Quick answer
UAE businesses must keep complete accounting records and supporting documents for 7 years for Corporate Tax (5 years for VAT, 15 for real estate). Missing records cost AED 10,000 under the Corporate Tax rules, AED 20,000 for a repeat, and your Corporate Tax and VAT returns are only as accurate as the books behind them. Choose your industry below for what to record and how to keep it clean.
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All 27 guides
Accounting for Trading Companies in UAE: Inventory, Landed Cost, FX and Audit-Ready BooksA trading company's profit is decided in the warehouse and the bank, not just in sales. How to cost every shipment, count and value stock, revalue foreign currency balances and control credit so VAT, Corporate Tax and any audit rest on solid numbers.Bookkeeping for Clinics in UAE: Insurance Claims, Doctor Payouts and Tax-Ready BooksA clinic bills insurers for work already done and waits weeks to learn what they will pay. How to book claims, rejections and doctor payouts, control consumables and code each service for VAT, so the Corporate Tax return reflects real income.Bookkeeping for Construction Companies in UAE: Job Costing, WIP, Retentions and PenaltiesContractors lose money project by project, not company-wide. How to cost every job, recognise revenue as work progresses, track retentions both ways and keep site cash under control before the Corporate Tax return is due.Bookkeeping for E-commerce Businesses in UAE: Settlements, Inventory and Tax-Ready BooksMarketplace payouts are not sales, and a year-end stock count is not inventory control. Here is how Amazon, Noon and Shopify sellers keep books that stand up on the VAT 201 and the Corporate Tax return.Bookkeeping for Restaurants in UAE: Food Cost, POS, Delivery Apps and Tax-Ready AccountsA restaurant's books are built one service at a time. How to close the POS daily, track food cost and wastage, reconcile delivery apps and payroll, and hand your VAT and Corporate Tax returns figures you can defend.Catch-Up Bookkeeping in UAE: Fix Years of Missing Books Before Your Corporate Tax ReturnNo ledger, a shoebox of receipts and a Corporate Tax return due on 30 September 2026. This is the order to rebuild your accounts in, what to do when documents are gone, and how to fix past VAT returns before the FTA finds them.How Much Does Bookkeeping Cost in UAE? Monthly Packages Compared (2026)Monthly bookkeeping quotes in the UAE range from a freelancer's flat fee to a full-time accountant's salary. Here is what actually sets the price, what a package should include, the extras that appear on the invoice later, and how to compare like with like.Accounting for Holiday Home Companies in UAE: Per-Unit P&L, Owner Statements and TaxFor holiday home operators managing short-stay units in Dubai and across the UAE: how to run a ledger per unit, keep owner money out of your revenue, reconcile platform payouts and produce owner statements your tax returns can rely on.Accounting for Jewellery Shops in UAE: Weight-Based Stock, Making Charges and AML RecordsFor gold and jewellery retailers and traders in the UAE: how to run a stock ledger in grams and karats, record old-gold exchanges at full value, track making charges and keep customer due diligence records beside your tax books.Accounting for Labour-Intensive Businesses in UAE: Payroll, Gratuity and Contract ProfitabilityFor cleaning, facility management and manpower supply owners: how to reconcile WPS payroll, accrue gratuity, spread visa and insurance costs, and see which contracts actually make money before the Corporate Tax return is due.Accounting for Marketing Agencies in UAE: Retainers, Media Spend and Project ProfitabilityFor UAE marketing, digital and creative agency owners: how to keep client media money out of your revenue, recognise retainers properly, track project margins and turn the monthly close into clean VAT and Corporate Tax returns.Accounting for Real Estate Brokerages in UAE: Commissions, Agent Splits and ComplianceA brokerage earns on deals that close months after the viewing and pays agents from money it may not have received yet. How to run a deal ledger, agent splits and AML files that hold up for VAT and Corporate Tax.Bookkeeping for Freelancers in UAE: Simple Records That Keep You Safe on VAT and Corporate TaxA plain guide for UAE freelancers and solo founders: which records to keep, how to watch the AED 1M and AED 375,000 triggers, what a compliant invoice needs and when paying a bookkeeper becomes cheaper than doing it yourself.Bookkeeping for Retail Shops in UAE: POS, Stock Counts, Shrinkage and Tax-Ready BooksA practical routine for shop owners: post every Z-report, reconcile card settlements to the bank, count stock before shrinkage hides in your margin, and keep books that survive a VAT or Corporate Tax review.Bookkeeping for Salons in UAE: Commissions, Packages and Tax-Ready AccountsA salon sells treatments today that clients use