How Emirati women can qualify for Nafis child allowance
Nafis sets conditions for child allowance eligibility in UAE
Dubai: Emirati women working in the private sector will be eligible for child allowance benefits under the Nafis programme only under specific conditions, as authorities expand support for families while tightening eligibility criteria.
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The programme, which aims to raise the competitiveness of Emirati talent, said working Emirati women married to UAE nationals may benefit from the child allowance only if they meet certain requirements, including cases where the husband is deceased or where the woman is the primary provider for her children, according to Emarat Al Youm.
In such cases, financial responsibility must be proven through a court ruling, alongside evidence that the husband is unable to work or unemployed.
However, Nafis clarified that Emirati women working in the private sector who are married to non-UAE nationals are not eligible for the allowance, as no such provision currently exists within the programme.
The update comes as the government removes the cap on the number of children eligible for the allowance, expanding it beyond the previous limit of four. The monthly support remains set at Dh600 per child, provided the employee’s salary does not exceed Dh50,000. Around 38,000 children are currently covered under the scheme.
The move is aimed at strengthening family stability and improving quality of life, in line with the UAE’s “Year of the Family 2026” and the broader national agenda for family growth by 2031.
Since its launch, the child allowance programme has undergone several phases. It began with a regulatory framework, later introduced monthly payments capped at four children, and has now expanded to include all eligible children without limit.
Nafis also outlined broader eligibility criteria, noting that beneficiaries must be employed in the private sector, banking, financial or insurance sectors, with salaries ranging between Dh6,000 and Dh50,000, and paid through the Wage Protection System or an approved alternative.
The allowance is granted to male children until they reach adulthood or enter employment, and to female children until marriage or employment. Applicants must not receive a salary or pension from a federal or local entity, except in specific inheritance cases, and must not hold ownership stakes in their employer.
