Table of Contents
- What is a SIF file in the UAE?
- WPS SIF file structure
- EDR fields: employee detail record
- SCR fields: salary control record
- WPS SIF file sample
- How to create a SIF file for WPS in Excel
- WPS SIF file name format
- Why WPS SIF files get rejected
- Where to find your employer ID, employee ID and routing codes
- Hand the SIF file to a payroll team that builds it every month
- FAQs on the WPS SIF file
Short answer: A SIF (Salary Information File) is the comma-separated file a UAE employer sends to its WPS agent each month to pay salaries through the Wages Protection System. It has one EDR line per employee, with their 14-digit ID, 9-digit routing code, IBAN or card number, pay dates, fixed pay, variable pay and unpaid leave days. It ends with one SCR line holding your 13-digit employer ID, the salary month, the number of employees and the total salary in AED. You build it as a CSV in Excel and rename it with a .sif extension.
A single wrong character rejects the whole file. If the total in the SCR line is off by AED 0.01 from the sum of the EDR lines, nobody gets paid until you fix it and resend. Since 1 June 2026, salaries are due by the 1st of the month, so a rejected file on the 30th can turn into a WPS violation by the 2nd.
Download our free WPS SIF file template (Excel). It builds the EDR and SCR lines for you and flags errors before you upload.
What is a SIF file in the UAE?
SIF stands for Salary Information File. The Central Bank of the UAE runs the Wages Protection System (UAEWPS), and every salary paid through it starts with a SIF. You send the file to your WPS agent (a bank, exchange house or payment service provider authorised by the Central Bank). The agent passes it to the Central Bank, which secures your funds and sends the salary details to each employee’s agent. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) then receives the payment data and checks it against each worker’s contract.
The Central Bank requires approved WPS payment service providers to run workshops for employers on the SIF format, so your agent should be able to train your payroll team on its own file rules.
Looking for Expert Support?
Connect with our experienced team for trusted advice and dedicated assistance. We’re committed to supporting you throughout the entire process.
WPS SIF file structure
| Record | How many | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| EDR (Employee Detail Record) | One per employee | The employee’s ID, account, pay period, and pay |
| EVP (Employee Variable Pay) | One per employee with variable pay, if your agent asks for it | The split of variable pay into housing, conveyance, medical, passage, overtime, other allowances, and leave encashment |
| SCR (Salary Control Record) | One per file, as the last line | The employer ID, salary month, employee count, and total salary |
One SIF covers one employer. A group with three companies needs three files, each with its own employer ID.
EDR fields: employee detail record
| # | Field | Format | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record type | 3 letters | Always EDR |
| 2 | Employee unique ID | 14 digits | The personal number on the labour card or work permit, zero-padded on the left |
| 3 | Agent routing code | 9 digits | The WPS code of the employee’s bank or exchange house, assigned by the Central Bank |
| 4 | Employee account | Up to 23 characters | IBAN, or the salary card or payment account number |
| 5 | Pay start date | YYYY-MM-DD | First day of the pay period |
| 6 | Pay end date | YYYY-MM-DD | Later than the start date and in the same month |
| 7 | Days in period | Number | End date minus start date, plus 1 |
| 8 | Fixed income | Amount, no commas | Basic salary and fixed allowances; 0.00 if none |
| 9 | Variable income | Amount, no commas | Overtime, commission, bonus; 0.00 if none |
| 10 | Days on unpaid leave | Whole number | 0 if none |
SCR fields: salary control record
| # | Field | Format | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record type | 3 letters | Always SCR |
| 2 | Employer unique ID | 13 digits | Your MoHRE establishment number, zero-padded |
| 3 | Employer bank routing code | 9 digits | The routing code of the bank paying the salaries |
| 4 | File creation date | YYYY-MM-DD | Not later than the processing date |
| 5 | File creation time | HHMM | 24-hour clock |
| 6 | Salary month | MMYYYY | Must match the month of every EDR’s pay dates |
| 7 | EDR count | Number | Number of EDR lines in the file |
| 8 | Total salary | Amount, no commas | Sum of every EDR’s fixed and variable income |
| 9 | Payment currency | 3 letters | AED |
| 10 | Employer reference | Up to 35 characters | Optional |
WPS SIF file sample
A two-employee file for November 2026 looks like this (dummy IDs and accounts):
EDR,00000000000001,000000000,AE000000000000000000001,2026-11-01,2026-11-30,30,5000.00,750.00,0
EDR,00000000000002,000000000,AE000000000000000000002,2026-11-01,2026-11-30,30,3200.00,0.00,2
SCR,0000000000000,000000000,2026-11-25,1130,112026,2,8950.00,AED,The SCR total is 5,000 + 750 + 3,200 + 0 = AED 8,950.00, and the count is 2. Both must match the EDR lines exactly.
