A SIF file looks like very little: a plain-text file of comma-separated lines with a .SIF extension. It is also the file your bank's WPS gateway accepts or rejects as a single unit, so one stray comma can turn a finished payroll into a late payment.
This guide explains the SIF file format in the UAE: the two record types, every field in each, how the file must be named, a three-employee example whose totals foot, and the 1st-of-month deadline that applies under Ministerial Resolution 340 of 2026. The layout shown is the one the HRX360 WPS SIF generator writes.
What is the SIF file format in the UAE?
A SIF (Salary Information File) is the plain-text file you upload to your bank or exchange house to pay salaries through the Wage Protection System. It has one EDR line for each employee and one SCR line that summarises the file. Fields are separated by commas, and the layout is standardised by the Central Bank of the UAE.
Banks and exchange houses add their own checks on top of the standard layout, so the exact rejection message depends on your provider. What follows is the layout you should expect to see when you open a file in a plain-text editor. For the wider rules, see UAE WPS rules.
What fields does an EDR line contain?
An EDR (Employee Detail Record) line holds one employee's payment: the record type, the labour card number, the routing code of their bank, their IBAN or account number, the pay start and end dates, the number of days, the salary amount, and two trailing fields for variable pay and unpaid leave days.
| # | Field | What goes in it | Typical fault |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record type | The letters EDR | Missing or mistyped |
| 2 | Labour card number | The employee's labour card number as registered with MOHRE | Blank, or the employee is not registered under your establishment |
| 3 | Routing code | The code of the employee's bank or exchange house | Free-typed, outdated or copied from another employee |
| 4 | Account | The employee's IBAN or account number | An old IBAN after the employee changed bank |
| 5 | Pay start date | First day of the pay period, as YYYY-MM-DD | Wrong month |
| 6 | Pay end date | Last day of the pay period, as YYYY-MM-DD | Wrong month, or before the start date |
| 7 | Days | Number of days in the pay period | Does not match the dates |
| 8 | Salary | Net salary being transferred, two decimals, no thousands separator | A comma inside the amount, which splits it into two fields |
| 9 | Variable pay | HRX360 writes 0.00 | Not applicable to the HRX360 layout |
| 10 | Unpaid leave days | HRX360 writes 0 | Not applicable to the HRX360 layout |
Field 8 is where hand-built files most often go wrong. Because the file is comma-separated, an amount typed as 6,250.00 becomes two fields, and every field after it shifts one place to the right. HRX360 strips thousands separators and writes two decimals, so the amount is always one field.
What does the SCR line contain?
The SCR (Salary Control Record) is the single summary line that tells the gateway what to expect: your establishment number, your bank's routing code, when the file was created, the salary month, how many EDR lines there are, the total amount and the currency. HRX360 writes it as the last line of the file.
| # | Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record type | The letters SCR |
| 2 | Establishment number | Your 13-digit establishment number, padded with leading zeros |
| 3 | Employer routing code | The routing code of your company's bank or exchange house |
| 4 | File creation date | As YYYY-MM-DD |
| 5 | File creation time | As HHMM, 24-hour clock |
| 6 | Salary month | As MMYYYY, so November 2026 is 112026 |
| 7 | Number of EDR lines | One per employee in the file |
| 8 | Total salary | The sum of the salary amounts in the EDR lines, two decimals |
| 9 | Currency | AED |
| 10 | Final field | HRX360 writes 0 |
The two numbers that matter are fields 7 and 8. The gateway counts the EDR lines and adds their salary amounts, then compares both with what the SCR line says. They must agree exactly, even to 0.01.
How must a SIF file be named?
The filename is the 13-digit establishment number, then the creation date as YYMMDD, then the time as HHMM, then 00, then the .SIF extension. The establishment number is padded with leading zeros to 13 digits. A file created on 28 November 2026 at 09:00 for establishment 0000012345678 is named 0000012345678261128090000.SIF.
The date and time in the name should match the creation date and time inside the SCR line. HRX360 builds both from the same clock reading, so they cannot drift apart. If your bank asks for its own naming or upload steps, follow the bank, and check the rule with them before the first run.
What does a correct SIF file look like?
Below is a three-employee file for November 2026, using sample values. Every EDR line carries 30 days and a net salary with two decimals. The SCR line says 3 records and a total of 13,365.75, which is exactly 6,250.00 plus 4,180.50 plus 2,935.25. If those two numbers disagree, the gateway rejects the whole file.
Sample file (placeholder numbers and IBANs, not real accounts):
EDR,10000000000001,200000002,AE070331234567890123456,2026-11-01,2026-11-30,30,6250.00,0.00,0
EDR,10000000000002,200000002,AE070331234567890123457,2026-11-01,2026-11-30,30,4180.50,0.00,0
EDR,10000000000003,300000003,AE070331234567890123458,2026-11-01,2026-11-30,30,2935.25,0.00,0
SCR,0000012345678,100000001,2026-11-28,0900,112026,3,13365.75,AED,0How the SCR line ties to the EDR lines (AED):
| EDR line | Labour card (sample) | Salary field |
|---|---|---|
| Employee 1 | 10000000000001 | 6,250.00 |
| Employee 2 | 10000000000002 | 4,180.50 |
| Employee 3 | 10000000000003 | 2,935.25 |
| Sum of 3 EDR lines | 13,365.75 | |
| SCR line says | 3 records | 13,365.75 |
Three one-character mistakes that each reject this file: a thousands separator in 6,250.00, an establishment number saved as 12345678 without its leading zeros (so the filename and SCR no longer carry 13 digits), and a changed net salary on one EDR line without the SCR total being updated. None of them is visible at a glance, which is why the file should be generated from the payroll rather than typed.
