UAE accounting FAQs that stop tax mistakes before penalties.

VAT registration is mandatory once your taxable turnover exceeds AED 375,000 in a 12-month period, and voluntary from AED 187,500. The standard VAT rate in the UAE is 5%.

Most businesses file VAT returns quarterly. The VAT-201 return and any payment are due within 28 days of the end of each tax period. We prepare and file your return well before that deadline.

A first late filing carries an AED 1,000 penalty, rising to AED 2,000 for a repeat within 24 months, plus monthly penalties on any unpaid VAT. Keeping books current each month is the simplest way to avoid them.

Zero-rated supplies (for example exports, certain healthcare, education and international transport) are taxed at 0% but still recoverable for input VAT. Exempt supplies (such as residential rent, some financial services, local passenger transport and bare land) carry no VAT and generally do not allow input VAT recovery.

VAT registration is completed on the FTA's EmaraTax portal. You'll need your trade licence, owner/manager Emirates ID and passport copies, proof of turnover and bank details. We prepare the application and supporting documents so the TRN is issued without repeated FTA queries.

Yes. If your taxable supplies fall below the AED 187,500 voluntary threshold, or you stop making taxable supplies, you must apply to deregister on EmaraTax within 20 business days to avoid penalties. We handle the application and the final VAT return.

Two or more related UAE entities under common control can register as a single VAT group with one TRN, so supplies between them fall outside VAT. It can simplify compliance for groups — we assess whether it benefits your structure before applying.

Input VAT on costs used to make taxable supplies is generally recoverable on your VAT-201 return, with exceptions such as entertainment and certain motor vehicles. Where input VAT exceeds output VAT, the excess is carried forward or refunded by the FTA.

Corporate tax is 0% on taxable profit up to AED 375,000 and 9% on profit above that threshold. A 15% domestic minimum top-up tax applies to large multinational groups under the global Pillar Two rules.

Corporate tax applies to financial years beginning on or after 1 June 2023, so most SMEs are now in their first or second corporate tax cycle.

The corporate tax return must be filed within 9 months of the end of the relevant tax period. We track that deadline alongside your monthly close so the filing is never a last-minute scramble.

A free zone company may qualify for 0% corporate tax on its qualifying income as a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) if it meets the conditions; income that does not qualify is taxed at 9%. We review your activities to confirm where you stand.

Almost every UAE business must register for corporate tax on EmaraTax and file an annual return — including free zone entities, even those taxed at 0%. The FTA sets registration deadlines by trade-licence issue month, and late registration carries an AED 10,000 penalty.

Resident businesses with revenue of AED 3 million or less in the current and previous tax periods can elect Small Business Relief and be treated as having no taxable income — available for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2026. We check eligibility and make the election in your return.

A natural person doing business in the UAE is only within corporate tax scope if their total business turnover exceeds AED 1 million in a calendar year. Personal salary, dividends and personal investment income are not subject to corporate tax.

You need books prepared on an accruals basis with supporting documents, and — depending on revenue and free-zone status — audited financial statements. We keep your records corporate-tax-ready through the year so the return is straightforward, not a year-end rebuild.

Yes. UAE businesses must maintain proper accounting records and supporting documents, generally retained for at least 5 years, to support VAT, corporate tax and audit requirements.

Each month we post transactions, reconcile your bank accounts, review VAT treatment and produce a management report — so your books are current, VAT-ready and audit-defensible rather than rebuilt at year-end.

We work on mainstream cloud accounting platforms such as Zoho Books, and can set up your chart of accounts, bank feeds and reconciliation workflow from scratch if needed.

Yes. We support SMEs across Dubai mainland and the UAE free zones, with the bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax treatment matched to your licence structure.

Standard plans include a monthly management report — profit and loss, balance sheet and key figures — plus VAT-ready records every cycle. We can add cash-flow forecasting and KPI dashboards where you need a closer view of the business.

