Payroll software in United Arab Emirates: GPSSA, WPS and end-of-service
A payroll in United Arab Emirates has to get three things right every month: GPSSA contributions, the UAE WPS (SIF) file, and end-of-service accruing on the right wage. Here is what each involves, how AhlanHamad runs them, and how the payroll systems that serve United Arab Emirates compare.
What a payroll in United Arab Emirates must do
Social insurance
General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) contributions apply to United Arab Emirates's nationals and other GCC nationals; expatriates are not enrolled. The employee and the employer each pay a share, and the contributory wage has a ceiling — a single flat percentage gets higher earners wrong. Details
The WPS file
UAE salaries are paid through WPS using the salary information file (SIF), submitted through your bank or exchange house under MOHRE's rules. Details
End-of-service
End-of-service is set by UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021) and computed on the basic wage. Ask to see each employee's accrual every month, not only at exit. Details
How AhlanHamad runs payroll in United Arab Emirates
- Approve the month's run; GPSSA is calculated for each employee it applies to, on the employee and employer shares.
- Yes — builds the WPS salary information file (SIF) from each approved payroll run
- Each employee's end-of-service accrues on the statutory wage basis, so the liability is visible every month, not only at exit.
- Payslips go out in Arabic and English, and employees see them in the employee app on their phone.
Payroll systems for United Arab Emirates compared
Last updated:
| Software | UAE WPS (SIF) file | GPSSA calculation | Arabic interface | Public pricing | Free trial | Hosting region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AhlanHamad | Yes — builds the WPS salary information file (SIF) from each approved payroll run [1] | Yes — GPSSA employee and employer shares, with the contributory-wage ceiling [2] | Yes — the full product and site in Arabic and English [3] | Yes — prices published per employee [4] | Yes — 30 days, no card required [5] | A Convex cloud region on AWS, outside the GCC; in-country hosting available by contract [6] |
| Bayzat | Yes — says it generates the SIF in the format MOHRE requires [7] | Not stated publicly [7] | Yes — the app supports Arabic and English [7] | Not stated publicly — a free demo is offered [8] | Not stated publicly — a free demo is offered [8] | Not stated publicly — says data is located as local regulations require, without naming a country [9] |
| ZenHR | Yes — states WPS file generation in the MOHRE-approved format [10] | Not stated publicly [10] | Yes — states it is fully bilingual (English and Arabic) [10] | Quote-based; its FAQ says prices start at US$8 per user per month, billed annually [11] | Not stated publicly [10] | Not stated publicly — says "regional data centers" without naming a country [10] |
| Zoho Payroll / Zoho People | Yes — states auto-generated SIF files for WPS [12] | Yes — its help page says Zoho Payroll calculates GPSSA contributions [13] | Not stated publicly for the product — an Arabic edition of the website is offered [12] | Yes — Zoho Payroll from AED 35 per organisation per month billed annually (AED 45 monthly), 5 employees included, then AED 7 per additional employee, excluding VAT [14] | Yes — 14 days for Zoho Payroll, no card required [14] | Data centre set by the country chosen at signup; the UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) is a listed region [15] |
| Darwinbox | Its blog says it generates WPS SIF files natively [16] | Not stated publicly [17] | Not stated publicly [17] | Not stated publicly — a demo is offered [17] | Not stated publicly — a demo is offered [17] | Not stated publicly [17] |
| Odoo HR / Payroll | Yes — its UAE documentation describes a WPS report exported as .sif [18] | Yes — its UAE documentation covers social insurance for UAE nationals; GPSSA is not named [18] | Not stated publicly [19] | Yes — one app free; Standard US$16.90 and Custom US$32.00 per user per month (12-month introductory discount; US$21.10 and US$40.00 after) [20] | Yes — free trial offered; length not stated [21] | Middle East region: production in India and Saudi Arabia, backups in France, the Netherlands and Canada [22] |
| Menaitech | Not stated publicly for the UAE — its payroll page names Saudi Arabia for WPS [23] | Not stated publicly [23] | Yes — describes a bilingual personnel and payroll system [24] | Not stated publicly — a free "Freemium" plan is offered [24] | No time-limited trial stated; a free "Freemium" payroll plan for up to 30 employees is offered [24] | Not stated publicly — cloud, with on-premises possibly available [24] |
| gulfHR | States automated WPS file generation; the country is not specified [25] | Not stated publicly [25] | Yes — states "Arabic language support" [25] | Quote-based — "Get Your Free Demo & Quote" [25] | A 30-day free pilot for companies with 500+ employees [25] | Not stated publicly — says cloud hosting, without naming a country [25] |
Methodology: every fact about another product comes from that vendor's own public website on 15 October 2026, and links to the page it was read from. Where a vendor's site does not say, the cell reads "Not stated publicly" — we do not infer. No ratings or reviews are included. Details change; confirm with each vendor before deciding, and tell us if anything here is out of date so we can correct it.
