Employee Guide for the United Arab Emirates

👋 Welcome to Toku. Toku is your Employer of Record (EOR) in the United Arab Emirates. We employ you through the appropriate local Toku entity and manage the compliance, HR, payroll, and benefits administration connected to your employment. Your day-to-day work, goals, and role direction continue to come from the organization you support.

Your employment at a glance

📄 Your signed employment agreement governs your individual terms, including pay, working hours, probation, notice, and any custom arrangements. Mandatory local law also applies. If this guide and your agreement appear different, contact Toku before relying on the summary.

Pay schedule and payroll changes

You are normally paid monthly, on the last business day of the month. The standard monthly cutoff for payroll changes is generally the 10th, but the exact cutoff can vary by country and organization. Check the Toku: 2026 and 2027 Payroll Calendar and Deadlines or contact Toku before relying on a specific date.

You will receive a payslip for each payroll cycle showing your gross pay, required deductions, and net pay. Keep your bank, tax, and personal information current in Toku, and notify us promptly if anything changes.

Your employment terms and probation

• Toku issues a compliant local employment agreement for every hire, in bilingual Arabic-English form (the Arabic text prevails legally).
• All UAE employment contracts are fixed-term by law. Toku employs you on a 12-month fixed-term contract that renews automatically, so in practice employment continues seamlessly.
• Probation is 3 months per Toku's employment agreement (the statutory maximum is 6 months). During probation, termination by the employer requires 14 days' written notice; a resigning employee gives 1 month's notice if joining another UAE employer, or 14 days otherwise.

Working hours and overtime

Your normal working hours are stated in your signed employment agreement and may vary by role, schedule, or applicable collective agreement. Toku does not expect routine overtime. Do not work overtime or additional hours unless your manager has approved them in advance. Any overtime or additional-hours treatment follows your signed agreement and mandatory local law.

Leave entitlements

Annual leave may be accumulated or carried over by agreement between you and the employee. All paid leave in the UAE is employer-funded; there is no state benefit system covering it.

ℹ️ Your employment agreement, Toku HRIS leave balance, and applicable local rules determine your exact entitlement. Contact Toku if the information shown in your account does not match your agreement or this guide.

Public holidays in 2026

The UAE observes approximately 12-14 paid public holidays per year. Islamic holiday dates follow the lunar calendar and are confirmed officially shortly before each occasion, so the dates below are approximate.

When a public holiday falls on a rest day, employees are entitled to a substitute day off or an additional day's pay.

Statutory benefits

Statutory : end-of-service gratuity for all employees who complete one year of service, mandatory private health insurance, paid annual, sick, maternity, and paternity leave, workplace injury compensation, unemployment insurance (ILOE, employee-funded), and pension contributions for UAE nationals.

Additional Toku benefits

Toku maintains a dedicated benefits guide for the United Arab Emirates. Review Toku: UAE WorkCo Employee Health Benefits for current coverage, eligibility, enrollment, and support information. The benefits guide is the source of truth for Toku-provided supplemental benefits in this country.

Stablecoin payroll and token grants

Where permitted by local law and enabled for your organization, Toku can support token grant administration and allow you to elect to receive a portion of your net pay in stablecoins. Availability depends on your country, your organization's program, and your individual compensation arrangements. These options are not guaranteed components of every employment package.

If stablecoin payroll is available to you, see Toku: Stablecoin Payroll Set Up. For token grant questions, use the Toku: Contact our Team for Support! to reach the Token Grant Administration team.

Annual tax documents

The UAE does not levy personal income tax on employment salary, so there is no UAE annual salary income-tax form or year-end delivery deadline. Your payslips and employment documents remain available in Toku. If you need earnings confirmation for another country's tax process, email [email protected]. For employment confirmation, email [email protected]. UAE government: taxation.

You retain access to your Toku documents after leaving. For a missing or incorrect employer-issued form, email [email protected] with your name, country, and tax year.

Leaving Toku: resigning

Giving notice

Send a formal resignation letter to Toku by uploading it to Documents in your Toku account or emailing [email protected]. Include your intended last working day, notify your manager, and follow the notice period and any local formalities in your signed employment agreement. Toku must receive formal notice as your legal employer; telling your manager alone is not sufficient.

Your offboarding documents

Toku sends your formal offboarding/termination documentation through DocuSign and uploads it to Documents in Toku. It sets out the applicable departure terms and final-pay arrangements. We do not send a separate personalized general offboarding email. Country-specific certificates and provider notices may arrive separately; complete any required actions in those communications.

You can request a free experience/service certificate when your employment ends. If your work permit or residence visa is sponsored through your employment, Toku will coordinate the applicable cancellation or transfer steps and provide the relevant documentation as it becomes available. Follow the specific instructions for your visa and any dependants; the employment end date alone does not confirm immigration cancellation. UAE Labour Law, employer obligations.

Benefits and provider communications

Your benefits are managed by external providers. Check their emails and your provider account or app for coverage changes and any required action. Contact the provider directly to confirm the coverage end date, claims deadlines, and any continuation or transfer options. Review Toku: UAE WorkCo Employee Health Benefits for your group health insurance provider and contact details. Your end-of-service gratuity is paid with your final settlement. If you are a UAE or GCC national, leaving employment does not automatically cancel your accumulated pension savings. If you need help identifying the right contact, email [email protected].

Access after you leave

You will continue to have access to your Toku account, including payslips and documents. For help updating your email address, password, or 2FA, email [email protected]. You can also contact us if any part of your offboarding documentation or next steps is unclear.

How to get help

Toku is your employer and your first point of contact for employment support. For payroll, payslips, statutory deductions, or payroll tax documents, email [email protected]. For benefits support, email [email protected]. For leave, employment documents, immigration, or other employment matters, use Toku: Contact our Team for Support! to reach the right team.

Important

This guide is a general summary and does not replace your signed employment agreement, Toku policies, benefit plan documents, or applicable law. Your exact entitlements may vary based on your work location, tenure, role, collective agreement, or individual terms. Where there is a conflict, the applicable law and binding employment documents control.

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Last reviewed October 2026. Source: 🇦🇪 Hiring in the United Arab Emirates.