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Insights · 2 November 2026

Choosing an accountant in the UAE: 12 questions to ask before you sign

Comparing accounting firms in the UAE? Twelve questions that show what a quote really covers — scope, limits, the audit, data ownership, extra fees and handover — with our own answers.

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Quick answers

What should I ask an accountant in the UAE before signing?
What the fee includes and excludes, the transaction volume it covers, whether VAT and Corporate Tax returns are included, who owns the accounting data, whether the audit is independent, and how handover from your current accountant works.
Who signs a UAE company's financial statements?
The company's management approves and signs its own financial statements. The accountant prepares them, and an independent auditor audits them where an audit is required.
Who should own my accounting data?
Your company. Keeping the books in your own cloud accounting system, with your own log-in, means the data stays with you if you change accountant.

Two quotes with the same headline price can cover very different work. These are the questions business owners ask us most often when comparing firms — worth putting to any accountant before you sign, together with our own answers.

Scope and price

  1. What exactly is included in the fee? Ask for the scope in writing, service by service. Ours: fixed fees by package, with each package's scope set out on our packages page.
  2. What transaction volume does the fee cover? Ours: bookkeeping tiers cover up to 40, 120 or 350 transactions a month; volumes above a plan's limit move to the next tier from the following quarter.
  3. Are VAT registration, VAT returns and the Corporate Tax return included? Ours: they are priced separately, or combined in an All-in-One package; registrations are charged separately — Corporate Tax registration AED 199* and VAT registration AED 499*.
  4. Is the free zone 0% review included? Ours: our free zone 0% claim — the QFZP analysis, added to any Corporate Tax package for AED 3,000* a year — covers the qualifying-income analysis, the de minimis test, the substance review and coordination of the audited financial statements.
  5. What is charged on top? Ours: government and FTA fees at cost; add-ons such as catch-up bookkeeping (from AED 299* per month of backlog), IFRS financial statements (from AED 1,999*) and the transfer-pricing disclosure form (from AED 1,499*) are listed on our packages page.
  6. How is work outside the scope handled? Ours: it is quoted as a fixed fee before it starts. There are no hourly charges for work within your plan.

How we help: Monthly bookkeeping — clean, audit-ready books every month.

Responsibility and independence

  1. Who signs the financial statements? The company's management approves and signs its own financial statements; the accountant prepares them. Ours: we prepare them from your records for management's approval.
  2. Is the audit carried out independently, and is it in the price? Ours: the statutory audit is carried out by an independent audit firm and charged separately; we prepare audit-ready accounts and coordinate with the auditor.
  3. Who deals with FTA questions? Ours: FTA clarifications and correspondence are available from AED 999* per matter, and we support clients with voluntary disclosures and penalty reconsideration where needed.

Data, handover and working together

  1. Who owns the accounting data and the software? Ours: the books are kept in your own cloud accounting system, so you keep your own log-in and your data stays with you. Software subscriptions are billed by the provider and are not included in our fees.
  2. How will you take over from my current accountant? Expect to be asked for the latest accounts, the returns already filed and access to the EmaraTax account. Ours: we start with a review of the records and the account, so the handover begins from facts. See checking your EmaraTax position.
  3. What do you need from me each month, and can it all be done remotely? Ours: bank statements (or a live bank feed), sales invoices and purchase bills, shared through our client portal, with meetings on Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

Reading the answers

A clear answer in writing to each question is usually a better guide than the headline price. If a quote does not say what happens above a volume limit, who owns the data or what is charged on top, ask before you sign.

See what monthly bookkeeping includes, or ask us for a fixed-fee proposal.

Disclaimer: This article is provided for general information and knowledge purposes only, based on the legislation and official guidance as at 2 November 2026. It does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice, and should not be relied on as such. Rules and deadlines may change; please seek advice on your specific circumstances before acting. Get in touch for advice on your own 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.