AED 15000 Salary Gratuity in UAE (2026): Gratuity, DEWS or the Savings Scheme?

Your AED 15000 salary gratuity is AED 52,500 after five years and AED 127,500 after ten — under the standard mainland system.
At this salary level, though, a lot of people aren’t on that system at all. DIFC employees are on DEWS. Some mainland employers have moved to the voluntary savings scheme. The three work differently, pay out differently, and behave very differently when you change jobs.
This guide gives you the mainland figures first, then compares all three.

Quick Answer — Mainland Gratuity

Daily wage: AED 15,000 ÷ 30 = AED 500

Each of your first five years adds AED 10,500. From year six, each adds AED 15,000.

Which System Are You Actually On?

Three possibilities, and your employment contract will tell you which.

Mainland gratuity — the default

Your employer holds nothing aside. When you leave, they calculate the figure and pay it as a lump sum. Everything in the table above applies.

DIFC DEWS

DIFC replaced gratuity entirely in 2020. Your employer contributes monthly into a funded plan: 5.83% of basic salary for your first five years and 8.33% after that.

On AED 15,000 basic that’s AED 874.50 a month initially, rising to AED 1,249.50 past year five.

You receive the accumulated contributions plus whatever the fund returned. The final figure isn’t a calculation — it depends on investment performance.

The voluntary savings scheme

Since Cabinet Resolution No. 96 of 2023, mainland employers can opt into a MOHRE-approved savings scheme instead of the lump sum.

If your employer joined, any gratuity you’d already accrued was calculated under Article 51 and frozen at that date. Everything after is monthly contributions.

Most mainland employers haven’t moved to this. Ask HR directly if you’re unsure.

The Difference That Actually Matters

The headline amounts are broadly comparable. What differs is timing and risk.

Mainland gratuity has a cliff at year five. Leave at four years and eleven months and every year sits at the 21-day rate. Cross five years and future years jump to 30 days.

DEWS and the savings scheme accrue evenly from month one. There’s no cliff to time your exit around.

Mainland gratuity sits on your employer’s balance sheet until you leave. If the company runs into trouble, you’re a creditor. DEWS and the savings scheme funds are held externally — that was the point of both reforms.

Investment performance cuts both ways. DEWS and savings scheme balances can grow beyond what the equivalent gratuity would have been, or fall short. Mainland gratuity is a fixed formula with no market exposure.

What Happens If You Move Between Them

This catches people out at this salary level, because moves between mainland and DIFC are common.

Mainland to DIFC: your mainland service ends and your gratuity is settled at that point. The DEWS clock starts from zero. Nothing carries across.

DIFC to mainland: your DEWS balance stays yours, and your new mainland service starts fresh at year one — which means back to the 21-day band regardless of how long you’d worked in DIFC.

Employer joins the savings scheme mid-employment: your accrued gratuity is frozen and preserved. You end up with two components rather than one.

Practical point: if you’re at four and a half years mainland and considering a DIFC move, you’ll never reach the 30-day band on that service. Worth pricing before you decide.

Part Years Count in Proportion

Below twelve months, nothing is payable.

Is AED 15,000 Your Basic or Your Package?

If it’s your total package with AED 8,000 basic, five years pays AED 28,000, not AED 52,500.

Check your MOHRE labour contract. This matters for DEWS too — the 5.83% and 8.33% contributions are calculated on basic salary, not the package. See our AED 10,000 breakdown for how the split works.

What Else Affects Your Figure

Unpaid leave. Each unpaid day costs AED 28.77 in years one to five, and AED 41.10 after that.

The ceiling. Two years’ basic salary — AED 360,000 here, reached at about 25½ years. DEWS has no equivalent cap.

Contract renewals. They don’t reset your service, but employers sometimes count from the wrong date. Check which date they used.

Resigning changes nothing. Resignation and termination pay identically under the current law.

When You Should Be Paid

Mainland: within 14 days of your contract ending, under Article 53.

DIFC: you apply to the DEWS administrator, and the timeline follows their process rather than the 14-day rule.

Work Out Your Own Position

Enter your basic salary and dates in the UAE Gratuity Calculator for the mainland figure. If you’re on DEWS, compare it against your fund statement — the two won’t match, and the gap tells you how your scheme is performing.

[Calculate My Gratuity]

FAQs

How much gratuity on AED 15,000 after 5 years?

AED 52,500 under the mainland system.

After 10 years?

AED 127,500.

What’s the DEWS contribution on AED 15,000?

AED 874.50 a month for your first five years, then AED 1,249.50.

Is DEWS better than gratuity?

Neither is universally better. DEWS accrues evenly with no five-year cliff and is held externally, but the final amount depends on investment returns. Mainland gratuity is a fixed formula.

What happens if I move from mainland to DIFC?

Your mainland service ends and gratuity is settled. DEWS starts from zero.

Has the savings scheme replaced mainland gratuity?

No. It’s voluntary and most employers haven’t adopted it.

Does resigning reduce it?

No.

Is there a maximum?

AED 360,000 on the mainland system, at about 25½ years. DEWS has no cap.

Last updated: August 2026 · Based on: Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Articles 51 and 53 · Cabinet Resolution No. 96 of 2023
Written by Farhan — About
Different basic salary? See AED 10,000 and AED 12,000.