UAE Public Holidays 2027: Dates, Long Weekends & Pay Rules

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Table of Contents

• UAE public holidays 2027: expected dates
• The long weekends to expect in 2027
• Are UAE public holidays the same for the private sector?
• Public holiday salary rules in the UAE
• What UAE public holidays mean for payroll deadlines
• Checklist for HR and payroll teams
• Get holiday pay and December payroll handled for you
• FAQs on UAE public holidays

The UAE has 7 official public holidays totalling 12 paid days a year, 13 when Ramadan lasts 30 days, set by Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 for both the public and private sectors: New Year (1 January), Eid Al Fitr (1 to 3 Shawwal), Arafah Day (9 Dhu Al Hijjah), Eid Al Adha (10 to 12 Dhu Al Hijjah), Hijri New Year (1 Muharram), the Prophet’s birthday (12 Rabi’ Al Awwal) and National Day (2 and 3 December). Employees get these days off on full pay. An employee who works on one is owed another rest day, or that day’s wage plus at least 50% of their basic salary for the day, under Article 28 of the Labour Law.

The 2027 dates for the Islamic holidays haven’t been announced yet. The Cabinet confirms each one close to the date, after the moon sighting, the way MoHRE announced Eid Al Fitr 2026 for the private sector in late February 2026. The dates below for 2027 are calendar estimates, and the pay rules are what payroll teams can already plan around.

UAE public holidays 2027: expected dates

Every Islamic date above moves with the lunar calendar and is only confirmed by official announcement. Treat March, May, June and August as planning estimates until the Cabinet and MoHRE confirm them.

The long weekends to expect in 2027

• New Year: Friday 1 January plus the weekend makes 3 days off.
• Eid Al Fitr: Wednesday 10 to Friday 12 March plus the weekend would make 5 days, or 6 from Tuesday 9 March if Ramadan runs 30 days.
• Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha: Saturday 15 to Tuesday 18 May is 4 consecutive holiday days. For staff with Saturday and Sunday weekends, the extra working days off are Monday and Tuesday.
• National Day: Thursday 2 and Friday 3 December plus the weekend makes 4 days.

Under Article 2 of Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, the Cabinet can move any holiday except the two Eids to the beginning or end of the week by a separate resolution, and Article 3 restricts transfers that clash with a weekend or another holiday. Whether the Hijri New Year and Prophet’s birthday, both expected on Sundays, are observed that day or moved will only be settled by the official announcement.

Are UAE public holidays the same for the private sector?

Yes. Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 sets one list for the public and private sectors, in force since 1 January 2025. MoHRE confirms each holiday for private-sector workers as it comes, and emirate governments can declare extra days for their own departments only, so a Dubai government holiday doesn’t automatically apply to a Dubai private company.

Public holiday salary rules in the UAE

Example: working on a public holiday

An employee has a full wage of AED 8,000 and a basic salary of AED 6,000, and works on 2 December. If the employer pays instead of giving another rest day, the day costs the daily wage (8,000 ÷ 30 = AED 266.67) plus half the daily basic (6,000 ÷ 30 × 50% = AED 100): AED 366.67 on top of the normal monthly salary. A payroll that pays 150% of the daily basic instead (AED 300) shortchanges anyone whose wage includes allowances.

Overtime on a normal day is calculated differently, on basic salary plus 25% or 50%. Our UAE Labour Law guide covers both rules, and our leave salary guide covers the annual leave calculation.

What UAE public holidays mean for payroll deadlines

Salaries are due through WPS by the 1st of the following month, and MoHRE’s monitoring starts the day after. New Year’s Day 2027 falls on a Friday, so December 2026 salaries land in a holiday followed by a weekend. Banks and exchange houses close for the holiday, and WPS files queue until processing resumes. The safe route is to submit the December SIF before your agent’s last cut-off in the final week of December, so salaries are in accounts by 31 December. The same applies whenever Eid falls at a month end, with the extra complication that the exact dates are confirmed only days ahead. Our WPS guide covers the deadlines and penalties, and our SIF file guide covers the file itself.

Checklist for HR and payroll teams

• Put the estimated 2027 dates in the payroll calendar now, and mark March, May, June and August as provisional.
• Decide before each holiday who will be asked to work, and whether they get a rest day or the Article 28 payment, so the choice isn’t made after the fact.
• Pay holiday work in the same month’s payroll, calculated on the right base: full daily wage plus 50% of daily basic.
• Run December payroll early: salaries due 1 January 2027 should be funded and filed before the New Year closure.
• Check contracts and handbooks for anything more generous than the law, like a day in lieu for weekend holidays, because the more favourable term applies.
• For staff on annual leave over a holiday, apply the contract rule on whether the holiday consumes a leave day.

More UAE guides: Types of leave under the UAE Labour Law | Notice period rules | Final settlement and gratuity

Get holiday pay and December payroll handled for you

As a payroll company in the UAE, we build the holiday calendar into your payroll schedule, calculate Article 28 pay for anyone who works a holiday, and file WPS early whenever a holiday lands on the 1st. Our HR team drafts the holiday-work policy so rest days and payments are agreed in writing. Send us your headcount for a quote.

FAQs on UAE public holidays

Sources:
UAE Government Portal: Public holidays |
UAE Legislation: Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 on public holidays |
UAE Government Portal: Types of leave and Article 28 holiday pay |
UAE Legislation: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 |

Sarwat Jahan