UAE tax filing, explained without the jargon.
Plain-English guidance on Corporate Tax and VAT filing for business owners in Dubai.
When your audited accounts and your tax return disagree
Audit and tax are often done by different people at different times from slightly different data. That gap is what draws questions later.
Building a 13-week cash forecast for a UAE business
An annual budget will not stop you running out of cash. A rolling 13-week forecast will, because it shows the…
A chart of accounts for a Dubai trading company
Most UAE tax pain traces back to a chart of accounts built without Corporate Tax and VAT in mind. Here…
Preparing for your first UAE audit: the file your auditor wants
The audit belongs to your auditor. How smoothly it goes is decided by what you hand them on day one.
End-of-service gratuity in the UAE: the 21 and 30 day formula
Gratuity is calculated on basic salary only, at 21 days per year for the first five years and 30 days…
WPS explained: how UAE salaries must be paid and reported
The Wage Protection System is not a payroll formality. Late or non-compliant files flag at MOHRE and can block work…
Choosing accounting software in the UAE: a practical comparison
QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho Books, Sage or Odoo. The right answer depends on VAT handling, multi-currency and whether you hold stock.
Behind on your bookkeeping? A catch-up plan that works
Books months or years behind are common and fixable. The mistake is trying to bring everything current at once.
Small Business Relief ends after 2026: what to do before December
Small Business Relief is currently scheduled to end for tax periods after 31 December 2026. For calendar-year businesses, this year…
Free zone Corporate Tax: what qualifying income actually means
A free zone licence is not a tax exemption. Qualifying Free Zone Person status is conditional, and it can be…
From accounting profit to taxable income: the adjustments that catch businesses out
Your Corporate Tax return does not start with the profit in your accounts. It starts with it, then adjusts. Here…
UAE e-invoicing: the deadlines your business needs in the diary
Mandatory e-invoicing arrives in phases from 2027, but the appointment deadlines land in 2026. Here is the timeline by business…
The UAE tax penalty regime changed in April 2026: what is different
Cabinet Decision No. 129 of 2025 took effect on 14 April 2026 and replaced the compounding late payment structure with…
UAE VAT registration thresholds: mandatory, voluntary, and how to count
AED 375,000 mandatory, AED 187,500 voluntary. The harder question is what counts towards the total and from which date.
Corporate Tax deadlines: what nine months actually means for your year end
The UAE Corporate Tax return is generally due within nine months of the end of your tax period. Here is…
Why profitable Dubai businesses still run out of cash
Profit is an accounting opinion. Cash is a fact. Here is where the gap comes from, and how to see…
What makes a valid UAE tax invoice, and why input VAT gets rejected
Most disallowed input VAT is not fraud. It is invoices that do not meet the requirements. Here is what a…
Zero-rated or exempt? The difference that decides your VAT recovery
Zero-rated and exempt sound similar and behave very differently. One lets you recover input VAT. The other does not.
A month-end close checklist for small UAE businesses
A fixed monthly close turns tax filing into a summary rather than an excavation. Here is the checklist to work…
Corporate Tax registration in the UAE: who must register and when
Registration is tied to your licence, not your profit. Most UAE businesses must register for Corporate Tax even when no…