EREditorial team · Updated 14 Oct 20269 min read18 providers compared across EOR and global payroll36 sources
AED 15,000 employer cost a month before the EOR fee, AED 180,000 salaryNot all-in: what it leaves out is under the cost table.
30 days paid annual leave after one year of serviceFully paid after one year of service; 2 days for each month of service where service is over six months but under one year.
6 months longest probation the law allows
0% personal income tax on salary
In the United Arab Emirates you can hire through your own company, an Employer of Record or a contract for services. For a non-GCC expatriate the employer owes no social security, so the cost is AED 15,000 a month before gratuity, health insurance and permit fees.
Short answer
A non-GCC expatriate on AED 180,000 costs AED 15,000 a month before gratuity, health insurance and permit fees.
Nationality changes the bill: for Emirati and other GCC staff the employer owes pension contributions as well.
18 EOR providers cover the UAE; published fees start from US$199 a month, mostly global prices in US dollars.
Instead of a monthly contribution, an employee earns an end-of-service gratuity after a year, paid when the contract ends.
The provider's UAE entity, or a partner entity it uses
Set by the provider's onboarding; no UAE company of yours needed
The provider ends the contract as the employer, under UAE law
Rated allowed with limits: the Labour Law requires a MoHRE licence to employ or recruit workers as an activity.
Self-employed contractor
Nobody: a contract for services
Once the contract is signed
On the terms the contract sets
The person works under their own permit, such as a MoHRE freelance permit, without an employer's sponsorship.
In the UAE the person’s nationality moves the cost more than the route does. Social security is not imposed on expatriates other than GCC nationals, so for a non-GCC hire the employer pays the salary and no contribution on top[1]. Emirati staff go on the federal pension register in every emirate except Abu Dhabi[2], which runs its own fund[3], and contributions for GCC nationals are paid the same way[4]. An employee’s notice period is at least 30 days and at most 90[5]. The EOR page covers the licence rule, and the payroll page the steps from trade licence to first salary.
What one hire costs
Monthly cost of an employee on AED 180,000 a year: the cost before the EOR fee.
Assumes: a non-GCC expatriate employee; for Emirati and other GCC staff the employer also owes pension contributions, which this total leaves out.
Cost before the EOR fee, a monthAED 15,000
Gross salaryAED 15,000100%
Percentages are shares of the total, not of salary.
What one hire costs
Item
Rate
AED / month
Gross salary
—
15,000
Employer social security for expatriate employees (none due)[1]
0%
0
Cost before the EOR fee
15,000
Plus the EOR fee, not in this total. Published fees per employee: US$199 to US$699 a month (15 providers, USD); €299 a month (one provider, EUR). We add a fee to the total only when at least 3 providers publish one in AED, and we do not convert currencies.
Expatriate employees carry no employer social security contribution, so the employer cost equals the salary. The total leaves out three costs the employer bears: the end-of-service gratuity, accrued and paid when the contract ends (21 days' basic pay per year of service for the first 5 years, 30 days after that, capped at 2 years' wage); the employee's health insurance, which employers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai must buy before applying for a residency permit; and the work permit (AED 250 to AED 3,450, by the company's MoHRE category) and residency permit fees. The unemployment insurance premium is paid by the employee.
Salary and pay
Pay frequency
Monthly[6][7]Salaries for the previous month are due on the first day of each Gregorian month, paid through the Wage Protection System.
Working time and leave
Maximum working week
48 hours[8][9][10]Up to two extra hours a day. Overtime is paid at basic hourly pay plus 25 per cent, or plus 50 per cent between 10 pm and 4 am.
Statutory paid leave
30 days[11]Fully paid after one year of service; 2 days for each month of service where service is over six months but under one year.