Sources
- AhlanHamad: https://ahlanhamad.com/ae/en/wps/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- AhlanHamad: https://ahlanhamad.com/ae/en/social-insurance/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- AhlanHamad: https://ahlanhamad.com/ae/ar/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- AhlanHamad: https://ahlanhamad.com/ae/en/pricing/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- AhlanHamad: https://ahlanhamad.com/ae/en/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- AhlanHamad: https://ahlanhamad.com/legal/subprocessors/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- Bayzat: https://www.bayzat.com/payroll — accessed 15 October 2026
- Bayzat: https://www.bayzat.com/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- Bayzat: https://www.bayzat.com/security — accessed 15 October 2026
- ZenHR: https://www.zenhr.com/en/hr-software-uae — accessed 15 October 2026
- ZenHR: https://www.zenhr.com/en/faqs — accessed 15 October 2026
- Zoho Payroll / Zoho People: https://www.zoho.com/ae/payroll/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- Zoho Payroll / Zoho People: https://www.zoho.com/en-ae/payroll/help/employer/social-security/gpssa.html — accessed 15 October 2026
- Zoho Payroll / Zoho People: https://www.zoho.com/ae/payroll/pricing/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- Zoho Payroll / Zoho People: https://www.zoho.com/know-your-datacenter.html — accessed 15 October 2026
- Darwinbox: https://darwinbox.com/blog/darwinbox-uae-payroll-resolution-340 — accessed 15 October 2026
- Darwinbox: https://explore.darwinbox.com/org/hr-payroll-software-dubai-uae — accessed 15 October 2026
- Odoo HR / Payroll: https://www.odoo.com/documentation/19.0/applications/hr/payroll/payroll_localizations/united_arab_emirates.html — accessed 15 October 2026
- Odoo HR / Payroll: https://www.odoo.com/documentation/19.0/applications/general/users/language.html — accessed 15 October 2026
- Odoo HR / Payroll: https://www.odoo.com/pricing — accessed 15 October 2026
- Odoo HR / Payroll: https://www.odoo.com/trial — accessed 15 October 2026
- Odoo HR / Payroll: https://www.odoo.com/privacy — accessed 15 October 2026
- Menaitech: https://menaitech.com/en-ae/products/menapay/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- Menaitech: https://menaitech.com/en-ae/free-payroll/ — accessed 15 October 2026
- gulfHR: https://gulfhr.com/ — accessed 15 October 2026
Free United Arab Emirates payroll tools
Details of other products are taken from each vendor's public website on 15 October 2026 and may have changed since. Product names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify them. General information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays GPSSA in United Arab Emirates?
General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) contributions apply to United Arab Emirates's nationals and other GCC nationals; expatriates are not enrolled. The employee and the employer each pay a share, and the contributory wage has a ceiling — a single flat percentage gets higher earners wrong.
How does the UAE WPS (SIF) file work?
UAE salaries are paid through WPS using the salary information file (SIF), submitted through your bank or exchange house under MOHRE's rules. AhlanHamad builds the file from your approved run; you stay in control of the submission.
How is end-of-service calculated in United Arab Emirates?
End-of-service is set by UAE Labour Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021) and computed on the basic wage. Ask to see each employee's accrual every month, not only at exit.
How much does AhlanHamad payroll cost?
Prices are published per employee per month on the pricing page, with every module included, and there is a 30-day free trial with no card required.