Explained: How to claim the Dh600 monthly Nafis child allowance
Payment has no cap on number of children, subject to salary and eligibility rules
Dubai: Emiratis working in the private sector will be eligible for a monthly allowance of Dh600 for each qualifying child from September, with no limit on the number of children covered, the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council has announced.
The payment will be made through the Nafis programme and is intended to provide additional financial support to Emirati families working outside government.
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The allowance for sons will continue until they reach the age of 21 or start working, whichever comes first. For daughters, payments will continue until marriage or employment.
Nafis has set nine conditions for eligibility. Applicants must be employed in the private sector and earn between Dh6,000 and Dh50,000 a month.
Families cannot receive the same social allowance for children from more than one source, and the payment will not be made if the applicant’s spouse works for a federal or local government entity.
Applicants must also not receive a salary or retirement pension from a federal or local government body, except where a pension has been inherited from a deceased relative.
Their salary must be paid through the Wage Protection System or another payment system approved by a competent UAE authority.
Employees must have an active account with the Abu Dhabi Pension Fund, the General Pension and Social Security Authority or another recognised pension fund in the country, and pension contributions for the previous two months must have been paid.
They must not own shares or a stake in the company where they work and cannot be registered in Nafis’s programme for developing Emirati talent in the medical and healthcare sector.
Special provisions apply to Emirati women working in the private sector. They may receive the child allowance if their husband has died or if they are legally responsible for supporting their children.
In the latter case, maintenance must be established by a court decision, with evidence provided if the husband is unable to earn or is unemployed.
In cases involving incapacity to work, this must be supported by a decision from an official medical authority. A wife must also submit a declaration confirming that her husband is not employed in either the public or private sector.
The measure expands the financial incentives offered through Nafis, which was established to increase Emirati participation in the private sector and provide citizens with greater income and employment support outside government jobs.