Sick pay
Up to 90 days of sick leave a year after probation; full pay for the first 15 days, half pay for the next 30 days, no pay for the remaining 45 days.[12]
Parental leave
Maternity leave of 60 days (45 days fully paid, 15 days half paid); a paid parental leave of 5 working days within six months of the birth.[13][14]
End-of-service gratuity after at least one year of continuous service: 21 days' salary for each year of work up to 5 years, 30 days' salary for each year after the first 5, capped at 2 years' wage; calculated on the last basic salary.[16][17][18][19][20][21]Paid within 14 days of the end of the contract. Employers may instead join the voluntary Savings Scheme (5.83 per cent of basic salary a month under 5 years of service, 8.33 per cent after), which replaces the gratuity for enrolled employees.
A foreign employee of a UAE employer; the employer applies, and the visa is valid for two years and renewable. GCC nationals need a work permit but no residence visa.
Missing the Emiratisation target of 2 per cent more Emiratis a year in skilled jobs (companies with 50 or more workers)
Employer
Since 2023, AED 6,000 a month for every citizen not employed according to the target, rising by AED 1,000 a year until 2026[27][28]
Missing the Emiratisation target of one Emirati by end 2024 and one more by end 2025 (companies with 20 to 49 workers in 14 listed sectors)
Employer
AED 96,000 in January 2025 for not hiring one Emirati in 2024; AED 108,000 in January 2026 for not hiring two in 2025[29][30][31]
Salaries not paid through the Wage Protection System on time
Employer
No new work permits for the establishment from the 5th day after the due date, until it pays[32]
Recent changes
Employers must buy health insurance before applying for or renewing a private-sector employee's residency permit; mandatory in Abu Dhabi and Dubai first.[33]
New federal pension law applies to Emirati employees entering the labour market on or after this date; contribution 26 per cent of pensionable salary, 15 per cent employer and 11 per cent employee. Earlier registrants stay under Federal Law No. 7 of 1999.[34][35]
Minimum monthly wage for Emiratis in the private sector set at AED 6,000; it does not apply to expatriates.[36]
Who can employ for you in United Arab Emirates
All 18 EOR providers we track that cover United Arab Emirates, ranked by our EOR score. How we score
Publishes a flat EOR price of $399 per employee a month.
7.8Our score 7.8 of 10Limited dataOur EOR score
EOR price from
US$399per employee a month
EOR countries185 claimed, 157 documented
ServicesEOR · Contractors · Payroll
Best for
Startups, growing companies and enterprises, the three segments Pebl writes a page for
Not for
Buyers who need a Contractor of Record: we list Pebl for contractor management, not COR
Top pro
Own SOC 2 Type 2 report and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate, both on Pebl's security page
Top con
No live support channel named: Pebl lists its Alfie AI assistant, in-house experts and a Help Center; its pages say 24/7 support and do not say who answers
Its UAE page leaves the employing entity undisclosed.
7.4Our score 7.4 of 10Limited dataOur EOR score
EOR price from
US$459per employee a month, billed annually
EOR countries160 claimed, 106 documented
Onboarding2–3 days
ServicesEOR · COR · Contractors · Payroll
Best for
Companies from startups to enterprises, going by Multiplier's segment pages
Not for
Buyers who need the deposit amount before signing: Multiplier calculates it per contract
Top pro
Own SOC 2 (Type I and II), SOC 3 and ISO 27001:2022 on its security page; the AWS certifications listed there are kept apart as the host's
Top con
The "from" prices assume an annual contract. Monthly EOR costs $499 on Core and $559 on Growth, about 11% of countries are priced differently, and compliance-mandated add-ons come on top of EOR and COR
Companies from startups to enterprises: Playroll has pages for each, and its case studies include startups under 100 staff and mid-market firms of 100 to 1,000
Not for
Contractors who want to be paid other than through Payoneer, the only payout route Playroll uses
Top pro
Its own country pages document EOR hiring in 151 countries + 6 territories, against a claim of 180+
Top con
A refundable deposit of one month's salary per EOR employee; the unused part comes back within two months of the last working day, or once claims are settled if that is later
Enterprise teams and small and growing businesses (SMEs), in RemotePass's own words
Not for
Buyers who must review EOR contract terms up front: no EOR agreement is public
Top pro
EOR from $349 per employee a month with tax included; 13 of 20 other EOR prices in dollars start higher
Top con
No EOR agreement is public: the Terms say EOR runs under a separate Consultant Agreement "available on the Site", which we did not find. The public legal documents are the Terms, the Privacy Policy and the Acceptable Use Policy
List price from $599 per employee a month, not set for the UAE in particular.
