Accounting services in the UAE
Since corporate tax arrived, putting off the books has become costly: every company files a return, and the reliefs that keep tax at 0% depend on records. We keep books that are ready for the Federal Tax Authority, at published monthly rates.
In the UAE, bookkeeping is now a tax obligation. Corporate tax is 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000 and 0% below, and every taxable person files a return. VAT registration is mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies, and e‑invoicing becomes mandatory from 1 January 2027 for businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more and from 1 July 2027 for the rest. A free zone company keeps its 0% rate only with audited accounts. We keep books ready for the FTA at published monthly rates, with bookkeeping from AED 750 a month.
- Every taxable person registers for corporate tax and files a return, including free zone companies on 0%.
- Corporate tax is 9% above AED 375,000 of taxable income. Small Business Relief treats a business as having no taxable income if revenue is AED 3M or less in each tax period, for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029.
- VAT registration is mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies and voluntary from AED 187,500. Returns are usually quarterly.
- A QFZP keeps 0% only with audited accounts and non-qualifying revenue within the de minimis limit (the lower of AED 5M or 5% of total revenue).
- E‑invoicing is mandatory from 1 January 2027 or 1 July 2027, depending on revenue. Clean invoice data set up now serves every filing.
Why UAE companies need proper books now
Every taxable person must register for corporate tax and file a return. That includes free zone companies claiming 0%, whose QFZP status depends on audited financial statements and transfer-pricing compliance. Corporate tax is 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000 and 0% below it, but you can only show which side of that line you are on with books that support the figure.
VAT is mandatory once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 (voluntary from AED 187,500), and e‑invoicing becomes mandatory in 2027. Corporate tax, VAT and e‑invoicing all draw on the same ledger, so the ledger has to be kept properly every month.
The penalties show what is at stake. Late corporate tax registration costs AED 10,000 unless it is waived because the first return is filed within seven months of the end of the first tax period, and that is more than a year of bookkeeping at AED 750 a month. A late corporate tax return adds AED 500 a month for the first 12 months.
What FTA-ready books mean
FTA-ready books are more than a folder of receipts. They mean IFRS-based records kept monthly, a chart of accounts mapped to the corporate tax computation, VAT input and output tax tracked invoice by invoice, and year-end files an auditor can sign without delay. A simple test: if the FTA asked for a figure tomorrow, could you produce it and the records behind it within days?
The distinction that causes most errors is between profit and revenue. The AED 375,000 corporate tax band and the tax computation are based on taxable income. The VAT threshold, the Small Business Relief test and the QFZP de minimis limit are based on revenue. Books that mix the two up, or that live in a spreadsheet nobody reconciles, cannot answer either question reliably.
The UAE compliance calendar for companies
Once you are registered, the deadlines recur on a set schedule, and penalties apply automatically when one is missed. Every line in the table below draws on the same monthly books.
| Obligation | Threshold / trigger | Typical cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax return | Every taxable person, above and below AED 375,000 of taxable income | Once per tax period, within 9 months of its end |
| VAT return | Mandatory above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies (voluntary from AED 187,500) | Quarterly (some monthly) |
| Payroll / WPS | Any company with employees | Monthly salary transfer via WPS |
| Audited financial statements | QFZP status, and zones or company sizes that require an audit | Annually |
| E‑invoicing | Mandatory from 1 Jan 2027 (revenue AED 50m+) or 1 Jul 2027 (all others); voluntary since 1 Jul 2026 | Per invoice, in real time |
You can model the corporate tax line in our corporate tax calculator. The calculator assumes the monthly bookkeeping that keeps every other line correct.
Our monthly accounting service
We keep monthly IFRS books in cloud software you can see (Zoho, Xero or QuickBooks, as you prefer), and you hold owner access. Where you have staff, we run payroll through WPS and accrue end-of-service gratuity every month, so it is not a surprise when someone leaves. We prepare and file VAT returns, compute and file the corporate tax return, and prepare audit-ready year-end files for the zones and statuses that require an audit. Registrations and returns are submitted in your own EmaraTax account and approved by you. If someone other than your company has to act for it before the FTA, for example in a tax audit or a reconsideration request, that must be an FTA-registered tax agent; we tell you if your case needs one.
You pay one published monthly fee, which changes only if your transaction volume changes. If you need only the ledger without the filings, our bookkeeping service is the narrower option. The corporate tax and VAT filings use the same books, so nothing is entered twice.
Free zone 0% corporate tax depends on your books
A common misunderstanding is that a free zone licence gives 0% by itself. A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income only if it has adequate substance, audited accounts and transfer-pricing documentation, and keeps non-qualifying revenue within the de minimis limit, which is the lower of AED 5M or 5% of total revenue. Its other taxable income is taxed at 9% with no AED 375,000 band. If the company crosses the limit, it loses QFZP status for that tax period and the next four, and the standard 0%/9% rates apply.
Each of these conditions is monitored in the books. The usual problem is mainland revenue passing the de minimis limit while nobody reconciles monthly. Our guide on who still pays 0% compares the three routes to 0%: the AED 375,000 band, Small Business Relief and QFZP status. Keeping whichever one applies to you depends on monthly reconciliation.
Backlog and catch-up accounting
We also take over backlogs. We rebuild missing periods quarter by quarter at a price quoted in advance, working from bank statements, and we tell you which periods can be reconstructed from records and which rely on estimates that have to be disclosed as such. The FTA treats reconstructed figures differently from estimated ones, and so do we.
Accounting fees and ownership of your books
Our monthly fee is published in the table below and changes only when your transaction volume changes. There are no extra line items added later, such as an establishment file charge three months in. You hold owner access to the accounting software throughout, so the books stay yours if you move to another accountant. We do not keep client records locked in our own system.
The quote lists what is included: the bookkeeping tier, VAT returns, the corporate tax return and any year-end audit support. If your volume moves into a different tier, we tell you before the fee changes.
Published accounting rates
Frequently asked questions
Do free zone companies need accounting if tax is 0%?
Which software do you use?
Can you fix several years of backlog?
When do I have to register for VAT?
How does e‑invoicing change my bookkeeping?
Do small companies really need an audit?
This is general information on UAE rules. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice for your situation. Rules and government fees change; we confirm the position for your facts in writing before you act.