Sick leave in UAE is a statutory benefit available under the UAE Labour Law to ensure the safety of employees and their health.
Employers must again ensure they provide good and bad days off related to paid and unpaid sick leave. This guide will talk about eligibility for requesting for sick leave, misuse consequences, and how the law guards both public and private sector workers.
Who is eligible for paid or unpaid leave in UAE?
In 2026, those employees who have completed 3 months after the probation period are eligible for sick leave in the country. The number of days of sick leave in UAE provided to an employee in the UAE can vary so an employee must check this with HR of the company or they can refer to their employment contract.
The duration of sick leaves in an organization can be up to 90 days including:
- First 15 days of full paid
- Next 30 days of half-paid
- Unpaid leave for the leftover 45 days.
One of the latest 2026 updates includes the fact that employees in the private sector can get more than 90 days leave as per labor law, which depends on the medical severity
Who is not eligible for sick leave in UAE?
There are certain conditions under which leave is not provided to employees. Following are the conditions under which sick leave in UAE is not provided to an employee:
1. Probationary Employee
If employees are in a probationary period they are not entitled to any paid sick leave in the country. However, they can still avail of unpaid leave after approval from the employer and based on a medical report issued by the medical entity as proof.
2. Illness caused due to consumption of prohibited substances
Employees are not entitled to paid sick Day leave in UAE if their illness is caused by consuming drugs, alcohol, or other narcotics. This is taken as misconduct by the employee, which disqualifies them from getting paid sick leave or sick notice.
3. Employee works for another organization during the leave
If an employee in the UAE takes illness leave and works for another organization, their employer will cancel the sick leave. Moreover, employers can also take legal action against the employee in this circumstance.
Process of taking Sick Leave in UAE
An employee should consider certain key pointers while taking sick leave in UAE:
- Employees should inform their employer within a maximum of three days after taking sick leave according to Section 31 of the UAE Labour Law. It will help employers to manage the daily tasks of employees.
- If asked, they should also present valid proof to employees for sickness. The medical evidence also plays an important role in calculating payable leave duration and other evaluations application for sick leave.
Special Cases During Sick Leave in 2026:
Below given is the condition that comes with the cases in which it is applicable –
Termination on Grounds of Sickness
An employer can’t terminate or dismiss an employee while the employee is on leave. If the employee uses all of his 90 sick day leaves and fails to report after it, the employer can terminate his employment. The labor law entitles the employee to end-of-service benefits in this case. The termination however does not impact the gratuity paid to the employee. The employer has to also offer medical certificate for sick leave to do FnF (Full and Final settlement) of the employee.
Resignation of the Employee During Sick Leave in UAE
The resignation of an employee during can occur as:
- An employee may resign due to illness before the first 45 days of sick leave in UAE expire
- The cause of resignation may be consented to by a doctor or a practitioner
- The employer must pay wages for up to 45 days to the employer
Termination of Employment During Sick leave in UAE
An employer can terminate the employee under the following circumstances:
- An employer may terminate the employee if the employee fails to report back after the period ends
- An employer may terminate the employee if they fail to report their sick leave in UAE to the employer for more than seven days
- If an employee is found working for another employer during their , the primary employer can end the employee and withhold their salary and final settlement
- And more about the sick time off policy of your organization you can consult with HR of your organization
Remain In Compliance with Leave Laws in UAE with Zimyo
Since the administration of leave policies in different jurisdictions may be a tricky subject – particularly in the case of a business establishment that has to comply with constantly changing labour regulations in the UAE.
Moreover, when you use Zimyo Payroll, there is no need to be concerned with leave balances tracking, eligibility rules, or local compliance.
Automated Leave Tracking: Leave (paid, half paid and unpaid) period (according to UAE law) can be automatically calculated.
Custom Leave Policies: Adoption leave, extensions, and other varieties are simple to set up and apply to your workforce.
Compliance Monitoring: Keep in touch with the live law updates – MOHRE updates, as well as amendments within a specific sector.
Employee Self-Service: Allow your staff to check the illness leave balances, request to go on leave and provide them with online access to their documents.
HR Dashboard: HR can get a centralized view of all the leave statuses to ensure there is zero legal slip up.
Legal Recourse In case of Unfair Treatment in Sick Leave
If the employees are facing any kind of unfair treatment in receiving sick leave in UAE they should refer to Tasheel, an online platform that deals with all employment-related issues in the UAE.
They will find a solution for their issue with Tasheel for any employment-related issues. Overall gets the smooth transition for leave management with Zimyo.
FAQ'S (Frequently Asked Questions)
90 calendar days of sick leave is permitted by the UAE Labour Law in a year:
The first 15 days you get full salary.
You get half-pay during the following 30 days.
The rest (45 days) are non-paid.
Yes, an employee can take unpaid sick leave online during probation, provided the employer gives his consent and presents an authentic medical report.
Yes. In case of more than two consecutive sick days, you will be required to provide a medical certificate issued by a licensed UAE healthcare provider.
No, your boss can not fire you when you are on illness leave. But after 90 days, in case of no communication or no come-back, they can go to court for online sick leave.
Yes. In case you resign because of sickness and your doctor consents, your employer is bound to pay you during up to 45 days of sick leave, as long as you are within the qualifying time. sick leave, tear up your contract and refuse you final settlement.