How to create a SIF file for WPS in Excel
- Put one employee per row, with the EDR fields in columns A to J in the order above.
- Format the ID, routing code and account columns as text, so Excel doesn’t drop leading zeros or turn long numbers into scientific notation.
- Format the date columns as YYYY-MM-DD and the amount columns as 0.00, with no thousand separators.
- Add the SCR line as the last row, with the EDR count and the total salary calculated from the rows above.
- Save the sheet as CSV (comma delimited).
- Rename the file from .csv to .sif, using the file name your agent asks for.
- Open the .sif file in Notepad to check it before uploading. Every line should match the sample above, with no extra commas, spaces or quote marks.
Our free template does steps 1 to 4 with formulas, and its Check column flags a 13-digit ID, a mismatched month or a negative amount before the file reaches your bank.
WPS SIF file name format
Bank SIF guides build the file name from your 13-digit employer ID with the file creation date and time, with the .sif extension. Banks write the date and time parts in different ways, so take the exact naming rule from your own WPS agent. A file with the wrong name format can be rejected even when the contents are correct.
Why WPS SIF files get rejected
| Error | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| SCR total doesn’t equal the sum of EDR fixed and variable pay | Recalculate the total from the EDR lines, and remove any rounding in the source sheet |
| EDR count doesn’t match the number of EDR lines | Count the EDR lines, not the employees on payroll |
| Salary month in the SCR doesn’t match an EDR’s pay dates | Use one salary month for every line in the file |
| Pay end date in a different month from the start date | Split a cross-month period into two files, one per month |
| Employee ID, employer ID or routing code not in the WPS database | Copy IDs from the labour card and MoHRE records, and routing codes from your agent’s list |
| Negative amount | Process deductions in payroll before the file, so no line is below zero |
| Leading zeros lost or numbers shown as 1.23E+13 | Format ID, routing code and account columns as text before you type or paste |
| File creation date later than the processing date | Use today’s date or earlier |
Your agent emails you when a file is rejected. Fix the cause and upload a corrected file the same day, because the 1st-of-month deadline doesn’t move.
Where to find your employer ID, employee ID and routing codes
- Employer ID: your 13-digit MoHRE establishment number, shown in your MoHRE account and on your establishment records.
- Employee ID: the 14-digit personal number on each employee’s labour card or work permit.
- Routing code: the 9-digit WPS code of the employee’s bank or exchange house. Your WPS agent publishes the full routing table. Employees paid by an exchange house without a bank account have a 9-digit agent ID from that exchange house branch.
- Account: the IBAN from the employee’s bank, or the salary card or payment account number from the exchange house or payment provider.
More WPS guides: WPS in the UAE: 2027 rules, the 85% rule and penalties | Salary deductions in the UAE | Overtime calculation in the UAE
Hand the SIF file to a payroll team that builds it every month
Our WPS services team prepares your SIF from payroll, checks every ID and routing code against MoHRE records, uploads it to your agent before the cut-off and reconciles the payment afterwards. For overtime, leave salary, gratuity and final settlements in the same file, see our UAE payroll services and payroll compliance support. Get a WPS quote for your headcount.
Looking for Expert Support?
Connect with our experienced team for trusted advice and dedicated assistance. We’re committed to supporting you throughout the entire process.
FAQs on the WPS SIF file
Sources:
Central Bank of the UAE: UAE Wages Protection System |
Central Bank Rulebook: Access to the Wages Protection System |
UAE Government Portal: Payment of salaries and wages |
