EREditorial team · Updated 14 Oct 20268 min read14 providers compared29 sources
AED 15,000 employer cost a month on your own payroll, AED 180,000 salaryNot all-in: what it leaves out is under the cost table.
4 set-up steps before the first payroll
≈0% employer contributions for a non-GCC expatriate
0% income tax withheld from salary
On your own UAE payroll a non-GCC expatriate on AED 180,000 costs AED 15,000 a month before gratuity, health insurance and permit fees. Each hire needs a MoHRE work permit and a visa before the first salary goes through the Wage Protection System.
Short answer
Each month's salary is due on the first day of the next Gregorian month, paid through the Wage Protection System.
Outside Abu Dhabi, Emirati employees go on the GPSSA register within a month of their work permit; Abu Dhabi has its own fund.
Gratuity is accrued, not paid monthly: it falls due within 14 days of the contract ending, unless the employer uses the Savings Scheme.
On this page
Before the first salary run in the UAE
The order runs from the company to the person. MoHRE issues work permits only to establishments registered with it[1] whose trade licence is valid and free of violations[2], and no one may be employed without a permit[3]. For each expatriate hire the permit comes first, then health insurance, which employers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai must buy before applying for a residency permit[4], then the work visa the employer applies for[5]. The set-up steps table lists each stage.
The payment channel has to be ready by the first pay date. Establishments registered with MoHRE pay wages through the Wage Protection System, by way of banks, exchange houses or other institutions the Central Bank authorises[6], and a month’s salary is due on the first day of the next Gregorian month[7].
Nationality decides the registrations. An Emirati employee is registered for pension, with contributions starting within a month of the work permit[8]. The federal law behind the GPSSA does not reach private employers in Abu Dhabi[9], where the Abu Dhabi Pension Fund covers Emiratis based and employed there[10]. For GCC nationals the employer pays contributions as it does for Emiratis[11], while a team of non-GCC expatriates needs no social security registration[12]. The bodies are listed under employer registrations.
Each month, and when someone leaves
The monthly run is short: there is no personal income tax, so nothing is withheld for it[13], and the unemployment insurance premium is the worker’s to pay[14]. The payroll obligations block gives the WPS deadline.
Emirati staff are where two pension regimes meet. The new federal law applies to Emiratis who join the labour market for the first time on or after 31 October 2023[15], with contributions shared between employer and employee[16]. Those who registered earlier stay under the older law, whose rates KPMG’s 2023 table shows[17]. Neither regime applies to a non-GCC expatriate.
Leaving is where the large payment sits. The employer settles wages, other entitlements and gratuity within 14 days of the contract ending[18]. For staff enrolled in the optional Savings Scheme, monthly payments into it replace the gratuity[19]. Neither shows as a line in the cost table; own entity or EOR sets one hire against a provider.
Registering as an employer
With your own entity, these steps run one after another before the first payroll.
United Arab Emirates: steps to register as an employer
MoHRE issues work permits only to establishments registered with it, and only while the company's trade licence is valid and free of violations.
Job offer and work permit for each employee[20][21][22]
The signed job offer goes with the application for initial work permit approval. Issuing or renewing a work permit costs AED 250 to AED 3,450, depending on the company's MoHRE category (A, B or C). Hiring a GCC national also needs a MoHRE work permit.
Health insurance, residence visa and Emirates ID[4][5][23][24]
Since 1 January 2025, employers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai must buy health insurance before applying for an employee's residency permit. The employer applies for the work visa and bears the residency permit costs; the medical examination and fingerprinting for the Emirates ID follow.
Submitted within 14 days of the employee's arrival in the UAE, or of the change of status for someone already in the country.
Employer registrations
GPSSA registration of UAE national employees (outside Abu Dhabi)
Employers register Emirati employees with the General Pension and Social Security Authority and start contributing within a month of the work permit being issued. The federal pension law covers private employers in every emirate except Abu Dhabi. It does not apply to non-GCC expatriates.[26][8][9][12]
Abu Dhabi Pension Fund (Emiratis based and employed in Abu Dhabi)
Abu Dhabi runs its own pension fund and law for Emiratis based and employed in the emirate.[10]
Social insurance for GCC nationals
The employer registers GCC employees and pays their contributions under their home country's scheme, as it does for Emiratis.[11]
Running payroll: deadlines and filings
There is no personal income tax in the UAE, so no income tax is withheld from salary.[13]
United Arab Emirates: payroll deadlines and filings
Obligation
What it involves
Deadline
Salary payment through the Wage Protection System[7][6][27]
Wages are paid through the Wage Protection System by banks, exchange houses or institutions authorised by the Central Bank. At least 85 per cent of the wages due must be transferred on time.
