Bookkeeping
Structured monthly bookkeeping that creates clean records and audit-ready financials across every jurisdiction you operate in.
Why structured bookkeeping matters.
Messy books quietly slow a business down. Decisions get made on stale numbers. The cash position becomes a guess. Tax time turns into a scramble that costs more than doing it properly would have.
The FTA does not only look at what you filed. It looks at whether you can evidence it. Corporate Tax records have to be kept for 7 years after the end of the relevant tax period, VAT records for 5. Failing to keep proper records carries AED 10,000 for a first offence, and AED 20,000 if it happens again within 24 months.
Most queries start with a number that does not agree with another number. When sales per your VAT returns and sales per your P&L differ by more than 5 percent, that gap gets noticed. Round-figure expense entries with no invoice behind them get noticed. So does a director drawing an amount that makes no sense next to the profit.
Cleaning up later always costs more than running it properly from the start. A backlog has to be rebuilt from bank statements and memory, usually under deadline pressure, and the reconstruction is never as defensible as a record made at the time.
We treat bookkeeping as a continuous discipline, not paperwork. Every transaction recorded, categorised and reconciled on a fixed monthly schedule. When you ask a question about your numbers, the answer is already there.
What the rules actually require.
Record keeping in the UAE is specific about duration and about evidence. These are the thresholds that decide how much documentation your business has to carry.
| Corporate Tax record retention | 7 years after the end of the relevant tax period |
|---|---|
| VAT record retention | 5 years |
| Failure to keep proper records | AED 10,000 for a first offence, AED 20,000 if repeated within 24 months |
| Audited financial statements | Required once revenue exceeds AED 50 million |
| Related party transactions schedule | Required once related party transactions exceed AED 40 million in a tax period |
| Small Business Relief | Revenue at or below AED 3 million per tax period, currently running until 31 December 2026. You still register and still file |
| VAT sales against P&L sales | A variance above 5 percent is the kind of gap that draws a query |
What is included every month.
Everything goes through review before it reaches you.
- Reconciled bank and credit card accounts
- Categorised transactions across revenue, expenses and intercompany
- Accounts receivable and payable tracking
- Monthly closing entries
- IFRS-aligned financial statements
- Revenue reconciled between the VAT returns and the P&L
- Supporting documents matched to entries, not filed loose
- Clear summary of what changed and why
- Backup documentation organised and stored for the full retention period
How we run it.
Take stock of what exists
Where the books stand today, how far back the gaps go, and which periods are already filed. If there is a backlog we quantify it before we quote it, because a backlog is the one thing that changes every timeline after it.
Clean up or rebuild
We continue existing books where they are salvageable and rebuild where fixing would take longer than starting again. Two to four weeks for most businesses. Longer where several years need reconstructing.
Run the monthly cycle
Transactions categorised, accounts reconciled, closing entries posted, statements produced. Revenue is checked against the VAT position in the same pass, so the two never drift apart unnoticed.
Keep it defensible
Every entry carries its supporting document, stored for the 7 years Corporate Tax requires. If a query ever arrives, the answer is retrieval rather than reconstruction.
Across four jurisdictions.
One set of books per entity, one method across all of them. UAE as the anchor, with US LLCs, UK LTDs and Hong Kong Limited Companies kept on the same chart of accounts and the same monthly rhythm. Consolidation becomes a report you run, not a project you start.
Common questions.
How long do you have to keep accounting records in the UAE?
Corporate Tax records must be kept for 7 years after the end of the relevant tax period. VAT records must be kept for 5 years. That covers financial records, supporting documents, invoices, contracts and the filings themselves.
What is the penalty for not keeping proper records?
AED 10,000 for a first offence. If the same violation happens again within 24 months it rises to AED 20,000. The penalty applies to the record keeping itself, separately from anything owed on the return.
Does Small Business Relief mean we can skip the bookkeeping?
No. Relief is available to resident businesses with revenue at or below AED 3 million per tax period and currently runs until 31 December 2026, but you still register for Corporate Tax and still file a return. You also have to elect it, it is not applied automatically.
Do you take over existing books or start from scratch?
Both. We can clean up and continue existing books, or set up a new system if yours has reached the point where rebuilding is faster than fixing.
Which accounting software do you use?
We work with QuickBooks, Xero and Zoho Books. If you already have a platform set up, we adapt to it.
How fast can you get our books current?
For most clients, two to four weeks from onboarding. Longer if there is significant historical clean-up.
What if we need someone in our office occasionally?
We can meet at our Dubai office or visit yours when needed. Most work runs remotely with clear monthly check-ins.
