أسئلة وأجوبة
Are weekends before and after leave excluded from the annual leave balance?
Hello,
According to UAE labor law, is it correct that weekends before the start date and after the end date of annual leave are not counted?
Example: if the leave is applied from Monday to Friday, how many days should be deducted from the annual leave balance?
Good afternoon,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the treatment of weekends in annual leave calculations under UAE Labour Law.
As per Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, employees are entitled to 30 calendar days of annual leave upon completing one year of service.
However, the law does not specifically define how weekends are treated within annual leave periods.
In practice, this depends on whether the employer calculates leave in calendar days or working days.
If leave is calculated in calendar days, weekends and public holidays falling within the leave period are included.
Conversely, if calculated in working days, only actual workdays (e.g., Monday to Friday) are deducted, and weekends are excluded.
We recommend reviewing the employee's contract or your internal HR policy to confirm the applicable method.
Should you need support reviewing this or require further legal guidance, we would be happy to assist.
Best regards,
Hello,
Yes, it is correct under Federal Decree-Law No. (33) of 2021 Concerning Regulating Labor Relations that weekends or official holidays before the start date or after the end date of the annual leave are not counted from the employee's annual leave balance.
The relevant provision is Article (29), paragraph (7), which states:
Rest days established by law or by agreement shall be included in the annual leave period if the annual leave enjoyed by the Worker is interrupted by, and is considered, part of it, unless the employment contract or the organizational regulations in force in the Establishment stipulate what is more beneficial to the Worker.
This means that only the rest days (such as weekends or official holidays) that fall within the period of the annual leave are counted as part of it.
If these days occur before or after the annual leave period (i.e., not within the start and end dates of the approved leave), they are not to be deducted.
Therefore, in your example:
If an employee applies for leave from Monday to Friday, the number of days deducted from the annual leave balance should be 5 days only. The weekend before (Saturday–Sunday) and after (Saturday–Sunday) should not be deducted unless explicitly included in the leave period.
Dear Client,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the calculation of annual leave under the UAE Labour Law.
As per the UAE Labour Law, annual leave is typically calculated based on calendar days, rather than working days, unless your employment contract or company policy specifies a more favorable arrangement.
This means that any weekends or public holidays falling within the approved leave period are generally included in the total number of leave days deducted from your annual leave balance.
In your example, if annual leave is requested from Monday to Friday and your official weekends are Saturday and Sunday, only the days from Monday to Friday (a total of five days) will be deducted from your annual leave balance
The weekends immediately before the start date and after the end date are not counted, as your leave does not cover those days.
Should your company policy differ or provide additional benefits, those terms would apply if they are more favorable than the statutory requirements.
If you require further clarification or assistance in interpreting your company’s leave policy, please feel free to contact me.
Kind regards,
Dear Inquirer,
Under UAE Labour Law, annual leave is calculated based on calendar days, not working days, unless your employment contract states otherwise.
This means that weekends and official holidays falling within the leave period are typically counted as part of the annual leave.
In your example, if leave is requested from Monday to Friday, and the weekend (Saturday–Sunday) falls outside this range, only 5 days would usually be deducted.
However, if the leave overlaps with a weekend or holiday, those days may still be counted, depending on company policy and the contract terms.
To receive accurate guidance based on your specific employment terms, we recommend booking a consultation with Future Vision for Advocacy and Legal Consultancy or authorizing us to act on your behalf.
Hello,
According to UAE Labour Law, annual leave is typically calculated based on calendar days, not just working days, unless otherwise stated in the employment contract or company policy.
However, official weekends (usually Saturday and Sunday or Friday and Saturday, depending on the company) are not counted as part of the annual leave if they fall outside the approved leave period.
