# UAE HR and payroll glossary: WPS, gratuity, DEWS | Peoplo.ai URL: https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/glossary/ > Plain-English definitions of UAE HR and payroll terms: WPS, end-of-service gratuity, DEWS, GPSSA, ADPF, Emiratisation, overtime, free zones and mainland. People, companies and figures in product examples on this page are sample data, not customers. Glossary # UAE HR and payroll terms, in plain English 39 terms UAE HR and finance teams use every month, each explained in a sentence or two. Figures come from the same official sources as the UAE payroll guide. A **ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market)** A financial free zone in Abu Dhabi with its own employment law, the ADGM Employment Regulations 2024. Gratuity is due however employment ends, and an employer may offer a pension or savings plan instead. [ADGM rules](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/payroll-guide/#adgm) **ADPF (Abu Dhabi Pension Fund)** The pension fund for UAE nationals working in Abu Dhabi, instead of the GPSSA. For members newly insured under the 2023 law, the employee pays 11% and the employer 15%, on salary up to AED 100,000 a month. [HR software in Abu Dhabi](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/hr-software/abu-dhabi/) **AI agent** Software that carries out a multi-step task on its own, such as checking a payroll run or preparing a final settlement. In Peoplo.ai, agents prepare the work and flag issues, and changes to pay, tax, people records and money wait for a person to approve them. [AI agents in Peoplo.ai](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/ai-agents/) B **Basic salary** The fixed core of a salary, before allowances such as housing and transport. End-of-service gratuity and DEWS contributions are worked out on basic salary only. D **DEWS (DIFC Employee Workplace Savings)** The savings plan that replaces gratuity in the DIFC. Employers pay 5.83% of monthly basic salary for employees with under five years' service and 8.33% from five years. [DEWS rules](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/payroll-guide/#difc) **DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre)** A financial free zone in Dubai with its own employment law, DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019. Gratuity is replaced by DEWS contributions. [Free zones guide](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/free-zones/) **DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre)** A free zone in Dubai that follows the federal labour law. DMCC requires the Wage Protection System for all its companies. [Free zones guide](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/free-zones/) E **Emirates ID** The identity card every UAE citizen and resident holds. HR keeps each employee’s Emirates ID number and expiry date with their record. **Emiratisation** The policy that mainland companies with 50 or more employees raise the share of Emiratis in skilled jobs by 2% a year, 1% in each half. It does not apply in the DIFC or ADGM. [Emiratisation rules](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/payroll-guide/#emiratisation) **Emiratisation contribution** The monthly amount a company pays for each Emirati it should have hired but did not. For the 2026 target it is AED 10,000 a month. [Emiratisation rules](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/payroll-guide/#emiratisation) **End-of-service gratuity (EOSB)** A lump sum paid when a mainland employee leaves after at least one year: 21 days' basic salary for each of the first five years, then 30 days a year, capped at two years' wage. [Gratuity calculator](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/tools/gratuity-calculator/) F **Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021** The UAE labour law for the private sector on the mainland and in most free zones. It sets working hours, overtime, leave and end-of-service gratuity. The DIFC and ADGM have their own laws. [UAE payroll guide](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/payroll-guide/) **Final settlement** The last payment to an employee who leaves: salary to the last day, pay for unused leave, gratuity and any recoveries. On the mainland the gratuity is paid within 14 days of the contract ending. [Gratuity rules](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/payroll-guide/#gratuity) **Free zone** An area with its own licensing authority, such as DMCC or Jebel Ali. Most follow the federal labour law; the DIFC and ADGM have their own employment laws. [Free zones guide](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/free-zones/) G **GPSSA (General Pension and Social Security Authority)** The pension authority for UAE nationals in the private sector outside Abu Dhabi. The employee pays 11%, and the employer 12.5% below AED 20,000 of insured salary or 15% from it. [Pension rules](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/payroll-guide/#gpssa) H **Healthcare professional licence** The licence a healthcare professional needs to practise, from the regulator for where they work: DHA in Dubai, DOH in Abu Dhabi, and MOHAP for the other emirates. [Peoplo.ai for