Lesson 3 — The second test: per worker, and the lawful-deduction gate
Article 2(2) is a different rule with the same figure in it, and conflating the two is the most common misreading of the resolution.
What it says. A worker shall not be deemed as not having received their wage if they receive no less than 85% of their entitled wage value, provided that the difference results from established lawful deductions or withholdings made in accordance with the legislation in force, and without prejudice to the worker's right to claim any amounts due to them. The opening of Article 2 names the instrument: the permissible deductions under Article 25 of Federal Decree-Law 33/2021. Source: MR 340/2026 Art. 2(2) and the opening of Art. 2.
The clause therefore carries two conditions, not one. The arithmetic condition is 85% of that worker's own entitlement. The legal condition is that the missing part is a deduction the law allows. Fail either one and the protection does not apply.
The worked example. Take one of the technicians from Lesson 2, entitled to AED 18,750 for the month.
| What the worker received | Share of entitlement | Reason for the shortfall | Deemed paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| AED 16,500 | 88% | Lawful deduction under Article 25 | Yes |
| AED 16,500 | 88% | The company was short of cash | No |
| AED 15,000 | 80% | Lawful deduction under Article 25 | No |
Row two is the one people get wrong. The percentage is identical to row one, and the clause still does not apply, because the shortfall was not a deduction the law permits — it was simply a shortfall.
In Odoone. A compliance period carries a Shortfall is a lawful deduction tick box for exactly this rule. The module's own instruction is exact: tick it only when that is true, because "an arbitrary short payment gets no protection from the clause".
The failure mode, and this is the dangerous one. Ticking that box when it is not true does not make an establishment compliant. It makes your own records state that the establishment asserted a lawful deduction — inside a system whose purpose under Article 1(3) is to produce the documents and data that prove payment. A wrong ratio is a compliance problem you can fix by paying. A wrong assertion in your own evidence is a different kind of problem, and it is one that gets discovered by the person least sympathetic to it. If you are not certain the deduction is permitted by Article 25, leave the box clear and treat the worker as short-paid.