When does the SIF file have to go to the bank?
Under Ministerial Resolution 340 of 2026, the previous month's wages are due on the 1st of each Gregorian month, with no grace period. The salary must reach the employee's account by then, not just be submitted, so upload the SIF at least two working days before the 1st to leave time to fix a rejection.
A file the bank rejects has not paid anyone, and MOHRE treats a rejected SIF as unpaid wages. A rejection discovered on the 1st is therefore a late payment, not a formatting nuisance. The full timeline of what follows a late payment is in UAE WPS rules, and the usual causes of rejection are in why SIF files get rejected.
How do you check a SIF file before you upload it?
Open the file in a plain-text editor, never a spreadsheet, and check six things: the EDR line count, the salary total, the filename, the salary month, the routing code and account on each line, and the labour card number on each line. If anything is wrong, fix the source data and generate the file again.
| Check | How | It passes when |
|---|---|---|
| Line count | Count the EDR lines | Equals the number of EDR lines in the SCR line |
| Total | Add up the salary amounts | Equals the SCR total to the fil |
| Filename | Read the name left to right | 13 digits, then YYMMDD, then HHMM, then 00, and the date and time match the SCR line |
| Salary month | Read the MMYYYY in the SCR line | It is the month you are paying, and the EDR dates fall inside it |
| Accounts | Look at routing code and account on each line | Both are present, and any bank change this month is confirmed |
| Labour card | Look at field 2 on each line | No line is blank |
Two cautions. Do not repair a file by hand: the same fault returns next month because the data behind it is unchanged. And do not open a SIF in a spreadsheet and save it, because leading zeros and trailing decimals can be lost, so 6250.00 becomes 6250 and the establishment number loses its padding.
The best check is the one done earlier, on the payroll itself. See salary reconciliation before payday, and if you are changing systems part-way through the year, migrating payroll mid-year without breaking WPS.
How does HRX360 generate the SIF file?
HRX360 builds the SIF from the payroll run you have approved, so the EDR amounts are the figures on the payslips. You choose the payroll period and a specific payment method, your Registration Number and Routing Code fill in from your WPS settings, and one click downloads the file with the SCR count and total computed from the same lines.
The steps in the WPS SIF Generator:
Lock the run. The SIF is meant to be generated from the locked payroll run, so the file matches the payroll you approved.
Pick the period and one payment method. SIF files are bank-specific, so All cannot be used to generate the file. It is fine for preview and Excel export.
Confirm Registration Number and Routing Code. Both fill in from Settings, WPS, and can be overridden for a single run if your bank needs different values.
Preview, then generate. Preview Data loads the employees into a grid without downloading anything. Export to Excel gives you the same data as a spreadsheet. Generate SIF File downloads the .SIF file, named to the bank convention.
Upload it to your bank or exchange house. HRX360 produces the file; you upload it to your bank's WPS portal.
Payment details are format-checked when you save them against each employee, which removes the most common source of bad accounts before they reach a file. Funding the salaries on time and keeping employee bank details current remain your responsibility. Payroll with WPS/SIF generation is part of HRX360's payroll software, within HR software built for the UAE, and is on the Professional plan.
Generate the SIF from the payroll you approved
HRX360 writes the EDR and SCR lines from your locked payroll run, names the file to the bank convention and keeps the totals in step. Payroll with WPS/SIF generation, gratuity and Salary Review is on the Professional plan, from AED 14 per employee per month, billed annually. Prices exclude 5% VAT.
Frequently asked questions
What is a SIF file in the UAE?
A SIF (Salary Information File) is the plain-text file you upload to your bank or exchange house to pay salaries through the Wage Protection System. It holds one EDR line for each employee and one SCR line that summarises the file, with fields separated by commas.
What is the difference between the EDR and the SCR?
The EDR (Employee Detail Record) is one line per employee with their labour card number, bank routing code, account, pay dates, days and salary. The SCR (Salary Control Record) is a single line that states the establishment number, salary month, number of EDR lines and total amount, which the gateway checks against the EDR lines.
What is the SIF filename format?
HRX360 names the file with the 13-digit establishment number (padded with leading zeros), the creation date as YYMMDD, the time as HHMM, the digits 00 and the .SIF extension. A file created on 28 November 2026 at 09:00 for establishment 0000012345678 is 0000012345678261128090000.SIF. Confirm any bank-specific naming rule with your bank.
Can I edit a SIF file by hand?
You can open it in a text editor, but it is safer not to. A hand edit to one amount leaves the SCR total wrong, and opening the file in a spreadsheet and saving it can drop leading zeros and trailing decimals. Correct the payroll or employee data and generate the file again.
When must the SIF file be submitted in 2026?
Under Ministerial Resolution 340 of 2026, the previous month's wages are due on the 1st of each Gregorian month with no grace period. The salary has to reach the employee's account by then, so upload the SIF at least two working days earlier to leave time to correct a rejection.
Why is Generate SIF File disabled in HRX360?
Because the Payment Method is set to All. SIF files are bank-specific, so HRX360 needs one specific payment method before it can generate the file. Preview Data and Export to Excel still work with All selected.
Does HRX360 generate the SIF file?
Yes. HRX360's WPS SIF Generator builds the file from the payroll run, named to the bank convention, for you to upload to your bank or exchange house. Payroll with WPS/SIF generation is on the Professional plan, from AED 14 per employee per month billed annually. You still fund salaries on time and keep bank details current.