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UAE Emiratisation Quota & Contribution Calculator

Estimates the Emiratisation quota and financial-contribution exposure of a private-sector establishment under Ministerial Resolutions No. 279 of 2022 and No. 455 of 2023, which implement the Cabinet’s Emiratisation decisions. Figures last reviewed September 2026 — verify with MOHRE.

A

Establishment profile

The size band and the compliance year decide which regime applies.

Percentage targets on skilled jobs apply to establishments with 50 or more employees.

B

Workforce

Counts as they stand on the MOHRE record, not planned hires.

C

AED 6,000 minimum salary check

Enter the lowest monthly salary recorded for any Emirati employee. Leave it blank if the establishment currently employs no Emiratis.

Official MOHRE announcement

This free calculator estimates the Emiratisation quota of a UAE private-sector establishment for 2025 or 2026, its current shortfall, and the financial contributions that shortfall would attract. For 2026 it also checks the lowest Emirati salary against MOHRE’s AED 6,000 monthly minimum. Every figure it uses is cited to u.ae or MOHRE below and was last reviewed in September 2026. It is an estimate; the authoritative numbers for any specific establishment come from MOHRE.

How the Emiratisation targets work

Private-sector establishments with 50 or more employees must raise the Emiratisation rate of their SKILLED jobs by 2 percentage points a year, reaching an overall 10% by the end of 2026 (u.ae — Employing Emiratis in the private sector). For an establishment subject to the scheme since 2022 that is a cumulative 8% by end-2025 and 10% by end-2026.

Since 2024 the year is checked in halves: 1% growth is due by 30 June and a further 1% by 31 December. MOHRE confirmed the 30 June 2026 checkpoint and that contributions on a first-half miss apply from 1 July 2026 (MOHRE news, 7 May 2026).

A job counts as skilled when it sits in one of the five occupational levels, the worker holds an attested certificate above secondary education, and the monthly salary is at least AED 4,000 (u.ae — Professional levels of jobs).

Separately, MOHRE raised the minimum salary for Emiratis in the private sector to AED 6,000 per month from 1 January 2026. Existing hires had until 30 June 2026 to be adjusted. From 1 July 2026, an Emirati paid below the floor does not count towards the target of an establishment covered by Emiratisation policies, and MOHRE may suspend new work permits until salaries comply (MOHRE news, 31 December 2025).

Official guidance does not state how a fractional requirement is rounded, such as 8% of 130 skilled workers, which is 10.4. This calculator rounds up to 11, the conservative reading, so a fraction never counts in the establishment’s favour.

The financial contribution per unfilled position

An establishment that misses its target pays a monthly contribution for every Emirati not employed. MOHRE set it at AED 7,000 per month for the 2023 targets, increasing by AED 1,000 each year until 2026 (MOHRE news, 26 April 2023): AED 8,000 for 2024 (the AED 96,000 a year MOHRE announced for a 2024 miss), AED 9,000 for 2025 and AED 10,000 for 2026.

A 2025 year-end shortfall is billed from 1 January 2026 at AED 9,000 per month per position, or AED 108,000 over the year. For a first-half 2026 miss MOHRE announced AED 10,000 per month, AED 120,000 a year, for each position not filled by an Emirati, from 1 July 2026 (MOHRE news, 22 June 2026).

For a 2026 year-end shortfall MOHRE has not yet published the amount or the collection date. Every earlier year-end miss was billed from 1 January of the next year, so this calculator assumes AED 10,000 per month from 1 January 2027, and says so on the result.

Companies with 20–49 employees in the 14 activities

Establishments with 20–49 employees operating in 14 economic activities named by MOHRE must have employed at least one Emirati during 2024 and at least one more during 2025, two in total (MOHRE news, 2 January 2024). For 2026 the published obligation is to retain those hires.

The contribution here is not monthly: missing the 2024 target cost AED 96,000 for each citizen not appointed, collected in January 2025, and missing the 2025 target costs AED 108,000 for each citizen not appointed, collected in January 2026. MOHRE allows payment in instalments by agreement.

No Emiratisation quota is currently published for establishments with fewer than 20 employees.

