Corporate Tax return cost in the UAE: what drives the fee
What preparing a UAE Corporate Tax return costs, what changes the price — free zone status, the state of your books, related parties, the audit — and our published fixed fees.
Need this handled for your company? Tell us about your business and we'll send a fixed-fee proposal within one business day.
Request a proposalQuick answers
- How much does a Corporate Tax return cost to prepare in the UAE?
- Our published fees, for companies with revenue up to AED 3 million, follow the monthly transactions: AED 999* per tax year (Starter, up to 40 a month), AED 1,499* (Growth, up to 120) and AED 1,999* (Premium, up to 350). A free zone company claiming the 0% rate adds AED 3,000* for the qualifying-income analysis. Above AED 3 million revenue, or with any digital currency involvement, we prepare a custom quote.
- Does the FTA charge a fee for Corporate Tax registration?
- No. The FTA lists Corporate Tax registration on EmaraTax as free of charge.
- What makes a Corporate Tax return more expensive?
- A free zone 0% claim, books that are behind, related-party transactions that need a transfer-pricing disclosure, and an audit — which is carried out by an independent auditor and charged separately.
Every UAE company files a Corporate Tax return each year, including companies with a loss or no tax to pay. What the return costs to prepare depends less on the return form itself than on what sits behind it: the books, the free zone position and the company's dealings with related parties.
Government fees and the tax itself
The Federal Tax Authority does not charge to register for Corporate Tax — the FTA lists registration on EmaraTax as free of charge. The tax itself is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% above it, with a 0% rate on qualifying income for free zone companies that meet every condition. This article is about the cost of preparing and filing the return.
How we help: Corporate Tax returns — the annual return prepared and filed on time.
Our published fees
| Starter | AED 999* per tax year — up to 40 transactions a month |
| Growth | AED 1,499* per tax year — up to 120 transactions a month, with the related-party, interest and loss review |
| Premium | AED 1,999* per tax year — up to 350 transactions a month |
| Free zone 0% claim | + AED 3,000* per tax year on any package — the qualifying-income analysis for free zone companies seeking the 0% rate |
| Corporate Tax registration | AED 199*, one-off |
These are our published introductory fees at the date of this article, for companies with annual revenue up to AED 3 million. Above that, or where the company deals in digital currencies, we prepare a custom quote. Your fee is confirmed in a written proposal before any work starts.
What every return includes
- The taxable income computation from your accounts.
- Standard adjustments, such as entertainment, penalties and depreciation.
- The return filed on EmaraTax, with the tax payable and the payment deadline confirmed.
The Growth and Premium packages add a related-party and connected-person review, interest limitation and loss relief, and a transfer-pricing disclosure check.
What changes the price
| Free zone 0% claim | The qualifying and non-qualifying income analysis, the de minimis test and coordination of the audited financial statements |
| The state of the books | The return starts from financial statements prepared under accepted accounting standards. Catch-up bookkeeping is from AED 299* per month of backlog; audit-ready IFRS financial statements from AED 1,999* |
| Related parties | Where the thresholds are met, the transfer-pricing disclosure form is from AED 1,499* |
| The audit | Carried out by an independent auditor and charged separately. Audited financial statements are required for every company claiming the free zone 0% rate, and, for tax periods starting on or after 1 January 2025, for companies with revenue above AED 50 million |
The cost of filing late
The return and any tax are due nine months after the end of the tax period. Filing late costs AED 500 for each month or part of a month for the first 12 months, then AED 1,000 a month — even for a nil return. Late payment adds 14% a year on the unpaid tax, charged monthly. See the deadline calendar for your date.
Keeping the cost down
- Keep the books monthly, so the return is built on figures that are already reconciled. See what monthly bookkeeping costs.
- Free zone companies: decide early whether to claim 0%, and track qualifying income from the first entry. See the 0% conditions.
- Put intercompany and owner arrangements in writing before the year end.
For a fixed quote, see Corporate Tax returns or tell us about your company.
* Our fixed fees apply to businesses with annual revenue up to AED 3 million; above that, we prepare a custom quote. They do not apply to businesses dealing in digital currencies (crypto or other virtual assets), which are quoted separately.