DEWS, the DIFC Employee Workplace Savings plan, is the funded savings scheme that replaced end-of-service gratuity for employees in the Dubai International Financial Centre. It went live on 1 February 2020 as a master trust domiciled in the DIFC and regulated by the DFSA, with employers contributing a percentage of each employee's basic salary every month instead of accruing an unfunded gratuity liability payable at exit. For anyone employing in the DIFC, directly or through an employer of record, DEWS is a mandatory monthly cost on top of salary, so it belongs in every cost calculation for a DIFC hire. This page covers the mechanics as published by the scheme's own advisers and by DIFC-focused firms.
What DEWS replaced and why
Before February 2020, DIFC employers owed departing employees an end-of-service gratuity: a defined benefit calculated on final salary and service, carried as an unfunded promise on the employer's books. DEWS converted that promise into a funded defined contribution plan: employers pay monthly contributions into a professionally managed trust, each employer with its own division inside the master trust, and the employee's benefit becomes the invested pot rather than a claim on a future employer. Gratuity amounts accrued before the switch were preserved and remain payable under the old rules; accrual under the gratuity regime simply stopped, and contributions took over from there.
Contribution rates and who pays what
The employer's mandatory contribution is calculated on basic monthly salary at two rates set by length of service: at least 5.83% per month for employees with fewer than five years of service, rising to at least 8.33% for employees with five or more years. Those figures mirror the old gratuity accrual rates, which is deliberate; the cost was moved, not raised. Employees contribute nothing by default but may make voluntary contributions of any amount through payroll deduction, and voluntary contributions vest immediately. For cost planning, note the base: contributions run on basic salary, not total compensation, so the allowance structure of a DIFC package changes the DEWS line materially.
Who must participate, and the alternatives
Participation is mandatory for DIFC-registered employers, with one exit: an employer may run its own Qualifying Alternative Scheme instead of the DEWS master trust, provided the DIFC Authority approves it and its contribution rates match or exceed the DEWS minimums. Enrolment covers expatriate employees of DIFC entities, generally once probation completes; UAE and GCC nationals are typically outside the plan by default because their retirement provision runs through the GPSSA state system, and a later amendment requires employers to top up a GCC national's position where the state contribution falls short of the DEWS equivalent by more than a threshold amount. The scheme is operated by named institutional providers: Equiom as master trustee, Zurich Workplace Solutions as administrator and Mercer as investment adviser.
What DEWS means for hiring through an EOR
An employer of record hiring for you in the DIFC is the DIFC-registered employer, which makes DEWS enrolment and contributions its legal obligation and your invoiced cost. When comparing EOR quotes for a DIFC hire, check three things: that the quote shows the DEWS contribution explicitly at the correct service-based rate, that the calculation base is the basic salary actually being offered, and that the vendor can evidence enrolment once the hire starts, since the contribution is monthly and arrears compound quietly. Scheme documents and DIFC employment regulations control over any summary, this page included; treat nothing here as legal or financial advice.
Questions people ask about dews
What does DEWS stand for?
DIFC Employee Workplace Savings: the funded workplace savings plan for the Dubai International Financial Centre, live since 1 February 2020, which replaced end-of-service gratuity accrual for DIFC employees.
What are the DEWS employer contribution rates?
At least 5.83% of basic monthly salary for employees with fewer than five years of service, and at least 8.33% once service reaches five years, paid monthly into the DEWS master trust or an approved qualifying alternative scheme.
Do employees pay into DEWS?
Not by obligation. Employees may make voluntary contributions of any amount through payroll, and voluntary contributions vest immediately alongside the employer-funded benefits.
What happened to gratuity earned before DEWS started?
Gratuity accrued before February 2020 was preserved and remains payable under the previous rules; DEWS contributions took over from that date forward rather than converting the old entitlement.
Who runs DEWS?
It is a master trust regulated by the DFSA, with Equiom as master trustee, Zurich Workplace Solutions as plan administrator and Mercer as investment adviser.