The 14 economic activities

  • Information and communications
  • Financial and insurance activities
  • Real estate
  • Professional and technical activities
  • Administrative and support services
  • Education
  • Healthcare and social work
  • Arts and entertainment
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Transformative (manufacturing) industries
  • Construction
  • Wholesale and retail
  • Transportation and warehousing
  • Accommodation and hospitality

Fake Emiratisation and circumvention

The contribution is not a fine: it is charged for each position the quota leaves unfilled. Circumventing the targets (cutting or reclassifying the workforce, or any other circumvention MOHRE proves) is penalised separately: AED 100,000 for a first violation, AED 300,000 for a second, and AED 500,000 for a third or subsequent one. Cabinet Resolution No. 44 of 2023 introduced that scale; it is now item 9 of Cabinet Resolution No. 43 of 2025, which replaced Cabinet Resolution No. 95 of 2022. Fake Emiratisation linked to Nafis programmes carries its own fine of AED 20,000 to AED 100,000 per worker under the same resolution.

MOHRE also downgrades the establishment’s classification and warns of further legal action; it audits fake Emiratisation actively, including through Wage Protection System data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which companies are subject to UAE Emiratisation targets?

Private-sector establishments with 50 or more employees are subject to the percentage targets on skilled jobs. Establishments with 20–49 employees in 14 economic activities named by MOHRE must employ a flat number of Emiratis. No quota is currently published for establishments with fewer than 20 employees.

What is the Emiratisation target for 2026?

Establishments with 50+ employees must add 2% of skilled jobs during 2026 (1% by 30 June and 1% more by 31 December), bringing an establishment subject since 2022 to an overall 10% Emiratisation rate of skilled jobs.

How much is the contribution per missing Emirati?

For the 2026 targets, AED 10,000 per month (AED 120,000 a year) for each position not filled by an Emirati, collected from 1 July 2026 for a first-half miss (MOHRE, 22 June 2026). For the 2025 targets it is AED 9,000 per month, AED 108,000 a year. MOHRE has not yet published the amount or the collection date for a 2026 year-end miss.

Is the contribution for 20–49-employee companies monthly?

No. It is a one-off yearly amount for each citizen not appointed: AED 96,000 for the 2024 target (collected January 2025) and AED 108,000 for the 2025 target (collected January 2026), payable in instalments by agreement with MOHRE.

What counts as a skilled job for Emiratisation?

A role in one of the five occupational levels, held by a worker with an attested certificate above secondary education, at a monthly salary of at least AED 4,000.

What is the minimum salary for Emiratis in the private sector in 2026?

AED 6,000 per month from 1 January 2026. Existing salaries had to be adjusted by 30 June 2026. For establishments covered by Emiratisation policies, from 1 July 2026 an Emirati below the minimum does not count towards the target, and new work permits may be suspended until salaries comply.

How are fractional quotas rounded?

Official guidance does not say. This calculator rounds the requirement up, the conservative reading, and states that assumption in the result.

What are the penalties for fake Emiratisation?

Under Cabinet Resolution No. 43 of 2025 (which replaced No. 95 of 2022 as amended by No. 44 of 2023): fake Emiratisation linked to Nafis programmes is fined AED 20,000 to AED 100,000 per worker, and circumventing the targets by cutting or reclassifying the workforce costs AED 100,000 for a first violation, AED 300,000 for a second, and AED 500,000 for a third or subsequent one, alongside classification downgrades and possible legal action.

Official Sources Used

Estimates the Emiratisation quota and financial-contribution exposure of a private-sector establishment under Ministerial Resolutions No. 279 of 2022 and No. 455 of 2023, which implement the Cabinet’s Emiratisation decisions. Figures last reviewed September 2026 — verify with MOHRE.

Disclaimer

* This tool provides an estimate only, not legal advice. The authoritative targets, classifications and contribution amounts for a specific establishment are determined by MOHRE. Figures last reviewed September 2026 — verify with MOHRE. The employment contract, the law that actually applies (the DIFC and ADGM free zones have their own employment laws) and any decision of MOHRE or a court prevail over this estimate — verify with MOHRE or a qualified adviser.