next month, pays stylists on what they earn, and runs retail shelves beside the chairs. How to keep packages, commissions and stock straight so VAT and Corporate Tax returns match reality.Bookkeeping for Startups in UAE: Investor-Ready Books, Losses and Tax FilingPre-seed to Series A founders in the UAE: how to keep books that survive investor due diligence, protect your tax losses and file a Corporate Tax return on time, even in a year with almost no revenue.Accounting for Crypto Businesses in UAE: Wallet Reconciliation, Valuation and AuditFor VARA-licensed firms, crypto startups and companies paid in digital assets: how to reconcile wallets to the ledger, keep a cost basis for every token, choose a valuation approach and build an audit trail that satisfies the regulator and the FTA.Accounting for Nurseries and Private Schools in UAE: Fee Receivables, Deferred Fees and AuditHow private schools and nurseries should bill fees by term, defer fees collected in advance, carry a payroll-heavy cost base and keep books that stand up to the FTA, the auditor and the education regulator.Accounting for Property Management Companies in UAE: Client Money, Service Charges and VATMost of the cash a property manager handles belongs to someone else. How to keep owner money, tenant deposits and service charges apart from your own fees, reconcile them monthly and file VAT and Corporate Tax on the right figure.Accounting for Travel Agencies in UAE: BSP Settlements, Advances and Commission TrackingFor travel agencies and tour operators: how to hold customer advances until travel, reconcile BSP billing and supplier credits, report commission instead of gross bookings where you act as agent, and see real margin every month.Bookkeeping for Car Rental Companies in UAE: Fleet, Fines, Salik and DepositsFor rent-a-car owners in Dubai, Sharjah and across the UAE: how to keep a fleet register, recharge fines and tolls without losing track, hold deposits as a liability and give the VAT and Corporate Tax returns numbers they can rely on.Bookkeeping for Consultancies in UAE: Time Billing, WIP and Partner DrawingsFor management, IT, engineering and advisory consultancies: how to value unbilled time, defer retainers, separate partner drawings from arm's length salaries, recharge expenses cleanly and see profit by client before the Corporate Tax return.Bookkeeping for Event Companies in UAE: Project Accounting, Deposits and Supplier PayablesFor event management and production companies: give every show its own project code, hold client deposits until the event is delivered, accrue supplier costs before invoices arrive and close each event P&L within 2 weeks of the show.Bookkeeping for Freight Forwarders in UAE: Job Profitability, Disbursements and TaxHow UAE freight forwarders and logistics companies keep job files, disbursement accounts and carrier accruals clean every month, so the VAT return and the Corporate Tax return due 30 September 2026 are built on numbers that hold up.Bookkeeping for Garages in UAE: Job Cards, Parts Stock and Insurance ReceivablesFor auto workshops, body shops and service centres: turn every job card into a tax invoice, control parts from shelf to job, chase insurers for approved repairs, measure technician hours and recover warranty claims, with books ready for the FTA.Bookkeeping for Pharmacies in UAE: Batch Stock, Insurance Claims and Tax-Ready AccountsHow community pharmacies should value batch and expiry stock, turn insurance claims into cash, split zero-rated and 5% sales at the till and capture supplier rebates, with books ready for the VAT 201 and the Corporate Tax return.Bookkeeping for Small Manufacturers in UAE: Costing, WIP and Audit-Ready AccountsFor owners of small UAE factories and workshops: how to cost products from the bill of materials, value work in progress every month, handle scrap and capex, and keep accounts an auditor and the FTA can follow.
Frequently asked questions
How long must UAE businesses keep their accounting records?+
7 years for Corporate Tax purposes under Article 56 of the Corporate Tax Law. VAT records must be kept for 5 years, or 15 years for real estate. In practice keep everything for 7 years.
What is the penalty for not keeping proper books in the UAE?+
Under Corporate Tax, failing to keep the required records costs AED 10,000, and AED 20,000 for a repeat. Under VAT it is AED 10,000 for a first violation and AED 50,000 for a repeat.
How much does bookkeeping cost in the UAE?+
It depends on transaction volume, the number of bank accounts and whether VAT is involved. Paci's monthly bookkeeping starts from AED 599 a month, with a fixed quote after a free review.
Do I still need bookkeeping if I claim Small Business Relief?+
Yes. Small Business Relief depends on revenue staying at or below AED 3,000,000 in every tax period, you still have to file a Corporate Tax return, and the FTA can ask for the records behind it.
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