Ministry of Finance has said that exceeding the amount set as Ramadan allowance was illegal.

Maldives Employment Act states that all employers must grant a MVR 3,000 allowance as a Ramadan allowance prior to the month every year. Even though the act clearly states this, current laws make it optional for employers to pay Ramadan allowances to expatriate workers.

Even though the set allowance for Ramadan is MVR 3,000, several state owned enterprises have given an allowance that was higher than this in the past. Finance Ministry had sent out a circular this month, which clearly stated that granting allowances higher than said amount was illegal.

According to the calendar, Ramadan will begin on May 6th this year.