Unpaid Salary in the UAE? The Letter to Send Before You File

The Month Where Nothing Happens

Unpaid salary in the UAE rarely arrives as a refusal. It arrives as a delay, then a reassurance, then another delay. HR says payroll is being processed. A manager says it is with finance. Weeks pass, and the thing that makes it hard to act is that nobody has actually said no.

That ambiguity is the problem, and a written letter is what ends it. Not because a letter compels anyone to pay — it does not — but because it converts a vague situation into a dated record with a specific ask, and every step after this one works better when that record exists.

This page is about the letter. It is not legal advice, and CraftMyLetter is not a law firm.

The Clock You Should Know About Before You File

Most guides skip the fact that matters most: filing a labour complaint starts a short, defined process.

Under Article 54 of Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021, when a complaint is filed the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation examines it and tries to settle the dispute amicably. According to the UAE Government's official platform:

"If a friendly settlement is not possible within 14 days from the date of application, the ministry shall refer the dispute to the competent court."

Two other official points worth knowing:

MOHRE can issue a final decision on disputes of AED 50,000 or less, where the parties agree.
Claims above AED 50,000 are referred to the Labour Court if they are not resolved.

Official channels are the MOHRE app, the MOHRE portal, and the toll-free Labour Claims and Advisory line on 80084 (or 600-590-000).

Laws and procedures change, and your situation may not be the standard one. Check the current position on the official channels above, and take proper advice if the amount or the deadline matters. What follows is about your letter, not about your case.

Why a Letter First

You can file without ever writing to your employer. Many people do. But going in with a written demand already sent, and ignored, changes what you are able to show:

It fixes a date. "I asked on 3 August" is a fact. "I have been asking for months" is not.

It makes the amount specific. Salary for which months, at what figure, plus any end-of-service entitlement you are claiming. Vagueness is what lets a dispute drift.

It removes the "we did not know" answer. An employer who received a dated written demand cannot later say the matter was never raised properly.

It sometimes just works. A company that was letting an informal ask slide will often move when something arrives in writing that reads like the step before a complaint — because it is.

What to Put In It

Keep it to one page. A long letter reads as a grievance; a short one reads as a notice.

Your full name, position, and employment start date
The exact amount, broken down by month or entitlement
What you have already done — dates you asked, and to whom
A specific deadline — a working-day count, not "as soon as possible"
What you will do next if the deadline passes, stated plainly and without threat
A request for a written response

Leave out how the situation has affected you personally. It is real, and it is not what makes this letter work.

Template: Written Demand for Unpaid Salary

Replace anything in brackets.

[Your name] [Your address] [Your email and phone]

[Date]

[HR Manager / Company name] [Address]

Re: Outstanding salary — [your name], [employee/staff number]

Letter template

Generate this letter

Dear [name or Sir/Madam],

I am employed as [position], with a start date of [date]. My salary for [month(s)] remains unpaid, totalling [AED amount]. [Add: In addition, end-of-service entitlement of AED X remains outstanding.]

I raised this on [date] with [name/role] and again on [date]. I have not received payment or a written explanation.

I request payment of [AED amount] by [specific date, commonly 7 to 14 days from this letter], and a written response confirming the position.

If I do not receive payment or a written response by that date, I intend to file a labour complaint with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

I would prefer to resolve this directly.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

After You Send It

Keep three things: the letter as you sent it, the date, and whatever delivery evidence exists. If you emailed it, an acknowledgement reply is stronger evidence than any read receipt — what email actually proves is worth understanding before you rely on it.

If the deadline passes in silence, the follow-up is a shorter letter that references the first one by date. That is a different letter with a different job, and it is usually the last step before filing.

If you would rather have a delivery record without assembling it yourself, you can send a letter tracked.

A Note on Timing

Do not let a letter become a way of postponing the complaint. The letter is worth one clear deadline — commonly a week or two — not three months of politeness. If the deadline passes and nothing changes, the record you have built is exactly what the next step is for.

Write Yours

You can write your letter in about thirty seconds — your details, your amounts, your dates. The first letter is free and no card is needed.

FAQ: Unpaid Salary and the Letter

Do I have to write to my employer before filing a complaint?

No. You can file directly through the MOHRE app, the portal, or by calling 80084. A written demand first is not a requirement — it is a way of arriving with a dated record rather than a recollection, and it sometimes resolves things without a complaint at all.

How long should I give them?

Long enough to be reasonable and short enough to be a deadline. One to two weeks is a common choice for a first written demand, and the point is that the date is specific rather than that it is generous.

What if I have already left the company?

The letter still works, and end-of-service entitlement can be stated in it alongside unpaid salary. What changes is urgency — time limits can apply to employment claims, so check the current position through the official channels and take advice if the sum is significant.

Process details above are from the UAE Government's official platform on resolving labour disputes and reflect what it stated when this was written. Verify the current position before relying on it.