
Can a worker be dismissed for being pregnant?
No. Article 30 prohibits it.
Does the unpaid 45-day absence count for gratuity?
No. The law excludes it from the service term.