Domestic Helper Salary in Dubai for Filipinos: What to Check

Direct answer: There is no single domestic helper salary in Dubai. The UAE domestic worker law does not set a minimum wage. Your pay is the figure in the signed MOHRE standard contract. For Filipino workers, the Migrant Workers Office Dubai lists a minimum basic wage of AED 1,500 a month when it verifies a domestic worker contract, and the Philippines announced a USD 500 floor in 2025 that press reports say is not enforced for Gulf countries. Check the number on your own contract before you travel.

If you are a Filipino domestic worker in the Philippines looking at a job in Dubai or elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates, the salary is the first question and also the easiest one to get wrong. Recruiters quote round numbers in dirhams, dollars, and pesos in the same chat. Websites quote figures with no source. This guide separates what the Philippine and UAE governments actually say from what is only repeated online.

It also covers the rest of the pay package: rest days, annual leave, sick leave, the plane ticket home, what the contract must say, and the Philippine steps that protect you before you fly. It is not an agency ranking, and Helpers does not place workers abroad, process UAE permits, or give legal advice.

How much is the salary of a domestic helper in Dubai?

Start with the UAE rule. The UAE government portal says domestic workers are paid as set out in the standard contract. It lists no minimum amount. A Gulf News legal Q&A, last updated in June 2024, says the same: the law sets no minimum salary and pay is whatever employer and worker agree in the contract.

So the wage you can accept comes from three places:

1. The contract. The UAE government page on domestic workers says the contract must show the salary and basic wage, the method of payment, leave, rest periods, and the conditions for ending the job.
2. The Migrant Workers Office (MWO) check. The MWO Dubai requirements page lists the UAE domestic labour contract or the Philippine standard employment contract "with minimum basic wage of AED 1,500 per month" for individual domestic worker contract verification. At the fixed dirham rate of 3.6725 to the US dollar, AED 1,500 is about USD 408.
3. The DMW wage floor. This is where it gets confusing, so the next section takes it step by step.

Do not accept a salary quoted only as "around AED 1,800" or "good pay" in a chat. Ask for the monthly basic wage in dirhams, written in the contract you will sign.

The DMW minimum wage and what it means for Dubai

On 22 August 2025 the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) issued Advisory No. 25, Series of 2025. Its first item raises the minimum monthly wage for Filipino domestic workers from USD 400 to at least USD 500. The advisory says the increase will be built into all employment contracts that DMW processes, and it applies to new contracts and renewals 60 days after issuance.

Then the picture changes for the Gulf:

• In September 2025, DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the USD 500 rate was being implemented on a voluntary basis. Employers who pay less would not be penalised, and employers who pay more could get faster processing.
• Gulf News reported that after talks in Doha, the GCC countries, including the UAE, are exempted from the enforced USD 500 minimum, and that pay there would follow supply and demand while the wage-setting mechanism is reviewed.

No DMW document states the Gulf exemption in its own words, and the advisory text has no Gulf carve-out. Treat the GCC exemption as press reporting, not as a DMW rule you can quote.

What this means for you in practice:

If your offer is below AED 1,500 basic, ask the agency to explain in writing why MWO Dubai would accept it. If the answer is that verification is not needed, stop and ask DMW or the Philippine post directly.

What goes into a Dubai domestic helper pay package

Salary is more than the monthly amount. Under the UAE rules, the employer carries several costs that should not come out of your wage. Use this table when you compare two offers.

The government page does not say how sick leave is paid, so do not rely on a figure you read elsewhere. Ask the agency to show where the contract covers it.

Rest days, hours, and leave under the UAE domestic worker law

The UAE government summarises the entitlements under Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022 on domestic workers, as amended by Federal Decree-Law No. 21 of 2023. For a worker, the plain version is:

• One day of paid rest every week.
• 12 hours of rest every day, including at least 8 hours in a row.
• Paid annual leave of no less than 30 days.
• A round-trip ticket home every 2 years.
• Up to 30 days of sick leave a year.
• The right to keep your own passport and ID. The employer must protect this right.

A short wage is not a fair trade for these rights. A contract that says "no day off, extra pay instead" does not match the government summary. If an agency says rest days are optional, ask them to point to the contract clause. The Philippine side backs this up: DMW Advisory No. 25 says the standard employment contract guarantees decent accommodation, adequate living conditions, and at least one full rest day per week. It also says the passport is property of the Philippine government and must stay with the worker, except for justified purposes such as visa stamping, after which it must be returned promptly.

