Once you’ve submitted your medical certificate and your sick leave is approved, the absence doesn’t just disappear into the background — it gets recorded. In the UAE, how sick leave is recorded matters more than most employees realise, because those records determine your pay for the month, track how much of your annual entitlement you’ve used, and can affect everything from probation assessments to end-of-service calculations. Yet most people never see the records that decide these things.
This guide explains how sick leave is recorded in the UAE: who keeps the records, what exactly gets logged, how absences are counted against your 90-day entitlement, how the full-pay, half-pay, and unpaid phases show up in payroll, and what you can do to check your own records and fix mistakes. If you haven’t read it yet, our sick leave rules explained guide sets out the entitlements these records are tracking.
Quick Answer
Sick leave in the UAE is recorded by your employer’s HR department or HR system: each absence is logged with its dates, the medical certificate reference, and the leave category (full pay, half pay, or unpaid). These entries feed into payroll and are counted against your annual sick leave entitlement. You’re also entitled to keep your own records, and you should — personal copies of certificates and absence dates are your best protection if the company’s records turn out to be wrong. Check official UAE government guidance on leave entitlements at u.ae’s page on types of leaves and entitlements in the private sector.
Who Records Your Sick Leave
In nearly every UAE company, sick leave records are kept by HR — either a dedicated HR officer in smaller firms or an HR management system in larger ones. Your direct manager usually reports the absence to HR, HR attaches your medical certificate to the record, and the system categorises the leave. In companies with self-service portals, you may enter the absence yourself and upload the certificate, after which your manager approves it in the system.
There is no single government database where employers report sick leave. Recording is an internal company responsibility, which means the quality of record-keeping varies. Well-run companies keep a clear per-employee leave ledger; smaller businesses sometimes track absences on a spreadsheet or even by hand. Either way, the record exists and it has real consequences, so it’s worth knowing what it contains.
What Gets Recorded for Each Absence
A complete sick leave entry typically includes:
- Your name and employee number — linking the absence to you.
- The dates of absence — the exact days you were off, including whether weekends or public holidays fall in between.
- The leave category — whether those days count as full-pay, half-pay, or unpaid sick leave.
- The medical certificate reference — the certificate number, issuing facility, and the date it was submitted.
- Who approved it — your manager and/or HR sign-off.
- Running balance — how many days of your annual entitlement have been used and how many remain.
One detail that causes regular confusion: whether weekends and public holidays inside a sick leave period count against your entitlement. Company policies differ — some count only working days, others count calendar days for longer absences. This should be spelled out in your employee handbook or employment contract; if it isn’t, ask HR for a written answer before you need it.
How Sick Leave Is Recorded Against the 90-Day Entitlement
Under the UAE Labour Law, eligible employees get up to 90 days of sick leave per year, split into three phases: the first 15 days at full pay, the next 30 days at half pay, and the remaining 45 days unpaid. HR records track your progress through these phases, and this is where accurate recording really matters.
| Phase | Days | Pay | What HR Records Show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Days 1–15 of the leave year | Full pay | Absences logged as paid sick leave; salary unaffected |
| Phase 2 | Days 16–45 | Half pay | Absences logged as half-pay sick leave; payroll deducts 50% for those days |
| Phase 3 | Days 46–90 | Unpaid | Absences logged as unpaid sick leave; no salary for those days |
The leave year for sick leave is usually counted from the date you completed probation, though some companies align it with the calendar year. The distinction matters: if HR restarts the count on the wrong date, you could be paid half salary for days that should have been full pay, or vice versa. If you’re unsure how your company counts, ask HR directly for a written statement of how your leave year is defined and what your current balance is.
Partial days deserve a mention too. Leaving work early for a medical appointment is often recorded as a partial sick day or under a separate “medical appointment” category, depending on company policy. Clarify how your employer logs these — a few early departures shouldn’t silently eat into your 15 full-pay days.
How Sick Leave Shows Up on Your Payslip
Your payslip is the most visible part of the recording chain, and it’s where errors are easiest to spot. Here’s what to look for:
- Full-pay sick leave — usually invisible on the payslip; your salary is simply paid in full, though some companies show a “sick leave (paid)” line with zero deduction.
- Half-pay sick leave — appears as a deduction, typically labelled something like “sick leave deduction” or “half-pay leave”. The amount should equal half of your daily wage for each half-pay day. Check the day count against your own records.
- Unpaid sick leave — appears as a full deduction for those days, reducing your gross salary accordingly.
Keep every payslip. They’re your proof of what was actually deducted, and they’re the first document you’ll be asked for if you ever dispute how an absence was categorised. For more on the paperwork that proves your employment terms, see our guide to the UAE salary certificate, which often draws on the same payroll records.
