Employees express concerns over changes to attendance allowance policy following government's decision to declare last ten days of Ramadan public holidays
Civil servants who fail to report for duty on the final official working day before the government holidays for the last ten days of Ramadan will be ineligible for their attendance allowance. Employees have expressed concerns over a lack of awareness regarding this policy, noting they only became informed after HR departments clarified that those on annual or medical leave would also forfeit the allowance. This regulation is expected to result in a significant reduction in take-home pay for many staff members during the holiday period.
Civil service employees of the Ministry of Transport at work. | Mihaaru | mihaaru
Many government employees have begun expressing concern over changes to the attendance allowance policy following the decision to declare the last ten days of Ramadan as public holidays.
The Civil Service Commission published a policy last November regarding the disbursement of attendance allowances. According to this policy, since the government observes a public holiday during the final ten days of Ramadan, employees who fail to report to work on the final official working day prior to the break—for any reason—will be ineligible to receive the attendance allowance for the duration of the holiday period.
Speaking to RaajjeMV regarding the matter, a civil service employee stated that staff were unaware of the new policy. They noted that they only became informed of the change after the Human Resources department notified employees on annual leave that they would no longer be eligible for their attendance allowance.
The notice stated that March 8, 2026, will be the final official working day before the government offices close for the last ten days of Ramadan. It further clarified that any employee on family responsibility leave, sick leave, or any other form of leave on that specific day will be ineligible to receive the attendance allowance during the final ten days of the month.
The final ten days of Ramadan were also designated as public holidays last year. However, attendance allowances were still provided during this period.
Daily attendance allowances range between MVR 65 and MVR 300. While these allowances vary across different ranks, employees who are unable to report to work or are on leave will see a significant reduction in their total take-home pay.
The President's Office announced on February 26, 2026, that government offices will be closed for the final ten days of Ramadan, starting Monday, March 9.
