The Wage Protection System (WPS) requires most UAE private sector employers to pay salaries electronically through approved channels, and to submit a Salary Information File (SIF) with each payment. Getting it wrong can delay salaries and create compliance issues.
Before payroll
- Confirm all joiners and leavers for the month are updated.
- Check every employee has a valid IBAN and labour card or personal number.
- Approve attendance, overtime and leave so they flow into payroll.
- Review loans, advances and one-off deductions.
During payroll
- Run payroll and compare totals with last month. Investigate any large variances.
- Confirm fixed and variable components are split correctly in the SIF.
- Generate a separate SIF for each establishment where required.
After payroll
- Upload the SIF to your bank or exchange house and confirm acceptance.
- Reconcile bank confirmations with payroll and follow up on any rejections.
- Post the payroll journal to finance by department and cost centre.
- Distribute payslips through the self-service portal.
Automate the repetitive parts
A payroll system designed for the UAE validates IBANs and labour card numbers before generating the SIF, calculates gratuity and leave salary automatically, and posts journals without re-keying. That turns a multi-day process into a few hours of review.
This checklist is general guidance. Check current requirements with MOHRE and your bank.