Keeping Your Own Sick Leave Records
You shouldn’t rely entirely on HR’s records — especially since you’re the one who loses pay if they’re wrong. Keep a simple personal log:
- Photograph every medical certificate the day you receive it, before submitting the original.
- Note the absence dates, who you notified, and when — a quick entry in your phone’s notes app is enough.
- Save submission confirmations — the portal screenshot, the email sent confirmation, or the acknowledged message.
- File every payslip and check the sick leave lines against your log each month.
- Request a leave balance statement from HR periodically — quarterly is a sensible rhythm — so discrepancies surface while they’re easy to fix.
This habit takes five minutes per absence and pays for itself the first time HR logs the wrong dates or miscategorises a day. For a broader system that covers all your leave types, see our guide on keeping a record of annual leave — the same approach works for sick leave.
Fixing Errors and Resolving Disputes
When your records and HR’s records disagree, follow a clear sequence:
- Raise it in writing — email HR with the specific dates, what was recorded, and what your evidence (certificate copy, payslip, submission confirmation) shows. Written requests create a trail; verbal ones don’t.
- Ask for the correction, not just an explanation — be specific about the outcome you want: “please reclassify 12–14 May as full-pay sick leave” is more useful than “something looks wrong”.
- Check the timeline — payroll corrections usually happen in the following month’s cycle. Get a commitment on when the fix will appear.
- Escalate if ignored — if HR doesn’t respond or refuses without a reason, raise it with your manager or through the company’s grievance process. Persistent, documented underpayment of sick leave pay is a labour matter you can take to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
Also double-check the certificate you originally submitted, as explained in our documents required for sick leave guide — many “recording errors” turn out to be date mismatches on the certificate itself, which the clinic can correct.
How Sick Leave Records Connect to Other Employment Records
Sick leave doesn’t sit in isolation. The records interact with several other parts of your employment file:
- Probation assessments — frequent or extended absences during probation may be noted in performance reviews. The records themselves are factual; how they’re interpreted depends on your manager.
- End-of-service gratuity — unpaid sick leave days can affect how continuous service is calculated in some scenarios. If you’re approaching the end of a contract, see our end-of-service gratuity guide for how service periods are counted.
- Reference and experience letters — these record your employment dates and role, not your sick leave history. A prospective employer in the UAE can’t normally see how many sick days you took.
Understanding these connections helps you see sick leave records for what they are: administrative facts about your employment, not a judgement. Keep them accurate and they work in your favour.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I ask HR for a copy of my sick leave records?
Yes. Your leave records are part of your employment file, and you can request a statement of your sick leave balance and absence history. Ask in writing and keep the response with your own records.
Do weekends count as sick leave days in the UAE?
It depends on your employer’s policy. Some companies count only working days against your entitlement; others count calendar days for longer continuous absences. Check your handbook or ask HR for a written answer — this single detail can change which pay phase an absence falls into.
What happens if my employer records sick leave as annual leave?
This sometimes happens by mistake and it matters, because it eats into your paid holiday balance. Raise it with HR in writing, provide your medical certificate as evidence, and ask for the days to be reclassified as sick leave. Keeping the two leave types separate protects both your holiday entitlement and your sick pay.
How long do employers keep sick leave records?
Companies generally retain employment records — including leave history — for the duration of your employment and some years afterwards, in line with their record-retention policies and any applicable regulations. If you need old records (for a dispute, for example), request them sooner rather than later.
Does sick leave appear on my experience certificate?
No. Experience and employment certificates in the UAE confirm your job title, employment dates, and sometimes salary. They don’t list your sick leave history.
The Bottom Line
How sick leave is recorded in the UAE comes down to this: HR logs each absence with dates, a leave category, and your certificate reference, tracks it against your 90-day entitlement across the full-pay, half-pay, and unpaid phases, and feeds it into payroll. The system works when the records are accurate — and the most reliable way to keep them accurate is to keep your own copies and check your payslip and leave balance regularly. Five minutes of personal record-keeping protects your pay and gives you solid ground if anything needs correcting. For background reading on paid sick leave as a concept, see Wikipedia’s overview of sick leave.
Last Updated: 8 October 2026
About the author: Zaviyar Sultan is a UAE-focused writer at Paxi, covering driving, visas, banking, insurance and everyday UAE life. His guides are researched from official UAE government and regulator sources and updated regularly.
Paxi is an independent informational website, not affiliated with the UAE government or any agency mentioned; content is general information only, not legal, immigration or financial advice; verify critical details with official sources before acting.