Private-sector salaries in the UAE now have one deadline: the 1st of the following month, with no grace period. That changed on 1 June 2026 under Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026, and it directly affects when you should expect to see your pay land, whichever method you use to check for it.
How you check depends on what your salary lands in. A traditional bank account gives you an app, SMS alerts, and ATM access. A payroll card from an exchange house (Al Ansari’s PayPlus, FAB’s Ratibi, Lulu Exchange’s My Pay Card) works differently, since it isn’t a bank account at all. And if you want proof your employer actually transferred your wages through the government system rather than just checking whether money landed, that’s a separate check through MOHRE.
Salary balance check methods
| Method | Works for | What it shows | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank mobile app | Bank account holders | Real-time balance and transaction history | Fastest option; free |
| Bank SMS/USSD alerts | Bank account holders | Instant notification on credit | Must be registered with the bank in advance |
| ATM balance inquiry | Bank accounts and payroll cards | Current balance | Free at your own bank’s ATM; a per-inquiry fee applies elsewhere |
| Exchange house app (Al Ansari, FAB Ratibi, Lulu) | Payroll/prepaid card holders | Balance, salary credits, recent transactions | Free; the primary channel for cards not tied to a bank account |
| IVR phone banking | Bank accounts and some cards | Balance read out or texted | Useful without internet access |
| MOHRE Smart App / mohre.gov.ae | Anyone paid via WPS | Confirms the employer’s WPS transfer, not your card or account balance | Separate from a balance check |
Checking a bank account
If your salary lands in a regular bank account, the app is the quickest route. Log in, and the current balance and any salary credit show on the home dashboard. There’s no separate balance-inquiry step needed. Emirates NBD, ADCB, FAB, Mashreq and Dubai Islamic Bank all offer this through their own apps.
SMS and USSD banking work as a backup, and they’re worth setting up before you need them rather than after. Once your number is registered, the bank sends a text the moment a WPS credit lands, so you don’t have to open the app at all.
ATMs remain the fallback with no internet: insert the card, enter the PIN, and select Balance Inquiry. Your own bank’s ATM is free. A different bank’s ATM in the UAE (“UAE Switch”) usually isn’t.
ADCB’s published Schedule of Fees for inter-bank inquiry is AED 2 for standard Personal Banking cards, while its Business Choice fee schedule lists AED 2.10. Some Emirati-tier cards get it free. The exact fee depends on your specific card tier as well as your bank, so check your own bank’s published fee schedule for the number that applies to your card.
Checking a payroll or prepaid salary card
A card from an exchange house isn’t a bank account, and it doesn’t show up in a bank’s app. Each provider has its own channel:
- Al Ansari PayPlus (FAB-issued): the Al Ansari Exchange app is the fastest route: balance, salary credits and recent transactions appear under “My Cards.” An SMS option also exists: text
BALplus your card number to 600 54 6000. Any Al Ansari branch or a Visa-network ATM works too. - FAB Ratibi: the FAB Mobile / Ratibi app shows balance and transaction history, or use any FAB ATM.
- Lulu Exchange (My Pay My Card): the Lulu Money app, or an ATM on the UAE Switch network, which includes select FAB, Emirates NBD and Mashreq machines, not just Lulu’s own.
All three apps are free to use. The ATM route may carry a small inquiry fee if you’re not using the issuing bank’s own machines.
Verifying through MOHRE
An app or ATM balance only tells you what’s in your account or on your card, not whether your employer actually processed the transfer through the Wage Protection System. For that, go through MOHRE directly.
The MOHRE Smart App has a “My Salary” section that shows WPS-registered payments for your own record: the transfer date, the amount, and the agent (bank or exchange house) that processed it. Records typically update within 48 hours of the employer’s Salary Information File being confirmed, so a gap of a day or two isn’t necessarily a problem.
Sign in with UAE Pass or your Emirates ID. If something looks wrong (a payment missing, short, or late), MOHRE’s official call centre is 600590000, reachable any time throughout the week.
What “late” means now
Before 1 June 2026, employers had a 15-day grace period after the due date before MOHRE enforcement kicked in. Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026 removed that entirely. The 1st of the Gregorian month is now the deadline for the previous month’s wages, full stop, and anything after that date counts as delayed.
The compliance bar also moved: an employer is compliant only if at least 85% of total wages are transferred on time, up from 80% previously. On MOHRE’s enforcement timeline, electronic monitoring starts on day 2 after the deadline, with escalating consequences (permit restrictions, fines, and in repeated cases, referral for prosecution) through day 21.
Practically, that means a salary that hasn’t shown up by the 1st is already outside the normal window. It’s worth checking your own MOHRE record before assuming it’s a bank delay rather than a payment that wasn’t sent.
If your salary hasn’t arrived
- Check your bank app, exchange-house app, or MOHRE’s “My Salary” section directly rather than assuming a bank delay.
- Compare the date against the 1st-of-month deadline under Resolution 340: a transfer dated for the last day of the prior month is on time even if it clears a day later.
- Raise it with your employer’s HR or payroll contact first; a payment date or amount mismatch is often an internal administrative error rather than a WPS failure.
- If it isn’t resolved, call MOHRE on 600590000, or file through the MOHRE Smart App or mohre.gov.ae, quoting your Emirates ID and, if you have one, your labour card number.
FAQ
Is checking my salary balance free?
Yes, through your bank’s own app, SMS alerts, or an exchange house’s own app. ATM inquiries are free at your own bank or card issuer’s machines, and typically carry a small fee (commonly AED 2-3 in the UAE, varying by bank and card tier) at another bank’s ATM.
What’s the difference between a bank account and a payroll card?
A bank account is opened with a bank and shows up in that bank’s app. A payroll card (Al Ansari PayPlus, FAB Ratibi, Lulu’s My Pay My Card) is a prepaid card issued by an exchange house, used by employees who don’t have a traditional bank account. It’s checked through the issuing exchange house’s own app, not a bank’s.
How do I know if my employer actually paid my salary through WPS, not just that money arrived?
Check the “My Salary” section of the MOHRE Smart App, signed in with UAE Pass or your Emirates ID. It shows the registered transfer date, amount, and paying agent for each WPS-processed payment.
When is my salary legally due?
By the 1st of the following Gregorian month, for the previous month’s wages, under Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026 (effective 1 June 2026). There is no grace period.
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