When must the employer pay your salary?

The UAE government page says wages are paid as set in the standard contract, "within 10 days from due date." It also says Ministerial Resolution No. 675 of 2022 brings certain domestic work professions under the Wages Protection System, but the page does not list which professions. So do not assume your job is covered, and do not assume it is not.

What you can do is control your own records:

1. Ask before you travel how wages will be paid: bank transfer, exchange house, or cash.
2. Ask for a receipt or a message record for every payment.
3. Keep a monthly note with the date, amount, and period covered.
4. If a payment is late, ask once in writing, then use the complaint route below.

The UAE government also says employers must not require a domestic worker to pay anything, directly or indirectly, unless the law, ministry decisions, or the approved contract form allow it. A request for "your first two months of salary" is not a normal recruitment step.

End-of-service gratuity: what is and is not confirmed

Many websites quote a gratuity of "14 days per year" for domestic workers. No official UAE source gives that figure. The UAE government entitlements list does not include an end-of-service gratuity. The Gulf News legal Q&A says a domestic worker is not entitled to a gratuity under the 2022 law.

What the government page does state is that if a worker dies in service, the employer pays the heirs the wage for the month of death plus other entitlements. It also states that claims under the law cannot be brought after three months from the end of employment, so keep your records and act early.

My advice: do not count on a gratuity when you compare offers. Ask the agency to write down every payment you should receive when the contract ends, including unused leave and the ticket home. If you need a firm answer, call MOHRE on 80084 before you sign.

Tadbeer centres, recruitment offices, and the standard contract

In the UAE, the government portal points employers to MOHRE-approved domestic worker services centres and links to a list of them. In Dubai these centres are commonly called Tadbeer centres, and the MWO Dubai site has a separate "Hiring through Tadbeer" section. For the family side of the process, see the UAE domestic worker MOHRE hiring guide.

The government page says:

• A contract is made between the recruitment office and the employer, and it covers the type of work and the wage.
• The employer uses the ministry's approved contract template and gives you a copy.
• A recruitment office must give you information about the work and wage before you enter the UAE.
• Recruitment offices must arrange a medical exam within 30 days before entry, provide suitable housing, and charge no commission to the worker.
• If the office breaks the contract terms, the employer can refuse the worker, and the agency must provide a replacement or refund the recruitment fees.

For the costs your employer carries and the steps after a job offer, read the UAE maid visa cost and steps guide.

Philippine rules before you go

The UAE contract is only half of the process. A Filipino domestic worker also has to go through Philippine steps, and each one is a chance to catch a bad offer.

1. Use a licensed Philippine agency. Check the agency and job order before you pay or hand over documents. How to verify a DMW-licensed recruitment agency shows the steps.
2. Register with DMW. Your records need to exist in the system. See DMW e-Registration for domestic workers.
3. Complete the know-your-employer call. DMW Advisory No. 25 requires a video conference between you and the employer before the contract is finalised. You should see the household, hear the duties, the rest periods, and the accommodation, and give your informed consent before deployment.
4. Attend PDOS and the household worker course. OWWA's 2026 Citizen's Charter lists a Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar certificate in the agency-hire requirements for its language and culture course for household service workers, which runs 1 to 6 days with no fee listed.
5. OWWA membership. The same charter lists the membership contribution as USD 25, with compulsory registration when your contract is processed. See OWWA membership for household service workers. Ask your agency in writing who pays it and keep the receipt.
6. Clearance to leave. Read OEC requirements for domestic workers so you know which pass applies to you.

On fees, Philippine rules for household service workers are meant to keep recruitment costs off the worker, and the employer or foreign principal carries them. The current DMW text of that rule was not available when this guide was written, so confirm it with DMW or your Migrant Workers Office, and treat any request for money to "hold" or "reserve" a Dubai job as a red flag.

If you are already in the UAE and changing employers, the MWO Dubai checklist asks for two copies each of the signed contract, the addendum, your passport, and your UAE visa or Emirates ID. Its page also lists a fee in dirhams for each contract, so check the amount before you pay and get a receipt.

