Accounting services in Dubai and the UAE from $350 a month
We keep the books of your company in Dubai or any other emirate, file its VAT and corporate tax returns and prepare the IFRS accounts, from $350 a month before VAT.
What do you need?
- Books and tax returns per month before VAT
- from $350
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost of everything you ticked.
Get this quote
What accounting and bookkeeping services in Dubai include
One team keeps the books all year and files on these dates.
Every month
- Bookkeeping from your invoices and bank statements, with every account reconciled
- Supplier bills to pay and customer invoices to collect
- Payroll through the Wage Protection System, with end-of-service accruals
- A list of the documents we still need from you
Every quarter
- The VAT return and its payment, by the 28th day after the quarter
- A report on cash, margins and results, in your account
Every year
- Financial statements under IFRS: balance sheet, profit and loss, cash flow
- The corporate tax return, within 9 months of the year end
- The Small Business Relief election, with revenue up to AED 3 million
- The file for the auditor, and our answers to the auditor's questions
- A reminder before the license renewal is due
What an accountant costs in Dubai and the UAE
One monthly fee for the books and both tax returns, fixed in your quote before the first month. Prices are before VAT.
Books, corporate tax and VAT returns
from $350 a monthGet a quote- Payroll through the Wage Protection System
- in your quote
- Bringing past periods up to date
- in your quote
- Monthly management reports
- in your quote
- The auditor's file and answers to the auditor
- in your quote
- Federal Tax Authority's fee to register for VAT or corporate tax
- AED 0
The filing year of a UAE company
For a financial year that ends on 31 December. We keep this calendar for your company.
Filing calendar
- Jan1 E-invoicing starts, 2027
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul1 E-invoicing, all, 2027
- Aug
- Sep30 Corporate tax return
- Oct30 E-invoicing provider, 2026
- Nov
- Dec
The 1st of every month Salaries for the month before, through the Wage Protection System
Every quarter the VAT return and its payment, by the 28th day after the quarter
Every year audited accounts in the free zones that ask for them: DMCC and RAKEZ within six months of the year end
What clients write about Legarithm
4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.
We had long been looking for someone to register a company in the UAE and help with the account. With Legarithm it went as it should: a clear process, help with the documents, no red tape.
Everything is well coordinated and clear. Half an hour of the first meeting was more useful than two weeks of trying to work it out myself.
What sets the monthly price of accounting in Dubai
4Transactions, VAT, payroll, reports
The fee follows 4 things: the number of transactions in a month, VAT registration, the number of people on the payroll and how often you want reports. A holding company with a few entries a year stays on the smallest package. An online shop with hundreds of sales a month takes a larger one.
3 packagesOne of them and its fee, fixed in your quote
Your quote names one of the 3 packages and fixes the fee before the first month. When the company grows, you move to the next package. Registration with the tax authority is part of the start: see corporate tax registration and VAT registration in the UAE.
Bookkeeping
- Reports
- On request
- What it covers
- Recording and reconciliation
- Statements
- IFRS statements once a year
Books and tax
- Reports
- Every quarter
- What it covers
- Bookkeeping, the VAT returns and the corporate tax return
- Statements
- Yearly statements with the tax computation
Full finance function
- Reports
- Every month
- What it covers
- Books and tax, payroll, supplier bills and customer invoices
- Statements
- Monthly management accounts and yearly statements
Which UAE companies we keep books for
Every UAE company keeps IFRS books and files a corporate tax return, at 0% too. We do both from the first month, for a free zone company and for a mainland one. When we open the company, the books start with the license: company formation in Dubai.
Clean numbers and filed returns for a fixed monthly fee, with no accountant on your payroll. With revenue up to AED 3 million we prepare the Small Business Relief election in the yearly return.
UAE books under IFRS that also reconcile to the reports of your head office, so the group closes its month on one set of numbers.
Hundreds of sales a month recorded and matched to the bank and the payment providers, so each VAT return agrees with the ledger.
Statements and filings for a company with a few entries a year. It stays registered for corporate tax and files a return every year.
We rebuild past periods from bank statements and invoices and bring the books up to date before a first audit or a late return.
What UAE law asks of a company's books, and by when
Since corporate tax arrived, the Federal Tax Authority expects financial statements behind every return.
| Duty | The rule | When |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting standard | IFRS. IFRS for SMEs is allowed up to AED 50 million of revenue, the cash basis up to AED 3 million | All year |
| Records | Kept for 7 years. Complete, readable scans are accepted in place of paper | 7 years |
| VAT return | A company registers from AED 375,000 of turnover and then files each quarter | 28th day after the quarter |
| Corporate tax return | Every registered company files, with tax to pay or without | 9 months after the year end |
| Audit for tax | Revenue above AED 50 million, or a free-zone company that claims 0% | With the yearly accounts |
| Mainland audit | Mainland companies have their yearly statements audited | Every year |
| Free-zone audit | DMCC, JAFZA, DAFZA, DIFC and other zones ask for audited accounts | Each year; DMCC and RAKEZ within six months of the year end |
| E-invoicing | Revenue of AED 50 million or more: a provider appointed by 30 October 2026 | From 1 January 2027, the rest from 1 July 2027 |
30 July 2026Records with an outside accountant
A company may hand its records to an outside accountant. A decision of the Federal Tax Authority in force since 30 July 2026 allows it, and the company stays responsible for them. We keep yours in your account, where an auditor or the authority can be given access.