Yes. We set up multi-currency accounting with a clear foreign-exchange gain/loss treatment and reconciliation workflow — common for UAE consultancies and traders billing in USD, EUR or GBP against an AED base currency.

We clear the backlog first — catch-up bookkeeping, bank reconciliations and overdue VAT preparation — then move you onto a clean monthly cycle. Backlog work is quoted after a short review of the state and size of your records.

Yes. We prepare audit schedules, working papers and reconciliations and support auditor queries. Where a statutory audit is required, our books are kept in an audit-ready state throughout the year.

Designated non-financial businesses (DNFBPs) — such as dealers in precious metals and stones, real estate and certain professional services — must register on goAML, perform customer due diligence and file suspicious transaction reports. We provide AML advisory, policy and risk-assessment support to help you meet these obligations.

goAML is the UAE's reporting platform for registering DNFBPs and submitting suspicious transaction reports to the authorities. We guide you through registration and the ongoing screening and reporting workflow.

Many UAE free zones (DMCC, JAFZA, DAFZA and others) require audited financial statements for licence renewal, and corporate tax rules require audited accounts for larger taxable persons and Qualifying Free Zone Persons. We prepare everything the auditor needs and liaise through to sign-off.

Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions include real-estate agents and brokers, dealers in precious metals and stones, auditors and accountants, and company/corporate service providers. DNFBPs carry specific AML obligations under UAE law.

It covers goAML registration, a written AML/CFT policy, customer due diligence (KYC), name screening against sanctions lists, suspicious-transaction reporting, staff training and a periodic business risk assessment. We provide advisory and documentation support across all of these.

E-invoicing replaces PDF and paper invoices with a structured digital invoice in the PINT AE format, exchanged through an FTA-accredited service provider over the Peppol network, with a copy reported to the Federal Tax Authority in real time.

A pilot phase begins in July 2026, with mandatory adoption rolling out in waves through 2027. Larger businesses are in scope first, and by 2027 most VAT-registered businesses are expected to comply.

The rules ultimately apply to VAT-registered businesses making B2B and B2G supplies in the UAE. Even small businesses should prepare their data and systems early, because the cutover is difficult to rush at the last minute.

The main work is data cleanup — accurate TRNs, consistent VAT classifications and a chart of accounts your software can map to the PINT AE format. We run a readiness review and coordinate accredited-provider onboarding.

It depends on where your customers are, your visa needs, ownership and tax position. Mainland suits trading directly with the UAE market; free zones can offer 0% qualifying corporate tax and simpler ownership. We model the tax and compliance impact before you commit.

Yes — UAE banks require a business account for compliance and WPS payroll. Approval depends on clean documentation, a clear activity and source-of-funds evidence. We prepare the financial documents banks ask for to smooth the process.

Typically: monthly bookkeeping, VAT registration and filing once over the threshold, corporate tax registration and an annual return, licence renewal (often with audited accounts), and AML obligations for regulated activities. We set this calendar up from day one.

Monthly accounting retainers start from AED 299, with VAT preparation and filing at AED 299/quarter and corporate tax at AED 499/year. Full tiers and add-ons are listed on our pricing page, and the exact scope is agreed before any work starts.

We provide FTA-compliant accounting, VAT and corporate tax preparation and filing support for UAE SMEs. We are not acting as a registered FTA Tax Agent; where formal Tax Agent representation is required, we will tell you clearly.

Communication is WhatsApp-first. When you have a question about an invoice, a VAT treatment or a deadline, you message the team working on your books and get a straight answer — usually the same business day.

No. We work on fixed monthly retainers with the scope agreed up front and no long-term lock-in. You can adjust your plan as your business changes.

We handle the handover — obtaining your trial balance, prior returns and access to your accounting software, then reconciling the opening position so nothing is lost in transition. Most switches complete within the first monthly cycle.

Yes. Your records stay in your own cloud accounting account wherever possible, access is limited to the team on your engagement, and everything is treated as confidential in line with UAE data-protection law.