Accounting Software in United Arab Emirates
UAE VAT applies at 5% since 2018. Businesses with taxable supplies over AED 375,000 must register with the FTA. E-invoicing rollout is scheduled and corporate tax at 9% is now in force.
GulfAccount is built for companies operating across trade, logistics, professional services, real estate, hospitality and a fast-growing free-zone SME base. Registration, filing, payroll and document rules are pre-configured for Federal Tax Authority (FTA), so your ledger is filing-ready from the first invoice rather than reworked at period end.
Registration, filing and deadlines in United Arab Emirates
- Mandatory registration
- AED 375,000 of taxable supplies in the previous 12 months, or expected within the next 30 days
- Voluntary registration
- AED 187,500 of taxable supplies or taxable expenses
- Filing portal
- EmaraTax
- Frequency
- Quarterly for most registrants; monthly once annual taxable supplies exceed AED 150 million
- Deadline
- The 28th day of the month following the end of the tax period (VAT 201 return and payment due the same day)
- Record retention
- Books, tax invoices, credit notes and import documents must be kept for 5 years (15 years for real-estate records)
- Corporate tax
- 9% corporate tax on taxable income above AED 375,000, with a 0% band below it and a Small Business Relief election for revenue up to AED 3 million
E-invoicing status
The UAE e-invoicing programme uses a Peppol 5-corner model: accredited service providers exchange structured invoices and report them to the FTA, with phased go-live for large taxpayers first.
Imports are handled under the reverse-charge mechanism and pre-populate box 6 of the VAT 201 from customs declarations.
Payroll and banking
MOHRE requires private-sector salaries to be paid through the Wage Protection System within 15 days of the due date, and end-of-service gratuity accrues at 21 days' basic pay per year for the first five years and 30 days thereafter. Salary files are produced as WPS (Wage Protection System) SIF files lodged through a UAE Central Bank agent, and bank statements import from Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Mashreq, ADCB, RAKBANK, Wio.
Penalties to avoid in United Arab Emirates
- AED 10,000 for failing to register for VAT on time
- AED 1,000 for a first late VAT return, AED 2,000 for a repeat within 24 months
- 14% per annum monthly penalty on unpaid tax, applied from the day after the due date
- AED 5,000 per incorrect or non-compliant tax invoice issued
- AED 10,000 for failing to keep the required records (AED 20,000 on repetition)
Confirm current figures with Federal Tax Authority (FTA) on EmaraTax before relying on them for a filing decision.
In-depth guides for United Arab Emirates
VAT Returns — United Arab Emirates
Auto-calculated VAT filings.
Payroll & WPS — United Arab Emirates
Run payroll with WPS files.
E-Invoicing — United Arab Emirates
ZATCA & FTA e-invoicing ready.
Everything else included for United Arab Emirates
Invoicing
Send tax-compliant invoices in seconds.
Quotations
Win deals with polished quotes.
Expense Tracking
Capture every business expense.
Inventory Management
Real-time stock across warehouses.
Financial Reports
P&L, balance sheet, cash flow.
Bank Reconciliation
Match transactions in minutes.
Multi-Currency
Trade in AED, SAR, USD & more.
Project Accounting
Track profitability per project.
Client Management
CRM built for finance teams.
Cities we serve in United Arab Emirates
Also serving businesses in Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah — the same registration thresholds, filing deadlines and invoice rules apply across United Arab Emirates.
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