First day of each Gregorian month, for the previous month
What one hire costs
Monthly cost of an employee on AED 180,000 a year, on your own payroll.
Assumes: a non-GCC expatriate employee; for Emirati and other GCC staff the employer also owes pension contributions, which this total leaves out.
Total to employer, 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)[12]
0%
0
Total to employer
15,000
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.
Global payroll providers
All 14 global payroll providers we score: those working in United Arab Emirates first, then the rest, 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
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
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
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
Startups, scaling companies and enterprises, the three groups Native Teams writes for
Not for
Buyers who want to read the EOR or COR agreement before talking to sales: the terms of service are the only contract text online
Top pro
EOR from $99 per employee a month, below all 20 other per-employee EOR prices in USD we compare
Top con
The terms of service are the only contract text online. The EOR and COR agreements are not published, and the terms say a separate signed contract takes precedence
Crypto and web3 teams paying contractors in stablecoins or crypto, a segment Rise names (startups, web3 startups, DAOs, global agencies)
Not for
Companies that need an EOR in countries beyond the US and the UK today
Top pro
Prices are published per head: $49 a contractor a month (discounts for startups and non-profits), $299 for Agent of Record, $399 an employee for EOR
Top con
EOR is documented in 2 countries (US, UK) against a claim of 90+. The parent, Rise Works, Inc., is on the GLEIF register; no own entity is documented in either country
4.2Our score 4.2 of 10Limited dataOur global payroll score
Global payroll price
Custom quote
ServicesEOR · Payouts · Contractors · Payroll
Best for
Startups, SMBs, agencies and enterprises: the segments Remozo names for its contractor product
Not for
Buyers whose security review asks for SOC 2 or ISO 27001 held by Remozo itself
Top pro
Contractor payouts claimed in 190+ countries; 98 are listed one by one in Remozo's help centre
Top con
Contractor plan from 3% per payout: for contractor payouts, 2 of the 6 other percentage prices we compare are lower and 1 the same. The contractor page says from 1.5%, which we do not score
One hire on AED 180,000 a year, through your own entity and through an EOR, from the figures on this page and the EOR page. The own-entity cost leaves out what running the entity costs, so the two columns are not like for like.
United Arab Emirates: own entity and EOR for one hire
Compared
Own entity
Employer of Record
Before the first hire
4 set-up and registration steps
No entity: the EOR’s entity employs
Employer cost a month, before any provider fee
AED 15,000
AED 15,000
Provider fee a month
–
US$199 to US$699 a month (15 providers, USD); €299 a month (one provider, EUR)
Fewer than 3 providers publish a fee in AED, so no total with the fee is given; fees in other currencies are not converted.
Neither figure is all-in: both leave out the costs named under the cost table.
EOR in United Arab Emirates:Allowed, with limits[28][3][5][29]
Salaries for the previous month are due on the first day of each Gregorian month, through the Wage Protection System. At least 85 per cent of the wages due must be transferred on time.
What happens if salaries are paid late in the UAE?
From the 5th day after the due date, MoHRE stops issuing new work permits to the establishment until it pays.
Which GPSSA rates apply to an Emirati employee?
It depends on when they first joined the labour market. From 31 October 2023 the new law applies: 26 per cent of pensionable salary, 15 per cent from the employer and 11 per cent from the employee. Earlier registrants stay under Federal Law No. 7 of 1999.
Does the employer pay unemployment insurance in the UAE?
No. The worker pays the premium for the basic unemployment insurance package.
What is the Savings Scheme for end-of-service benefits?
An optional replacement for gratuity: the employer pays 5.83 per cent of monthly basic salary for staff under five years of service and 8.33 per cent after. It applies only to enrolled employees.
Works in United Arab Emirates
