Four taxes, one set of records
Corporate Tax, VAT, excise where it applies, and the transfer pricing rules inside Corporate Tax. All federal, all identical in every emirate — and all reading from the same ledger.
Four UAE taxes touch an ordinary business: Corporate Tax, VAT, excise where the goods are in scope, and the transfer pricing rules that sit inside Corporate Tax. All four are federal and identical in every emirate — what changes with location is licensing, not tax.
We handle registration, computation, filing and the records behind each of them, and represent you if the Authority asks questions.
0% and 9%, registration regardless of profit, a nine-month deadline and three elections worth modelling.
Registration, returns reconciled to the ledger, input tax review, reverse charge and voluntary disclosures.
No registration threshold, monthly returns by the 15th, excise price and designated zones.
Arm's length pricing, disclosure forms, Master and Local File, and connected-person remuneration.
The conditions behind the 0% rate, monitored monthly rather than discovered at year end.
Correspondence handled, exposure identified before you respond, assessments checked before acceptance.
The recurring tax calendar
| Tax | Return frequency | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate Tax | Annual | Within 9 months of the end of the tax period — payment due the same day |
| VAT | Quarterly or monthly | 28th of the month following the tax period |
| Excise Tax | Monthly | 15th of the following month |
| Transfer pricing disclosure | Annual | Filed with the Corporate Tax return where conditions are met |
The full picture, including the non-tax deadlines that interact with it, is set out in the compliance calendar.
Reviewed 18 August 2026 by Ahmed Nabil Selim. UAE tax rates, thresholds and deadlines change — confirm the position for your period before relying on it.
UAE tax — frequently asked questions
Corporate Tax at 0% up to AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above; VAT at 5% once taxable supplies exceed the AED 375,000 registration threshold; excise tax where the business imports, produces or stockpiles excise goods, with no threshold at all; and the transfer pricing rules within Corporate Tax where there are related-party transactions. There is no personal income tax on employment income, and no employer payroll tax for expatriate staff.
No. Corporate Tax, VAT and excise are federal, so the rates, thresholds, rules and deadlines are identical across all seven emirates and every free zone. What differs by location is licensing — the authority, conditions, renewal requirements and whether an audit is required — and, for free zone entities specifically, whether the 0% Corporate Tax rate on qualifying income is available as a Qualifying Free Zone Person.
The voluntary disclosure mechanism exists for correcting errors in returns and refund applications, and correcting an error before the Authority identifies it is materially better than the alternative. There are conditions and deadlines that shape how and when a disclosure should be made, and the sequence in which registrations, returns and disclosures are filed genuinely affects the outcome — so take advice before filing one rather than after.
Behind on a filing, or unsure where you stand?
Tell us which taxes you are registered for and what has been filed. We will tell you what is outstanding and what it takes to regularise it.
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