WPS Registration Process in UAE

Expatriates from over 200 countries are settled in UAE. Most of these expats are employed in UAE contributing their skills and expertise in the economic development of the country. No matter if you partner with an HR outsourcing company for various HR solutions or have an in-house team of professionals, your human resource will always be the most essential asset in your business so keeping them satisfied should be one of the major goals for you. In 2019, the government launched the Wage Protection System to make payments and wage distribution among the employees easier. In this blog we are going to learn everything you need to know about WPS and its registration process.

What does WPS mean?

WPS or Wage Protection System was launched in 2019 with a joint effort by Central Bank of the UAE and Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MOHRE). WPS is one of the advanced HR solutions which is an ultramodern electronic system through which companies from the private sector transfer the salaries of their employees through banks and other approved financial institutions. In this system, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization or MOHRE grants companies from the private sector a platform where they maintain files containing crucial information about each of their employee’s salary to ensure timely payment of wages and dues. At the time of payment of wages, companies are supposed to send these files to their respective banks for smoother and easier processing of payments.

Is registering with WPS a legal requirement in UAE?

For most companies in UAE, it is mandatory to register for WPS. It is compulsory for all companies to register for WPS who:

•Have an on-shore presence which means they are UAE established LLC or branch inside the UAE

•Are registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MOHRE)

Companies who fail to comply or don’t pay the salaries within 10 days of payment due date may receive hefty fines and also get a block on visa processing of new staff in the company.

How does a company register for WPS in UAE?

All companies from private sector can easily apply for registration for the Wages Protection System in UAE.

The procedure to register your company is smooth and can be done online through the website of Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization using the required details of the company.

Once the account is created, employers can submit the files containing salary details of their employees.

The details required are:

•Bank account details

•List of employees with the bank or financial institution the company deals with for salary disbursements

•The bank or financial institution the employee holds an account with

•The date for salary disbursement

Important guidelines to note:

According to guidelines by Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization:

“Salary month cannot have a difference of more than one month from the dates chosen to pay the salary”

“Whenever an employee joins or leaves the company, you will need to download a new employee list and attach to the application”

What is the process of payment through WPS?

Once the company has created the account with WPS successfully and listed the details of employees and their salaries, the next step process the payments making sure the following steps are check marked:

Step 1 – The company needs to open a bank account with an approved bank or financial institution in case the bank is outside UAE

Step 2 – The company will have to sign up for a WPS agreement with the bank or financial institution

Step 3 – The company can then issue instructions to the bank or financial institution regarding salary transfers

Step 4 – The bank then notifies the WPS in UAE which further sends the details of employees and their salaries through an electronic system to the Central Bank of UAE

Step 5 – The Central Bank of UAE forwards the details to Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MOHRE) for verification

Step 6 – Once the verification from MOHRE is done, WPS issues a notification of authorization to company’s bank or financial institution to go ahead and pay the salaries to the employees.

Need consultancy regarding WPS registration for your business?

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