Accounting and Compliance in the UAE
Every UAE company has to keep accounting records, and the deadlines are now close enough to matter: businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more have until 30 October 2026 to appoint an Accredited Service Provider, and e-invoicing goes live for them on 1 January 2027. Late tax registration still costs a flat AED 10,000, and since 14 April 2026 unpaid tax accrues interest at 14% a year.
This section is the practical side of running a UAE company: what the law requires you to record, how long to keep it, when an audit is mandatory and when it is not, what a competent accountant actually costs, and how payroll and the WPS work day to day. These are written for owner-managers who sign the returns themselves, so each guide ends with a deadline and a figure rather than an invitation to seek advice.
Two things catch most new companies. The first is that bookkeeping is not optional for free zone entities: the obligation comes from the Corporate Tax Law and applies whether or not you owe anything. The second is that your first financial year sets the pattern for every filing after it. Get the chart of accounts, the VAT treatment and the record retention right in year one and compliance becomes routine; get them wrong and you pay someone to reconstruct the history before your first audit.
Start with the first-year checklist if your company is new, or with the e-invoicing timeline if your revenue is approaching AED 50 million. What you owe, as opposed to what you must record, is in Taxation.
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Frequently asked questions
Does a free zone company have to keep accounts?
Yes. The obligation to maintain accounting records flows from the Corporate Tax Law and applies to free zone entities regardless of whether tax is payable. Records must be retained for the statutory period, and failure to keep them is penalised separately from any underpaid tax.
Does my company need an audit?
It depends on your jurisdiction and your size, not on your tax position. Several free zones require audited financial statements as a licence renewal condition, and a Qualifying Free Zone Person must have them. Our guide to audited financial statements covers who is in and who is exempt.
When do I have to be ready for e-invoicing?
If your revenue is AED 50 million or more: an Accredited Service Provider appointed by 30 October 2026, and live on 1 January 2027. Below that threshold the dates fall later, and the full phased timetable is in our e-invoicing guide. Picking a provider and upgrading invoicing software realistically takes three to six months.