Audit Readiness and Compliance Support in Dubai

Where Dubai company records usually go wrong

Dubai-specific document checks

Dubai businesses deal with several bodies at once: the licensing authority, the Federal Tax Authority, MOHRE for labour matters, and banks. Create a compliance calendar for the licence renewal date, the VAT return dates, and the corporate tax return deadline. Include employee visa and contract renewals.

Store the current trade licence, tenancy contract and Ejari details, shareholder documents and bank mandates in one controlled folder. These are asked for on nearly every bank review.

Track the expiry date of each document on a sheet, with the person responsible and a reminder set well before the date.

Payroll and end-of-service records

For staff, keep contracts, salary slips and WPS files submitted through MOHRE. Calculate gratuity at 21 days per year for the first five years and 30 days per year thereafter. This applies to employees with at least one year of service. Accrue it monthly so the liability is not a surprise.

Reconcile payroll to the ledger every month. Differences usually come from leave pay, deductions or staff who left but remain on the list.

Final settlements for leavers should be calculated from the contract, approved and paid through a documented process, with the calculation kept on file.

The three records should tell the same story. Compare VAT output tax to sales, input tax to purchases, and corporate tax profit to the accounts adjusted for non-deductible items. Keep each reconciliation with the filing, since tax records must be retained for at least five years.

Records that should be on file

• Trade licence, memorandum and ownership documents
• Trial balance with closing adjustments
• Bank reconciliations for every account at year-end
• Receivables and payables ageing with supporting statements
• Fixed asset register with purchase invoices
• VAT returns reconciled to revenue and expense ledgers

Our scope, stated plainly