Accounting services in Dubai: books that survive the tax era
Since corporate tax, the books are not for you — they are for the return, the auditor and the FTA. What the law actually requires, and what we run monthly so year-end is boring.
- Records kept
- 7 years by law
- Standard
- IFRS
- Audited FS mandatory
- QFZP · revenue > AED 50M
- Price
- AED 1,800
What UAE accounting obligations actually say
The accounting service price is AED 1,800. The legal obligations it covers are:
| Obligation | Who | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Keep records and documents | Every taxable person, 7 years | Corporate tax law (47/2022) |
| Prepare financial statements (IFRS) | Every taxable person | FTA / Ministerial Decision 114/2023 |
| Audited financial statements | Revenue > AED 50M | Ministerial Decision 82/2023 |
| Audited financial statements | Every QFZP claiming 0% | Ministerial Decision 82/2023 |
| VAT records | Registrants, 5 years | VAT law (8/2017) |
Corporate tax law: 7 years. VAT law: 5 years.
- Our accounting service price is AED 1,800; historical catch-up, where needed, is quoted separately.
- If you are a free zone company claiming 0%, the audit is not optional: the QFZP position files from audited statements.
The accounting rhythm that makes year-end boring
Deadlines are annual; the work that meets them calmly is monthly.
Monthly and quarterly
| Work | Cadence |
|---|---|
| Bookkeeping and reconciliations | Monthly |
| VAT returns (if registered) | Typically quarterly |
| Management view of the numbers | Monthly — you see what the FTA would see |
Annually
| Milestone | When |
|---|---|
| Year-end close | After your financial year end |
| Audit (where required) | Before the return needs it |
| Corporate tax return | Within 9 months of year end |
The companies that struggle in month nine are the ones that started in month eight. Monthly books make the return a summary, not an archaeology project.
Where you probably are right now
Most accounting conversations start in one of these three places.
New company
Starting clean- Chart of accounts built for the return from day one
- VAT and corporate tax calendars aligned with the books
- The cheapest accounting is the kind that never needs rebuilding
Shoebox books
Catch-up needed- Spreadsheets and bank statements can be rebuilt into books
- We quote the rebuild separately from the monthly run
- Done before the return deadline, not during it
QFZP / audited
Free zone at 0%- The 0% claim files from audited statements — no shortcuts
- Books kept audit-ready, so the audit is a review, not a fight
- We coordinate the auditor as part of the service
How we take over your accounting, step by step
-
Scope and quote
Volume, entities, state of the books — the itemised quote comes from facts, not tiers.
-
Setup or rebuild
Chart of accounts for the tax era; historical catch-up quoted separately if needed.
-
Books run monthly
Transactions, reconciliations and a management view you can actually read.
-
VAT aligned
Returns reconcile to the ledger — no parallel spreadsheets.
-
Close, audit, return
Year-end close, audit coordination where required, and the return filed by our own tax team.
The books feed everything else
Corporate tax return
The annual return files from these books — same firm, no hand-off friction.
See return filingVAT returns
Registered? The 28-day windows run off the same ledger.
See VAT servicesTax audit
QFZP or above AED 50M revenue: we keep the books audit-grade and coordinate the auditor.
See tax auditIn-house vs outsourced accounting, honestly
| Feature | Outsourced (us) | In-house hire |
|---|---|---|
| Cost structure | AED 1,800 service price | Salary + visa + software, fixed |
| Tax alignment | Same team files the return | Depends on the hire |
| Coverage | No leave gaps, no turnover risk | Single point of failure |
| Makes sense when | SME volumes, one entity or a few | Daily operational finance load |
What an accountant can and cannot do for you
What we do: keep books that reconcile, close years without drama, meet the 7-year record rule, and hand our own tax team a file they can defend in front of the FTA.
What nobody can do: paper over missing records at year-end or make an audit requirement optional. If your revenue crosses AED 50M or you claim QFZP, the audit happens — the only choice is whether your books arrive ready for it.
UAE accounting at a glance
- 7
- years of records the corporate tax law requires
- 50M
- AED revenue — audited statements become mandatory
- 9
- months after year end for the return the books feed
- 12
- monthly closes that make the annual one boring
Every obligation here traces to the corporate tax law, Ministerial Decision 82/2023 or the VAT law.
Accounting as part of the whole
Books, VAT, corporate tax and audit coordination — one team, one thread.
- Bookkeeping & close
- Corporate tax returns
- VAT registration & returns
- CT registration
- Tax audit support
- Company formation
What onboarding actually requires
A short list — we pull most of it from the systems once access exists.
Trade licence
Entity details and activity for the ledger setup.
Bank access (view)
Statements feed the reconciliations.
Sales & purchase records
Invoices in, invoices out — whatever form they exist in today.
Prior books
If any: last trial balance and closing figures.
VAT & CT registrations
TRNs so the calendars align with the books.
Payroll basics
Headcount and pay structure, if we run payroll too.
Accounting obligations, term by term
IFRS
The reporting standard UAE financial statements follow; a simplified version applies below revenue thresholds.
7-year rule
The corporate tax law’s record-keeping horizon — every return needs its file kept that long.
Audited FS
Financial statements signed by a licensed auditor — mandatory above AED 50M revenue and for every QFZP.
Trial balance
The ledger summary everything reconciles to — the first thing any auditor or the FTA asks for.
Year-end close
The controlled shutdown of the year: reconciliations, adjustments, statements.
Return-ready
Our standard: books a tax return can be filed from without restatement.
Accounting services: your questions, answered straight
Is accounting legally required in the UAE?
Yes — the corporate tax law requires every taxable person to keep records and documents for 7 years, and financial statements are prepared under IFRS (a simplified standard applies below revenue thresholds). Since corporate tax, books are not optional hygiene: they are what your return files from.
How much do accounting services cost?
The accounting service costs AED 1,800. If the historical books need to be rebuilt, that catch-up work is assessed and quoted separately.
When do I need audited financial statements?
When revenue exceeds AED 50 million, or when you claim 0% as a Qualifying Free Zone Person — both under Ministerial Decision 82/2023. Some zones, like DMCC, also require an annual audit for the licence itself.
Why monthly bookkeeping instead of a year-end cleanup?
Because the return deadline is 9 months after year end, VAT runs on 28-day windows, and rebuilding a year of records under deadline is the expensive way. Monthly books make year-end a summary; a shoebox makes it archaeology — we quote the rebuild separately when that is the honest starting point.
What accounting software do you use?
Established cloud platforms your business can keep access to — the books are yours, not a lock-in. We adapt to a system you already run if it can produce what the FTA and an auditor need.
Can you take over from another accountant mid-year?
Yes — the handover needs the trial balance, the ledgers and the filed returns to date. We reconcile before we continue, so the year splits cleanly and nothing falls between providers.
Do you handle payroll too?
Yes, as part of the same engagement where needed — payroll runs, WPS files where applicable and the accounting entries behind them, confirmed within the agreed scope.
Do free zone companies need the same accounting?
At least the same — and QFZPs need more: the 0% claim requires audited financial statements and a documented qualifying-income analysis, which means audit-grade books all year, not just in the audit month.
Where these obligations come from
Every requirement traces to the corporate tax law, its ministerial decisions or the VAT law. Rules change — we verify before every engagement.
Make year-end boring
Tell us your volume and the state of the books. Within 24 hours you get the scope, the rhythm and the fee — in writing.
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