6.6Our score 6.6 of 10Our EOR score
EOR price from
US$599per employee a month
EOR countries180 claimed, 151 documented
Minimum termNone
ServicesEOR · Contractors
Best for
A first hire in one new country or a team spread over many, at a startup, mid-market firm or enterprise (G-P has a page for each)
Not for
Buyers who rank EOR providers mostly by the monthly fee
Top pro
G-P claims EOR in 180+ countries; its Globalpedia country guides document 148 countries + 3 territories one by one
Top con
EOR from $599 per employee a month; 15 of 20 other EOR prices in US dollars that we compare start lower; volume discounts are offered but not quantified
Prices EOR by custom quote and publishes no figure.
5.9Our score 5.9 of 10Limited dataOur EOR score
EOR price
Custom quote
EOR countries80 claimed, 59 documented
ServicesEOR · Contractors · Payroll
Best for
Small businesses, including teams under 10 employees, startups and enterprises: the segments Rippling has pages for
Not for
Buyers who want to compare an EOR price before a sales call
Top pro
Contractor onboarding in 185+ countries and payments in 50+ local currencies, per its contractor page; 160 countries + 2 territories are documented here
Top con
No price for EOR, contractor management or global payroll: the pricing page asks for a custom quote
States on its UAE country page that it has its own entity there.
5.8Our score 5.8 of 10Our EOR score
EOR price from
US$599per employee a month
Entity in United Arab Emirates
Own entity
EOR countries160 claimed, 146 documented
ServicesEOR · AOR
Best for
Enterprise-level companies, the audience Atlas's enterprise page names
Not for
Buyers who need a Contractor of Record: under Atlas's AOR the contract stays between the client and each contractor
Top pro
EOR in 141 countries + 5 territories documented here, against a claim of 160+ with wholly owned entities
Top con
At $599 per employee monthly, the EOR price is above 15 of the 20 other USD EOR prices we compare and equal to 4; local employer services, FX and benefits premiums are billed on top
The first global payroll providers from the payroll page, which also covers set-up, registrations and filings.
The first 3 of 14 global payroll providers we score: those working in United Arab Emirates first, each by our global payroll score. Working in United Arab Emirates: 10 (2 by their global payroll coverage list, the rest inferred from their EOR coverage). How we score
Enterprise teams and small and growing businesses (SMEs), in RemotePass's own words
Not for
Buyers who must review EOR contract terms up front: no EOR agreement is public
Top pro
EOR from $349 per employee a month with tax included; 13 of 20 other EOR prices in dollars start higher
Top con
No EOR agreement is public: the Terms say EOR runs under a separate Consultant Agreement "available on the Site", which we did not find. The public legal documents are the Terms, the Privacy Policy and the Acceptable Use Policy
Do employers pay social security for expatriates in the UAE?
No, unless the person is a GCC national. For a non-GCC expatriate on a AED 180,000 salary, the employer cost is AED 15,000 a month before any EOR fee, gratuity, health insurance and permit fees.
Does hiring a GCC national cost more than hiring an expatriate?
Usually yes. The employer pays contributions for GCC employees under their home country's scheme, as it does for Emirati citizens, while non-GCC expatriates carry none. The GCC rate is not part of our cost figure.
How is end-of-service gratuity calculated in the UAE?
After at least one year of continuous service: 21 days' basic salary for each of the first five years, then 30 days for each further year, capped at two years' wage. It is based on the last basic salary.
How long can probation last in the UAE?
Up to 6 months, and the period cannot be extended for another term.