Red flags in a Dubai domestic helper offer

• A tourist or visit visa job offer. The UAE government says employers must not employ any worker without a valid work permit, and a domestic worker must not do any work without one. MWO Dubai's advisory says domestic workers can be employed only through licensed agencies, Tadbeer centres, or direct sponsorship, and it warns against visa trading.
• No video call with the employer. DMW requires the know-your-employer call before the contract is finalised.
• A salary promise that is not in the contract. If the contract says AED 1,500 and the chat says AED 1,800, the contract is what binds.
• Your passport is taken. The UAE says you are entitled to keep your passport and ID, and DMW says passports stay with the worker except for short, justified steps.
• A fee to apply. Anything you are asked to pay "to secure" the job needs a written explanation and an official receipt.
• Direct offers from a family. UAE rules allow direct sponsorship by a qualified employer. On the Philippine side, DMW and OWWA treat name-hire, where the employer names you directly, as a separate process. Ask DMW whether it applies to you before you accept a direct offer, and do not leave the Philippines on an informal arrangement.
• Job duties that grow. A housemaid contract that quietly includes a second home, a business, or care for a sick person is a different job. The UAE says the employer must not require work for others or in a different profession except as the rules allow.

Where to get help

Keep these in your phone and a copy on paper before you leave:

The UAE government page says either side can file a labour complaint with MOHRE, which tries to settle it within two weeks. If that fails, the case goes to court with MOHRE's recommendation, and domestic workers are exempt from litigation fees. Gulf News reports that 80084 is the number of MOHRE's Labour Claims and Advisory Centre. If you work in Abu Dhabi, check which Philippine office covers your emirate before you travel, because MWO Dubai's own checklist refers to visas issued in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

A salary checklist to run before you sign

Write each answer down. If any answer is "later" or "do not worry," pause.

1. What is the basic monthly wage in AED, and is it written in the contract?
2. Does the amount match what MWO Dubai lists for contract verification, AED 1,500 basic?
3. Which DMW minimum appears on my DMW-processed contract?
4. Who pays the agency fee, the OWWA contribution, the medical exam, and the flight?
5. Which day is my weekly rest day?
6. When can I take my 30 days of annual leave, and who pays the ticket home?
7. Where will I sleep, and who else lives in the home?
8. How will my wages be paid, and will I get a record?
9. Who keeps my passport? (The answer should be me.)
10. Did I have the video call with the real employer, and does the contract show the same name and address?
11. Do I have the MWO, OWWA, and MOHRE contacts saved?

Keep copies of the offer, the signed contract, receipts, the video call date, and all chats with the agency in one folder outside the employer's home.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary of a Filipino domestic helper in Dubai?

The UAE domestic worker law does not publish one salary. The wage is whatever the signed MOHRE contract says. For Filipino workers, the Migrant Workers Office Dubai lists a minimum basic wage of AED 1,500 a month for contract verification. DMW Advisory No. 25 set a USD 500 floor in 2025, but press reports say it is not being enforced for Gulf countries. Confirm the figure on your own DMW-processed contract.

Does the UAE have a minimum wage for domestic workers?

The UAE government page on domestic workers says wages follow the standard contract and does not list a minimum amount. A Gulf News legal Q&A says the law sets no minimum salary. The Philippine side does apply its own floor to contracts it processes, so the number you can accept is set by DMW and your contract, not by a UAE statutory minimum.

How many days off does a domestic helper get in the UAE?

The UAE government states one paid rest day each week, 12 hours of rest each day with at least 8 in a row, paid annual leave of at least 30 days, and a round-trip ticket home every 2 years. Sick leave is allowed up to 30 days a year.

When must a UAE employer pay a domestic helper?

The UAE government says wages are paid as set in the standard contract, within 10 days from the due date. Ask in advance how you will be paid, keep a record of every payment, and report late wages to MOHRE on 80084.

Can I go to Dubai on a tourist visa and look for a domestic helper job?

Do not. The UAE says an employer must not employ any worker without a valid work permit, and a domestic worker must not start work without one. MWO Dubai says domestic workers can be employed only through licensed agencies, Tadbeer centres, or direct sponsorship. A visit visa gives you none of the contract protections.

A practical next step for Filipino helpers

Before you accept a Dubai offer, get the basic wage in dirhams in writing and check it against your DMW-processed contract. Then create or update your Helpers profile with your real experience and the destination you want, and browse the Helpers guides for helpers for the next step in your plan. If you want the employer side of the same process, the UAE route explains it.