Everything you need to know about DEWS
Your plan
The DEWS plan is a progressive end of service benefits plan that was introduced by the DIFC in 2020. The first of its kind in the region, DEWS allows employers to fully fund their end of service benefits into a regulated and governed plan to protect employee rights.
DEWS has been chosen by the Government of Dubai as the mechanism to deliver the ‘Savings Scheme for employees in the Government of Dubai’ initiative.
The vision
The DEWS plan will ensure the interests of Government employers and employees, support Dubai’s strategy to become a leading global talent hub and a place to live, work, invest and retire, and help towards a secure financial future for all.
Eligibility
According to Decree No.(46) of 2022, the scope of the application is as follows:
- The entities governed by Law No. (8) of 2018 Concerning Management of the Government of Dubai Human Resources;
- The entities stated in the list attached to Decree No. (46) of 2022, Entities Governed by the Provisions of the Decree; and
- Any of the Government Entities or other entities to which the application of this Decree is extended pursuant to a resolution issued in this respect by the Chairman of the Executive Council.
* This is a new and developing initiative. See our FAQs for the latest updates.
- A 10-minute digital, paperless, company enrolment experience.
- Access to a world class, cost-effective, professionally managed plan implemented by the DIFC and aligned with global best practice.
- A strong governance structure with oversight from TEC, DOF, DGHR, DIFC, and DFSA.
- The ability to tailor plan options to enhance your benefits package and attract the best talent.
- A regulated way for your employees to save money and earn returns.
- Protection of the rights of your employees.
- Certainty that if you pay the statutory minimum contributions, you have fully met your liability in that payroll cycle.
- Greater cash flow certainty with end of service payments spread regularly and manageably over an employee’s tenure.
DEWS – DIFC Employee Workplace Savings Plan
DGHR – Dubai Government Human Resources Department
DIFC – Dubai International Financial Centre
DOF – The Department of Finance
EOSB – End-of-service benefits
EOSG – End of service gratuity
TEC- The Executive Council
DFSA-The Dubai Financial Services Authority
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Getting started | Employees | Contributions | Payments | Stand out | Changes | Leaving service | Learning academy | Providers | Documents
1. Register for DEWS
Complete your DEWS registration in 3 simple steps. The process is digital, paperless and takes no more than 10 minutes to complete. We’ll send the registration link to your company representatives.
2. Account creation
Once we have received your registration application, we’ll create a DEWS account for your company, and you’ll receive your login credentials for the DEWS online portal within a few days
3. Deed of participation
The enrolment will be regulated by a participation agreement concluded between the entity and the Master Trustee of the plan. For entities legally independent from the Government of Dubai, their authorized signatory will receive an email, and this will contain a link to digitally sign our Deed of Participation which is the legal agreement to participate in DEWS.DOF may sign the participation agreement on behalf of certain entities.
4. Set-up tasks
All that’s left to do is log in, complete the set-up task list and explore the portal. You can start your employee enrolment next (see below).
Who
A non-UAE National civilian employee who is receiving a basic salary, in an entity, including any non-UAE National employee of a Judicial Authority or any employee who is issued with initial approval by the Ruler to be granted UAE nationality and who holds a valid UAE passport
When
The Government will outline the implementation plan for the enrolment of employees.
Enrolment will be phased by seniority and on specific dates set by TEC.
How
Employee enrolment is completed by uploading a monthly file template in .csv format containing your employee’s personal data. We’ve designed a training guide and videos that explain where to find this template, how to complete it, where and when to submit it, and what you and your employees can expect.
* This is a new and developing initiative. See our FAQs for the latest updates.
How much you need to pay
The amount that an entity has to pay to an employee on account of their contributions should be calculated in accordance with legislation, regulation, or internal policy to which an entity is subject to.
The amount must be transferred by the entity to the DEWS plan, as a lump sum or monthly percentage of salary in return for enrolment in the plan.
For the purpose of calculating Contributions, a part of a month will be rounded up to a full month unless the human resources legislation applicable to the entity stipulates otherwise.
A unique account for you
Paying your contributions is easy. You can find your unique bank details for payment in your DEWS online portal on the upload page.
You then just need to instruct the payment with your bank. We don’t accept cash, cheques, or direct debits. We’ll never send bank details by email.
Payment currency
In the upload file, you’ll provide contribution values in AED and the payment must be made in AED. To ensure we can allocate the full amount to each of your employees, your company must cover any bank transfer charges.
Set a monthly reminder
There is a deadline each month for you to upload your contribution file and make your payment. In DEWS currently, this is the 21st of the month following the payroll cycle. This means we expect upload and payment for July’s contributions before 21st August.
We send email reminders along the way to help you.
* This is a new and developing initiative. See our FAQs for the latest updates.
Financial control
With your support your employees can choose to make additional voluntary contributions to DEWS through salary deduction. This is a great way to encourage employees to make the most of DEWS and to take full control of their financial future.
Consolidation
There is a facility for employers and employees to mutually agree to consolidate all historic and new end-of-service benefits, together in DEWS by transferring the accrued entitlements whilst employees are in service.
If accruals will remain with employers, they shall be transferred to employees’ DEWS accounts when they resign.
Speak to us for more details.
* This is a new and developing initiative. See our FAQs for the latest updates.
If basic salary changes, you should:
Adjust your accrual for any historical accrued gratuity
- If the employee is entitled to an accrued gratuity under any previous end of service gratuity legislative provisions, ensure you adjust your accrual to reflect the latest drawn salary.
Adjust your DEWS payments going forward
- You should also ensure that your monthly DEWS contribution is updated to reflect the new salary from the salary change payroll cycle onwards.
When an employee reaches certain service anniversaries, their DEWS contribution percentage will increase.
For companies subject to DGHR Law, these anniversaries are at 5 years and 10 years of service.
For any other companies this may vary depending on the law or internal regulation/policy that your company is subject to.
The increase will only apply from the anniversary month onwards.
Employee personal details can be updated at any time through the monthly upload file; the new information you provide will replace the old information we hold on our system.
The upload template will be hosted in our Documents area.
An employee leaves
You’ll let us know through your monthly upload file by telling us their last working day ‘Exit date’, final contribution and update their residential address and personal email address. We’ll then contact the employee to let them know their options and help them with their withdrawal if they don’t wish to stay invested.
An employee moves from one Government company to another
The employee will be marked as a ‘leaver’ from their current plan and will be enrolled into DEWS again under their new employer where a new account will be created. This approach may differ depending on your HR’s internal laws.
Loss of life occurs
We’re here to support you and your colleagues. Contact us by email and we’ll liaise with the Trustee to begin the beneficiary claim process.
An employee leaves and is re-hired by our company
You’ll enrol the employee into your plan in the normal way and a new account will be created for them. You’ll need to let us know that you’re doing this in advance as we might need to update their old account to allow their new one to be created.
Our FAQ covers a few more ‘what if…’ questions.
Employers - all the guides, templates and documents you need to administer your plan
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Information about the DEWS plan and your responsibilities as an employer
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Your guide to understanding your online UBO submission
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The file you need to upload your employees and contributions
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Your guide to completing the upload file template
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A list of the country codes you'll need for your upload file
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Your guide to resolving upload errors
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Your administrative guide to setting up your DEWS company account and enrolling your employees.
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Manage employees leaving your company
If you would like further information or support, visit our FAQ’s & Documents page or use the Help Centre.
