Nafes Amendments from September 2026

From September 2026, an updated Nafis framework changes the rules for salary support for Emiratis in the private sector: a unified minimum salary of AED 6,000 as a condition of eligibility, new support ceilings by qualification, removal of the cap on the number of children under the child allowance, and employers taking on their statutory share of pension contributions.

A monthly salary of AED 6,000 has become a condition for salary support in the covered categories, and support is limited to those whose monthly salary does not exceed AED 20,000. The maximum monthly support for new beneficiaries is tiered by qualification: AED 6,000 for bachelor's degree holders, AED 5,000 for diploma holders, AED 4,000 for secondary-school graduates, AED 4,000 for those below secondary level who are married or have dependants, and AED 3,000 for those below secondary level who are unmarried with no dependants.

The reduction will not be applied at once to those receiving support above the new ceilings; support is reduced automatically by AED 500 every six months until it reaches the new level. Those earning less than AED 6,000 will qualify only once their salary is adjusted to the approved minimum, after which they receive 100% of their current support for six months from September, then 70% for a further six months, then 30% for three more months. Different transitional arrangements apply to workers outside the remit of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Central Bank, including some free-zone employees.

The child allowance continues at AED 600 per month for each eligible child, with the previous cap of four children removed. Support also extends to new groups, including the children of Emirati women working in the private sector and the wives of Emirati citizens working in it, with support of up to AED 3,000 per month.

Nafis continues to support pension-fund contributions for those enrolled in its Eshtirak programme, but from September private-sector employers bear their own statutory share of pension contributions for Emirati employees enrolled in the scheme.