2026 Working Days Calendar for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Legal Regulations
The UAE labor law regulates working hours, overtime, and annual leave. A key regulation for public holidays is the Cabinet resolution allowing mid-week holidays to be transferred to the start or end of the working week to create a long weekend, though this rule does not apply to Eid holidays. Employees asked to work during Eid Al Fitr are entitled to specific legal rights and compensation.
The UAE Cabinet's resolution on public holidays allows for certain mid-week holidays to be transferred to the start or end of the working week to create long weekends, although this rule does not apply to Eid holidays. The labor market is regulated by federal law, with residence visas tied to employment, creating a flexible labor supply system. Standard working hours are typically 8 hours per day, 48 hours per week, with reduced hours during Ramadan.
Working hours and holiday regulations are set by federal authorities like the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. Overtime must be compensated as per labor regulations. During Ramadan, specific reduced working hour schedules are mandated for both public and private sectors.
News
For 2026, the UAE has announced two possible scenarios for the Eid Al Fitr holiday in the private sector, which will be confirmed based on the moon sighting for Ramadan, resulting in either a three or four-day official break. The expected holiday calendar highlights several opportunities for long weekends throughout the year.
For 2026, two scenarios are announced for the Eid Al Fitr holiday in the private sector, depending on the length of Ramadan. All Islamic holiday dates (Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year, Prophet's Birthday) are subject to moon sighting confirmation. Recent legal changes include the decriminalization of alcohol consumption and cohabitation for unmarried couples.
For Ramadan 2026, the UAE has announced reduced working hours for public and private sector employees, continuing the practice of shortened daily schedules. Flexible and remote work arrangements are also permitted, with specific caps on the percentage of a federal entity's workforce that can work remotely on Fridays.
Insights
The typical workweek in the UAE is from Monday to Friday, with Saturday and Sunday as the weekend. A common cultural practice is strategically planning annual leave around mid-week holidays to 'bridge' them into a longer break, maximizing vacation time. Islamic holidays are determined by moon sighting, leading to date confirmations often being announced close to the event.
Residents often strategically plan annual leave around mid-week holidays to bridge them into longer weekends, maximizing time off. The typical weekend in the UAE is Saturday and Sunday, aligning with global business practices. Islamic holiday dates are tentative and depend on official moon sightings, which are announced close to the event.
Islamic holidays are often tentative, dependent on moon sightings. During Ramadan, workdays are shortened by about two hours, with federal employees working 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Mon-Thu) and 9:00 a.m. to noon on Fridays. The UAE designates 'Holiday' days following major events like Eid and National Day, extending the celebration period.
2026 Working days summary for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates has 250 working days in 2026. This is calculated from 365 total calendar days, minus 101 weekend days (Friday-Saturday), and minus 14 holidays. The standard work week runs Sunday through Thursday.
250
Working Days
101
Weekend Days
14
Holidays
Monthly Breakdown
| Month | Working | Weekend | Holidays | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 10 | 1 | 31 |
| February | 20 | 8 | 0 | 28 |
| March | 21 | 6 | 4 | 31 |
| April | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| May | 18 | 9 | 4 | 31 |
| June | 21 | 8 | 1 | 30 |
| July | 22 | 9 | 0 | 31 |
| August | 21 | 9 | 1 | 31 |
| September | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| October | 21 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
| November | 22 | 8 | 0 | 30 |
| December | 20 | 8 | 3 | 31 |
| Total | 250 | 101 | 14 | 365 |
2026 Calendar for Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
January 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 New Year's Day New Year's Day | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
20 working days, 10 weekend days, and 1 holiday in January 2026.
February 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
20 working days, 8 weekend days in February 2026.
March 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 Eid al-Fitr Holiday Eid al-Fitr Holiday | 20 Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Fitr | 21 Eid al-Fitr Holiday Eid al-Fitr Holiday | 22 Eid al-Fitr Holiday Eid al-Fitr Holiday |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 | 31 |
21 working days, 6 weekend days, and 4 holidays in March 2026.
April 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days in April 2026.
May 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
25 | 26 Arafat Day Arafat Day | 27 Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha | 28 Eid al-Adha Holiday Eid al-Adha Holiday | 29 Eid al-Adha Holiday Eid al-Adha Holiday | 30 | 31 |
18 working days, 9 weekend days, and 4 holidays in May 2026.
June 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
15 | 16 Islamic New Year Islamic New Year | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
29 | 30 |
21 working days, 8 weekend days, and 1 holiday in June 2026.
July 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
22 working days, 9 weekend days in July 2026.
August 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | |||||
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
24 | 25 Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Prophet Muhammad's Birthday | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
31 |
21 working days, 9 weekend days, and 1 holiday in August 2026.
September 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days in September 2026.
October 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
21 working days, 10 weekend days in October 2026.
November 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
30 |
22 working days, 8 weekend days in November 2026.
December 2026
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Commemoration Day Commemoration Day | 2 National Day National Day | 3 National Day Holiday National Day Holiday | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
20 working days, 8 weekend days, and 3 holidays in December 2026.