Leaving Work Without Notice in the UAE (Article 45)
Leaving under Article 45 keeps your full gratuity. Enter your basic salary and dates to see what you are owed.
Calculate your gratuity on leaving
The 4 cases in Article 45
| Case | Condition |
|---|---|
| 1. The employer breaches its obligations under the contract, the law or its implementing decisions | Notify the ministry 14 working days before leaving, and the employer fails to remedy the breach despite the ministry's notice |
| 2. Assault by the employer or its legal representative, or violence or harassment during work | Report to the authorities and the ministry within 5 working days of being able to |
| 3. A serious danger at the workplace threatening the worker's safety or health | The employer knew of it and took no steps to remove it, per the executive regulations |
| 4. Being assigned work fundamentally different from what was agreed, without written consent | Except in cases of necessity under Article 12 |
What you keep
- Full end-of-service gratuity after one year: 21 days of basic salary for each of the first five years, then 30 days.
- No notice pay owed to the employer.
- Your outstanding pay and cash for unused annual leave.
Example (the calculator above): basic salary AED 6,000 and 4 years 7 months of service; the employer did not pay wages.
The worker notified the ministry, 14 working days passed without the employer fixing it, and the worker left.
Gratuity = 4.58 years × 21 days × AED 200 = about AED 19,250, with no notice pay owed.
Mind the deadlines
The 14-day period in the first case is in working days, not calendar days. Leaving before the conditions are met may be treated as leaving without notice, making you liable for notice pay. See also Article 44 for when an employer may dismiss without notice. Prefer Arabic? Use the Arabic version.
Frequently asked questions
My salary is late — can I leave immediately without notice?
Not immediately. The employer-breach case requires you to notify the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation 14 working days before leaving, and the employer must have failed to remedy the breach despite the ministry's notice. After that you may leave without notice and keep your rights.
Do I lose my gratuity if I leave under Article 45?
No. You keep your end-of-service rights, including the full gratuity if you completed a year of service. In the UAE, resignation does not reduce gratuity anyway.
Do I owe the employer notice pay?
No, if one of the four cases applies and you met the reporting conditions. Leaving without meeting them may be treated as leaving without notice, which makes you liable for notice pay for the notice in your contract.
I was assaulted at work — what is the deadline?
You must report to the competent authorities and the ministry within 5 working days of being able to report. The case covers assault by the employer or its legal representative, and violence or harassment during work.
Am I owed extra compensation from the employer?
Article 45 preserves your end-of-service rights; it does not expressly provide extra compensation or notice pay for the worker, so do not count on it.
Sources
- Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 — official English translation (Article 45)
- UAE Government portal — terminating employment contracts
- Gulf News — when UAE workers can leave their job without notice (November 2025)
Figures and formulas on this page were last reviewed on 2026-11-03.