healthcare](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/solutions/healthcare/) **Housing allowance** An allowance towards accommodation, paid on top of basic salary. It is not part of basic salary, so it does not count towards gratuity. **HRMS** Human resource management system: software for employee records, leave, attendance, payroll, performance and other HR work in one place. [HRMS buyer's guide](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/hrms-buyers-guide/) **Human in the loop** A way of using AI where a person reviews and approves the AI’s output before it takes effect. It is how Peoplo.ai agents work. I **Insured salary** The salary GPSSA pension contributions are worked out on: at least AED 3,000 and at most AED 70,000 a month. [Pension rules](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/payroll-guide/#gpssa) J **JAFZA (Jebel Ali Free Zone)** A free zone in Dubai that follows the federal labour law. It requires the Wage Protection System for all its companies. [Free zones guide](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/free-zones/) K **Kili** The AI assistant in Peoplo.ai. Employees and HR ask Kili questions about policies, leave and pay, and get answers from the company’s own data. [Kili and the AI agents](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/ai-agents/) L **Labour accommodation** Housing for workers. Establishments with 50 or more workers earning up to AED 1,500 a month must house them in accommodation registered in MOHRE’s system. [Peoplo.ai for construction](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/solutions/construction/) M **Mainland** Companies licensed by an emirate’s economic department rather than a free zone. Mainland employment follows the federal labour law, and MOHRE is the labour authority. **Midday break** From 15 June to 15 September, outdoor work under the sun stops between 12:30 pm and 3 pm. Fines are AED 5,000 per worker, up to AED 50,000. [Peoplo.ai for construction](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/solutions/construction/) **MOHRE (Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation)** The federal ministry for private-sector employment on the mainland. It issues work permits, runs the Wage Protection System and sets Emiratisation targets. N **Northern Emirates** Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. Mainland companies there follow the federal labour law, and Emirati staff are covered by the GPSSA. [HR software in the Northern Emirates](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/hr-software/northern-emirates/) O **Overtime** Hours beyond the normal day, paid at least 25% extra, or 50% between 10 pm and 4 am except for workers on shifts. As a rule it cannot exceed 2 hours a day. [UAE payroll rates](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/data/) P **Payroll anomaly check** A check before a payroll run is locked: the run is compared with last month, and big changes, missing attendance, unpaid leave, joiners and leavers, and negative pay are flagged. [WPS payroll software](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/wps-payroll-software/) **Payroll run** One cycle of calculating, approving and paying salaries for a period, usually a month. In the UAE it ends with the WPS salary file. R **Ramadan working hours** During Ramadan the working day is 2 hours shorter for every employee, with no change to pay. [UAE payroll rates](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/data/) **Residence visa** The visa that lets a foreign employee live and work in the UAE, usually sponsored by the employer. HR tracks its expiry with the work permit and Emirates ID. **Rest day** An employee's weekly day off. Anyone asked to work on their rest day gets another day off, or their pay plus 50%. S **Salary information file (SIF)** The salary file sent through the Wage Protection System each month, listing what each employee is paid. The employer’s bank or exchange house submits it. [WPS payroll software](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/wps-payroll-software/) **SIRA security cadre card** In Dubai, the card every security guard needs, applied for by their licensed security company. It is valid for two years. [Peoplo.ai for facilities management](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/solutions/facilities-management/) T **Transport allowance** An allowance towards travel to work, paid on top of basic salary. Like the housing allowance, it does not count towards gratuity. W **Work permit** Permission for a foreign employee to work for a particular employer, issued by MOHRE on the mainland or by the free zone authority. HR tracks its expiry. **Working hours** The normal working day in the private sector is 8 hours, or 48 hours a week. The law lets the hours differ for some sectors and jobs. [UAE payroll rates](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/data/) **WPS (Wage Protection System)** The system mainland salaries are paid through, run by MOHRE. Under Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026, salaries are due on the first day of the following month, and an employer is compliant when it pays at least 85% of wages due on time. [WPS rules](https://peoplo.ai/ae/en/payroll-guide/#wps)