Switching employers inside the UAE raises a gratuity question most people get wrong: does your end of service money follow you to the new job? No – it gets paid out, and your service counter restarts at zero. Here is how to handle the transition so nothing is left on the table.
Every job change is a full settlement
Gratuity attaches to the employment contract, not to your visa or your career in the UAE. When you move from Employer A to Employer B – even with a smooth visa transfer and no gap – Employer A owes you a complete final settlement within 14 days: gratuity for your full service, leave encashment and pending salary. Run the numbers on the final settlement calculator before your last day so you can check their figure line by line.
The service counter resets
At Employer B you start from zero: no gratuity until you complete one year, and your years accrue at the 21-day rate until you pass five years there. This is worth weighing when you evaluate offers – leaving a job at year 4 versus year 6 changes which side of the 21/30-day boundary your final years earn. Frequent movers systematically accrue less than stayers on identical salaries because they keep restarting the five-year clock.
Group transfers and continuity
Moving between companies in the same group, or staying on when a business is sold, can preserve continuity – if the transfer is documented as continuous service rather than termination and rehire. Get the continuity commitment in writing before you sign anything; otherwise insist on settlement of the old contract. An employer promise that “your years carry over” is only as good as the paper it is on.
Practical checklist for the switch
Serve your notice fully (leaving early lets the employer offset notice compensation against your settlement). Collect your settlement, salary certificate and experience letter before your cancellation is processed. Confirm your final settlement arrived within the 14-day window – if not, the MOHRE complaint route exists for exactly this. And at the new employer, check your basic-to-gross split again: it defines the gratuity you are now starting to build (why the split matters).
Information only, not legal advice. Verified 6 July 2026.