Blog: taxes and accounting in the UAE
How UAE rules actually work in practice: rates and deadlines, penalties for paperwork, bank documents and free zone conditions. Updated as the legislation changes.
Client abroad, so no VAT? Not always
When a service to a foreign client is zero-rated and when it carries 5%: place of supply, the three export conditions, the traps and the reverse charge.
Read →No TRN, no tax invoice: issuing a compliant UAE invoice
How to issue a UAE tax invoice that will be accepted: mandatory fields, the simplified form under AED 10,000, VAT-inclusive pricing, advances and currency.
Read →Incorporation is one-off. What does the company cost every year?
What a UAE company costs each year after incorporation: licence renewal, desk, visas, insurance, banking, accounting and audit. Three budgets, real figures.
Read →Compliance calendar: every UAE deadline on one page
Every deadline a UAE company has, on one page: corporate tax, VAT, payroll and WPS, e-invoicing, licence renewal and beneficial ownership updates.
Read →Audit for licence renewal: who must, and what to prepare
Audited accounts in the UAE: when a free zone asks for them at licence renewal, the AED 50m corporate tax threshold, QFZP audits and deadlines.
Read →goAML: four sectors where fines start at AED 50,000
goAML registration in the UAE: which businesses count as DNFBPs, their obligations, fines from AED 50,000 and what AML law No. 10 of 2025 changed.
Read →A PDF is no longer an invoice: what changes by 2027
Mandatory e-invoicing in the UAE: the 2026–2027 rollout, who joins on 1 January, why an accredited provider is compulsory and the PINT AE format.
Read →AED 10,000 for silence: every FTA penalty and how to remove it
Every FTA penalty in 2026: AED 10,000 for late registration, AED 500 a month for a return, 14% a year on unpaid tax and three ways to cancel them.
Read →Wages due by the 1st: what happens on day five
New UAE payroll rules from 1 June 2026: wages due by the 1st, the 15-day grace period gone, day-by-day sanctions and who is exempt from WPS.
Read →0% or 9%: who actually pays tax in the UAE
UAE corporate tax explained: 0% up to AED 375,000 of profit and 9% above it, who must register, return deadlines, Small Business Relief and FTA penalties.
Read →Seven reasons a UAE bank will say no to your account
Opening a corporate account in the UAE: digital vs traditional banks, minimum balance, the document pack, realistic timelines and why banks say no.
Read →Free zone or mainland: where the costly mistake hides
Setting up in the UAE: free zone vs mainland, what the first year really costs, timelines, documents, the bank account and life after the licence.
Read →VAT at 5%: when registration becomes mandatory
UAE VAT: the 5% rate, the AED 375,000 registration threshold, quarterly return deadlines and the new penalty regime from 14 April 2026.
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