Accounting software and how you see your books
We keep the books in the cloud package your company already uses, or set one up. You hold the owner's login, so the ledger stays yours.
Income, costs and the documents still missing appear in your account once the month is closed. You write to your accountant from the same screen.
You photograph a receipt or upload a bank statement, and it reaches the books. The copy shows the whole document, every page, in readable quality: that is the tax authority's rule for records.
The list holds the VAT return, the corporate tax return, the audit and the renewal of the trade license in the UAE. Each line shows its date, who is doing the work and what we need from you.
We prepare your invoice data and your process for reporting through an accredited service provider before your date arrives. The dates by revenue are in e-invoicing in the UAE.
Switching accountant in the UAE
Your company keeps filing on time while the books move to us.
- 1 to 2 days1
We agree the scope
We look at the company, its filings and its current books, name the package and fix the monthly fee.
- 2 to 5 days2
You hand over
You give us access to the accounting software, the opening balances and the tax portal. With your authorisation we ask your former accountant for the rest.
- then3
We bring the books up to date
We reconcile past periods and show you what is filed and what is overdue, so the first month starts from correct numbers.
- every month4
We keep the books each month
We record, reconcile and report, and the books stay ready for an auditor.
- on each date5
We file the returns
The quarterly VAT return and the yearly corporate tax return go to the authority after you approve them in your account.
What we need to take over your books
Documents
About the company
- Trade license and incorporation documents
- VAT number (TRN) and corporate tax registration
- Access to the Federal Tax Authority portal
- The year end and the last return filed
- Passport and Emirates ID of the signatory
- The name of your auditor, where one is appointed
About the books
- Access to your accounting software or spreadsheets
- Opening balances or the last financial statements
- Bank statements for the period
- Sales and purchase invoices
- Payroll records and the list of staff
- Which filings and which reports you want from us
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformA platform where you open
and run a UAE company online
Your whole company is in your pocket. Sign documents, check the books and write to your accountant from your phone.
Your Company FZCO
- License expected 1–5 days
- Next deadline prepared
- Last month closed on time
- Passport copy Uploaded
- Passport-size photo Checked
- Application form Sign
- Proof of address Upload
You upload scans and sign the forms in the account. We keep the certificates and registers here afterwards, ready for a bank or an auditor.
The Legarithm team
We prepare your documents, check them before they are filed and keep your books.
Legal
Christina Agapiou Corporate Lawyer
Vasiliki Chatzigeorgiou Compliance Officer
Iryna Hrabovetska Associate
Anastasiia Kolomiiets Associate
Ivanna Plieshivtseva Junior Associate
Vladyslav Khamenushko Paralegal
Alisia Navrotska Paralegal
Vladyslav Syliava Paralegal
Finance and accounting
Ioannis Akritidis Accountant
Elizaveta Pytkina Accountant
Nataliia Dobrynina Accountant
Anna Kyrylova Finance specialist
Questions about accounting services in Dubai and the UAE
How much does an accountant cost in Dubai?
With us, from $350 a month before VAT, or from $4,200 a year, for the books and both tax returns. Four things move the fee: the number of transactions, VAT, payroll and how often you want reports.
How much does it cost to hire an accountant in the UAE?
An accountant on your own payroll costs a salary, a residence visa and software. An outsourced team costs one monthly fee, from $350, and covers the IFRS statements and both tax returns.
Which accounting software is most widely used in the UAE?
The books that reach us are kept in Zoho Books, Xero or QuickBooks. We work in all three, and you keep the owner's login.
Is bookkeeping mandatory for companies in the UAE?
Yes. A UAE company keeps accounting records and IFRS financial statements and holds them for 7 years. The Federal Tax Authority asks for them for VAT and for corporate tax.
Which accounting standard does the UAE use?
IFRS: Ministerial Decision No. 114 of 2023 sets it for corporate tax. A company with revenue up to AED 50 million may use IFRS for SMEs, and one with revenue up to AED 3 million the cash basis.
When must a UAE company be audited?
When its revenue passes AED 50 million, when it claims the 0% free-zone rate or when it is a mainland company. So is a company whose free zone asks for audited accounts every year: DMCC and RAKEZ within six months of the year end, JAFZA each year. We prepare the file and answer the auditor, and the dates zone by zone are in audit requirements in the UAE.
Does a dormant or holding company need bookkeeping?
Yes. With no income the company still owes its yearly return, and the return rests on books: our guide to who pays corporate tax in the UAE explains the rule. We keep such a company on the smallest package.
Do you run payroll as well?
Yes. We set up the Wage Protection System for your company in 2 to 5 days and then run each month: payroll in the UAE.
Get a quote for your UAE company
Book a 30-minute call about your company
Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist
- We email you the Google Meet link.
- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
Also for a company in the UAE
Company formation in the UAE
Free zone from $7,000, mainland from $8,000, offshore from $3,000
OpenCorporate tax registration in the UAE
Registration within 3 months, the 0% and 9% rates and the yearly return
OpenVAT registration in the UAE
Thresholds of AED 375,000 and AED 187,500, quarterly returns
OpenPayroll in the UAE
Salaries through the Wage Protection System, gratuity and payslips
OpenAll services for a company in the UAE Outsourced accounting services
Guides to a company in the UAE
All guides to a company in the UAE
Updated 13 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
