United Arab Emirates Business Day Calculator

Last reviewed: May 19, 2026 · Holiday data: May 19, 2026

Calculate working days in the United Arab Emirates with federal public holidays preselected per the UAE Cabinet's annual decree, and the post-January 2022 Saturday-Sunday weekend applied. Use for FTA VAT201 quarterly returns (28 days after period end), UAE Central Bank UAEFTS RTGS settlement, ADGM and DIFC commercial-law deadlines, and corporate income tax (9% from June 2023) 9-month filing windows.

Start Date

End Date

Holiday Calendar

Include start date in countInclude end date in count

← All Calculators Saudi Arabia Calculator →Qatar Calculator →Egypt Calculator →

How United Arab Emirates Business Days Are Defined

In United Arab Emirates, working days are the days of the week outside the Saturday and Sunday (post-2022 reform) weekend, minus the federal public holidays listed below. Banks, DFM, ADX, Nasdaq Dubai, federal authorities all close on the listed holidays.

United Arab Emirates Public Holidays

The major federal public holidays are:

New Year's Day (1 January)
Eid al-Fitr (3-4 days, Islamic lunar calendar)
Arafat Day and Eid al-Adha (4 days, Islamic lunar calendar)
Islamic New Year (1 day, Islamic lunar calendar)
Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (variable years, Islamic lunar calendar)
Commemoration Day (1 December)
National Day (2-3 December)

Source: UAE Cabinet decree, annually announced. How we determine holidays →

Pair these tools with UAE project workflows

UAE construction and procurement contracts (FIDIC 2017, ADGM and DIFC frameworks, Dubai government tenders) typically schedule deliverables in multiple phases. The Project Deadline Calculator stages up to six phases against the federal public holiday calendar with the post-2022 Mon-Fri workweek applied.

For informational purposes only

This calculator provides general estimates based on business day counting rules. It does not constitute legal advice. Deadlines in legal, regulatory, or contractual matters may be subject to jurisdiction-specific rules, court orders, or statutory exceptions. Always verify critical deadlines with a qualified professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which holidays are included for United Arab Emirates?

The calculator preselects federal public holidays for United Arab Emirates sourced from UAE Cabinet decree, annually announced. The list and 2024-2029 dates are summarised on this page. Use the Advanced options to layer any regional or industry-specific dates that apply to a particular contract.

What is the United Arab Emirates workweek?

United Arab Emirates's working week runs with a Saturday and Sunday (post-2022 reform) weekend. The calculator excludes both weekend days and the listed public holidays from the working-day count.

Why did the UAE workweek change in 2022?

Effective January 1, 2022, the UAE federal public sector moved from a Sunday-Thursday workweek (Fri-Sat weekend) to a Monday-Friday workweek with a half-day Friday closure for prayers. The private sector largely aligned to either Mon-Fri full weeks or Mon-Thu plus Fri half-day. This calculator uses the Saturday-Sunday weekend reflecting the post-reform federal-sector convention, which aligns UAE business days with European and US counterparties for cross-border invoicing and settlement. Free zone weekend rules may vary (e.g., ADGM and DIFC operate on standard western weekends).

How are Islamic lunar holidays handled in the calculator?

UAE Cabinet decrees announce the official holiday dates each year, with lunar holidays (Eid al-Fitr, Arafat Day, Eid al-Adha, Islamic New Year, Mawlid al-Nabawi) gazetted shortly before they fall. For years where the official decree has not yet been published, this calculator's data uses astronomical calculations and tags the entry with '(approximate)'. The published Cabinet decree may shift these dates by one day depending on the official moon-sighting (rouyat al-hilal). Always verify against the latest UAE Cabinet announcement for time-sensitive cross-border deadlines.

United Arab Emirates working days by month

Working-day counts, calendar grids, and UAE federal holidays for each of the next 13 months.

May 2026 June 2026 July 2026 August 2026 September 2026 October 2026 November 2026 December 2026 January 2027 February 2027 March 2027 April 2027 May 2027