Mainland companies
VAT and corporate tax, from one set of books
Taxable income up to AED 375,000 is taxed at 0% and anything above at 9%. The same closed books feed both returns.
Services · Bookkeeping · UAE
Accounting and bookkeeping services in Dubai, with books ready for VAT and corporate tax.
Excello's accounting and bookkeeping services in Dubai and across the UAE keep your books current, close them every month within five business days, and prepare year-end financial statements to IFRS.
Your books should tell you exactly where your business stands, month by month, and they stay inside your own QuickBooks, Xero or Odoo.
- UAE
- Year-end to IFRS
- Books audit-ready
- Mainland and free zone
- Closed within five business days
What are accounting and bookkeeping services in the UAE?
Why the books matter now
Accounting and bookkeeping services in the UAE are the recording, reconciling and reporting of a company's money: every transaction in the ledger, each account agreed to its statement, VAT coded as it happens and a set of financial statements at the end.
Corporate tax, for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023, raised the stakes. The tax is worked out from financial statements prepared under IFRS, the records behind them are kept for at least seven years, and some companies need them audited.
So bookkeeping services in the UAE now carry legal weight. Books that are closed monthly make the VAT return, the corporate tax return and any audit a matter of reading the numbers, not rebuilding them.
What UAE law expects of your books, and how Excello keeps them
The rules
| Area | The rule | With Excello |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting standard | IFRS, or IFRS for SMEs when revenue is AED 50 million or less | Year-end financial statements prepared to IFRS or IFRS for SMEs |
| Cash or accrual | Cash basis allowed only up to AED 3 million of revenue, or with the FTA's approval | Books kept on accrual or cash, your choice within the rule |
| Keeping records | Corporate tax records kept for at least seven years after the tax period | Every transaction and its receipt kept in your own ledger |
| Audited statements | Required above AED 50 million of revenue and for every Qualifying Free Zone Person | Books kept audit-ready, month by month |
| VAT | Registration above AED 375,000 of taxable supplies; returns within 28 days of each period | VAT coded on every transaction; returns prepared and quoted individually |
| eInvoicing | Business-to-business invoices through an accredited provider: from 1 January 2027 at AED 50 million of revenue or more, 1 July 2027 for everyone else | Every invoice you issue recorded and matched to its payment |
Source: UAE Ministry of Finance, Ministerial Decisions 114 of 2023 and 84 of 2025; Federal Tax Authority, record retention notice (28 August 2025); Ministerial Decisions 244 of 2025 and 66 of 2026 on eInvoicing. Checked 22 September 2026.
What bookkeeping services in Dubai from Excello include
Full scope
Bank, card and sales activity is recorded and matched daily. Accountants review it every week, or every business day on the Growth and Scale plans, and close the books monthly.
| What Excello does | When |
|---|---|
| Every transaction recorded and categorized | Software daily; accountants every week, or every business day on Growth and Scale |
| Bank, card and payment gateway accounts reconciled | Every month, at the close |
| VAT coded on every sale and purchase, with tax invoices kept | As transactions are recorded |
| Month-end close with balance sheet, profit and loss and cash flow statement | Within five business days |
| Books in dirhams, or any base currency you choose | Foreign-currency transactions converted as they are recorded |
| UAE and overseas companies closed together, consolidated on request | Every month |
| Year-end financial statements to IFRS or IFRS for SMEs | From the closed books, after the year end |
| VAT returns and corporate tax | Prepared from the reconciled books, quoted individually |
The full monthly service is described on the outsourced bookkeeping page, and tax work on the UAE tax page.
Mainland, free zone and companies with a foot abroad
Every set-up
Free zone companies
Audit-ready every month
A Qualifying Free Zone Person must keep audited statements, so the books are kept ready for audit all year, not just in the last month.
A company abroad too
UAE and US or UK, together
A UAE company with a US LLC or a UK company is closed alongside it each month, and the group is consolidated into one currency on request.
More on groups in multi-entity accounting, and on currencies in multi-currency accounting. Selling online? See ecommerce accounting in the UAE.
Choosing accounting services in Dubai
Five questions
What accounting and bookkeeping services cost
Set up within one week
Frequently asked questions
How much do accounting and bookkeeping services cost in Dubai?
Excello's bookkeeping plans start at $150 a month, set by your monthly transactions and how often you want the books reviewed. VAT returns and corporate tax are quoted individually, before work starts.
Do UAE companies have to use IFRS?
For corporate tax, yes. Ministerial Decision 114 of 2023 requires financial statements prepared under IFRS, and a business with revenue of AED 50 million or less may use IFRS for SMEs instead.
Who needs audited financial statements in the UAE?
A business with revenue above AED 50 million must prepare and keep audited financial statements, and so must every Qualifying Free Zone Person. The rule applies to tax periods starting on or after 1 January 2025, and Excello keeps the books ready for that audit all year.
How long must UAE businesses keep accounting records?
For corporate tax, at least seven years after the end of the tax period the records relate to. They should support every figure in the return, so they belong in the books, not in an inbox.
Can a UAE company keep its books on a cash basis?
Only a business with revenue of AED 3 million or less, or one the Federal Tax Authority approves in exceptional circumstances. Everyone else prepares accrual accounts. Excello keeps books on either basis, within that rule.
Which accounting software do you use for UAE clients?
Your own QuickBooks, Xero or Odoo, so the books stay yours. Other software, such as Zoho Books, is discussed case by case on a call, and a business still on spreadsheets can be set up on one of the three, quoted separately.
Can Excello keep the books for a free zone company?
Yes. Free zone and mainland companies are kept the same way, closed monthly and ready for audit. A free zone company that wants the 0% rate also needs its Qualifying Free Zone Person status reviewed, which is on the UAE tax page.