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Business Day Calculator

United Arab Emirates Business Day Calculator

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026 · Holiday data: October 13, 2026

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Calculate working days in the United Arab Emirates with the federal public holidays of Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 preselected, each on the day the federal government announced where the Cabinet moved one, and the Saturday-Sunday weekend the federal government has kept since January 2022.

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How United Arab Emirates Business Days Are Defined

In the United Arab Emirates, this calculator counts Monday to Friday as working days and leaves out the public holidays listed below. The UAE Government portal (u.ae) states that this list of public holidays applies to both the public and private sectors.

For the federal government, Saturday and Sunday are the official weekend. Federal employees work from 7.30 am to 3.30 pm Monday to Thursday and from 7.30 am to 12.00 pm on Friday, a four and a half-day week announced in December 2021 and in effect since 1 January 2022. The Government of Sharjah is the exception among the emirates: its employees work Monday to Thursday, and its official weekend is Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This calculator follows the federal week and counts Friday as a full working day.

Sources for these rules

Checked October 7, 2026. All sources

United Arab Emirates Public Holidays

The federal public holidays of Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 are:

  • New Year's Day (1 January)
  • Eid al-Fitr (1 to 3 Shawwal, with 30 Ramadan added when Ramadan runs 30 days)
  • Arafat Day (9 Dhu al-Hijjah) and Eid al-Adha (10 to 12 Dhu al-Hijjah)
  • Islamic New Year (1 Muharram)
  • Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (12 Rabi al-Awwal)
  • National Day (2 and 3 December)

Except for the Eid holidays, the Cabinet may move any of them to the beginning or end of the week, and the calculator counts the day the federal government announces. How we determine holidays →

Sources for these dates

Checked October 7, 2026. All sources

Where these UAE holiday dates come from

Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 sets the UAE's public holidays for the public and private sectors from 2025. Except for the Eid holidays, the Cabinet may move a holiday to the beginning or end of the week, but never one that falls on the weekend or on another holiday, and the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources announces the day the federal government takes. This calendar counts the announced day. Until it is announced, the calendar counts the Resolution's own date and marks it (unconfirmed), or (approximate) for an Islamic date computed ahead.

Announced days this calendar counts:

Source: UAE Legislation (Ministry of Cabinet Affairs), Cabinet Resolution No. (27) of 2024 Concerning the Public Holidays in the State (archived copy) (in the register). Checked October 7, 2026.

Pair these tools with UAE project workflows

The Project Deadline Calculator lays out up to six phases in sequence and counts each one in working days, skipping the Saturday and Sunday weekend and the UAE public holidays when you choose the United Arab Emirates.

Sources and verification

Official source: The United Arab Emirates' Government portal (u.ae) (opens in a new tab)

Cross-checked against this source on October 13, 2026.

See all official sources →

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 the public holidays this site's holiday data lists for the United Arab Emirates, and the source of that data is named on this page. Each year's dates from 2024 to 2028 are on the holiday pages linked from this calculator. 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?
This calculator counts Saturday and Sunday as the weekend for the United Arab Emirates, so a count runs Monday to Friday, and it also leaves out the listed public holidays. The site's guides to the working week cite the official source for each country's week.
Which weekend does this UAE calendar use?
Saturday and Sunday. Since 1 January 2022 the UAE federal government has worked a four-and-a-half-day week, Monday to Thursday from 7.30 am to 3.30 pm and Friday from 7.30 am to 12.00 pm, with Saturday and Sunday as its official weekend, and that is the weekend this calculator counts. The governments of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah adopted a similar week; Sharjah's government works Monday to Thursday and takes Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, so for a deadline that depends on a Sharjah government office, treat Friday as closed too. For private employers, the government portal refers the weekly rest day to the labour contract or the work regulations, so check the counterparty's own.
How are Islamic lunar holidays handled in the calculator?
The UAE government portal lists Eid al-Fitr, Arafat Day, Eid al-Adha, the Hijri New Year and the Prophet's birthday as public holidays determined by moon sighting, and Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 lets the Cabinet move any holiday except the Eid holidays to the beginning or end of the week. Where this site has read the federal government's announcement for a year, its data uses the announced day, marked (observed) when it differs from the Resolution's date. For later years it converts the dates from the Umm al-Qura calendar and tags them (approximate), because the day actually taken off can differ. Under Article 3 of the Resolution, as the portal quotes it, a public holiday is not moved to another day when it falls on a weekend or coincides with another public holiday.

United Arab Emirates working days by month

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

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

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Related resources

Holidays in United Arab Emirates 2024 →Holidays in United Arab Emirates 2025 →Holidays in United Arab Emirates 2026 →Holidays in United Arab Emirates 2027 →Holidays in United Arab Emirates 2028 →Working days in 2026 →Business vs calendar days →Due dates on weekends or holidays →Business days in a year →Hiring International Contractors →