Zoho People Partner in Dubai & UAE
Smarter HR Management for UAE Businesses
Managing a workforce across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, or any of the seven emirates means navigating a precise legal framework — WPS salary transfers, end-of-service gratuity calculations, annual leave entitlements, and free-zone authority rules — all at once. Zoho People brings every HR process into a single cloud platform, and Wanas Apps, a certified Zoho Premium Partner based in Dubai, configures it to match UAE labour law from day one.
Zoho People for businesses in uae
Built for the UAE Employment Landscape
UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021
UAE employment is governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, which standardised rules around employment contracts, annual and sick leave, maternity leave, and — critically — end-of-service gratuity. Gratuity is calculated on the employee's basic salary and length of service, and errors in calculation expose businesses to MOHRE disputes and financial penalties. Zoho People's payroll and offboarding workflows can be configured to reflect these gratuity rules, so HR teams in Dubai real-estate brokerages, Abu Dhabi property developers, UAE healthcare clinics, and electrical and trading distributors all produce consistent, auditable gratuity figures at the point of termination or resignation.
Wage Protection System (WPS) Compliance
Every mainland employer registered with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, other emirate economic departments, or a free-zone authority must pay salaries through the Wage Protection System (WPS) administered by MOHRE. WPS requires salary transfer files in a specific SIF (Salary Information File) format submitted to an approved agent bank or exchange house. Zoho People's payroll module can be configured to generate the data needed to populate your WPS SIF file, keeping your MOHRE compliance record clean and protecting your trade licence from suspension risk.
Free-Zone Workforce Nuances
If your entity sits inside a free zone — DIFC, JAFZA, ADGM, DMCC, or any of the UAE's 40-plus free-zone authorities — employment contracts and some leave rules follow that authority's regulations rather than the mainland Labour Law. Zoho People supports multiple legal entities and custom leave policies within a single account, so a business with both a mainland LLC and a JAFZA entity can run distinct HR policies for each workforce segment without duplicating administration.
Multi-Emirate, Multi-Site Teams
UAE businesses frequently operate across several emirates simultaneously — a healthcare clinic group with facilities in Dubai, Sharjah, and Ras Al Khaimah, or a trading distributor with a head office in Abu Dhabi and a warehouse team in Jebel Ali. Zoho People's location and department hierarchy handles this naturally: shift schedules, attendance policies, and leave approvals can be set per site while management reporting rolls up to a single dashboard.
Currency and Corporate Tax Context
All payroll figures in Zoho People are processed in AED. While Zoho People is an HR platform rather than an accounting tool, it integrates with Zoho Books — which supports UAE VAT at 5% and FTA-format tax invoices — so employee expense claims flow cleanly into your books. As UAE Corporate Tax of 9% applies to taxable profit above AED 375,000 and is filed through EmaraTax, accurate payroll cost data from Zoho People feeds the financial records your finance team needs for CT compliance.
Local Support from Dubai
Wanas Apps operates from Rove City Walk, Al Wasl, Dubai, serving clients across all seven emirates. Our consultants understand the practical realities of UAE HR administration — from onboarding visa-sponsored employees to managing the annual leave cycle that resets under UAE law — and configure Zoho People workflows accordingly.
What you get
WPS-ready payroll data export configured for UAE SIF file requirements End-of-service gratuity tracking aligned with Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 Multiple legal entity support for mainland and free-zone workforce segments Custom leave policies per entity, site, or free-zone authority rules Attendance and shift management for multi-emirate, multi-site operations Employee self-service portal in Arabic and English Integration with Zoho Books for AED expense claims and payroll cost reporting Automated onboarding workflows for visa-sponsored UAE hires Performance management and appraisal cycles configurable to your HR calendar Role-based access controls for HR, line managers, and C-suite across all emirates
Frequently asked questions
Zoho People's payroll module can be configured to produce the salary data required to populate a WPS Salary Information File (SIF). Your WPS submission is then made through your approved agent bank or exchange house as required by MOHRE. Wanas Apps sets up the payroll structure to align with this workflow.
Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, gratuity is calculated based on an employee's basic salary and years of service. Zoho People can be configured with the appropriate gratuity formula so that HR teams generate consistent, auditable figures during offboarding — reducing the risk of MOHRE disputes.
Yes. Zoho People supports multiple legal entities within a single account, each with its own leave policies, employment contract types, and approval hierarchies. This is particularly useful for UAE businesses operating under both mainland economic department licences and free-zone authority licences simultaneously.
Yes. Zoho People is a cloud platform accessible from anywhere in the UAE. Wanas Apps, based in Dubai, provides implementation and support services to clients across all seven emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and Umm Al Quwain.
Zoho People integrates with Zoho Books, which supports UAE VAT at 5% and FTA-format tax invoices. Employee expense claims approved in Zoho People can flow into Zoho Books, ensuring payroll and expense costs are accurately reflected in the financial records used for VAT returns and Corporate Tax filings through EmaraTax.
Wanas Apps is located at Rove City Walk, Al Wasl, Dubai, and serves businesses across all seven emirates. Our UAE clients include Dubai real-estate brokerages, Abu Dhabi property developers, healthcare clinics, and electrical and trading distributors, among others.