Do expats get a state pension in the UAE?

No. There is no state pension for expatriates in the UAE. Retirement income comes from your own savings, an end-of-service gratuity, or a workplace savings plan such as DEWS in the DIFC. The expat mode of this tool projects that invested pot and a sustainable drawdown.

DEWS is the DIFC Employee Workplace Savings plan, a funded scheme that replaced the traditional end-of-service gratuity for many DIFC employers. Employer contributions are invested rather than accrued, so your retirement value depends on contributions and investment returns — exactly what the expat mode models.

How is the GPSSA pension calculated?

GPSSA, the pension authority for UAE and GCC nationals, broadly pays 60% of the average pensionable salary after 15 years of contributory service, rising by 2% for each additional year up to a 100% cap. Employers contribute around 12.5% and employees around 5% of salary.

What is a safe drawdown rate for an expat pot?

A common rule of thumb is 4% per year, designed to let a diversified pot last roughly 30 years. The tool lets you change this rate, so you can model a more conservative 3% or a higher draw if you have other income or a shorter horizon.

Are these figures guaranteed?

No. The expat projection depends on uncertain investment returns and the national estimate simplifies the GPSSA average-salary rules. Treat the output as a planning estimate and confirm specifics with your plan provider or GPSSA.

UAE Pension & Retirement Calculator

The UAE Pension & Retirement Calculator projects your retirement income under the UAE’s two very different systems: invested workplace savings for expatriates, and the GPSSA state pension for UAE and GCC nationals. Because there is no state pension for expats, planning ahead matters more in the UAE than in many countries — this tool shows where your retirement income will actually come from.

How it works

Expat mode. There is no government pension, so your retirement is funded by an invested pot: your current savings or end-of-service gratuity, plus monthly contributions (yours and your employer’s, e.g. via DEWS), compounded at your expected return until retirement:

pot[k] = pot[k-1] × (1 + monthly_return) + monthly_contribution

The tool then applies a drawdown rate — 4% is the common rule of thumb for a pot meant to last about 30 years — to show a sustainable annual and monthly income.

National mode. GPSSA pays a pension as a percentage of average pensionable salary based on contributory service: broadly 60% after 15 years, rising 2% per additional year up to a 100% cap. The tool adds your years of service so far to the years until retirement, applies that accrual, and reports the pension in both percentage and dirham terms.

Example

An expat aged 35 retiring at 60, with AED 100,000 saved and AED 3,000/month going in at a 6% return, builds a pot of roughly AED 2.5 million, supporting about AED 100,000 a year at a 4% withdrawal. A national with 25 total years of service reaches the 80% accrual band of their average salary.

Notes

The expat result is sensitive to the assumed return — try a conservative figure alongside an optimistic one.
The GPSSA estimate simplifies the average-salary basis and contribution rules; confirm specifics with GPSSA. All figures are computed in your browser and never uploaded.

UAE Pension & Retirement Calculator

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How it works

Example

Notes