The UAE corporate tax return is a formal legal document filed through EmaraTax within nine months of the financial year end. It is not a simple income summary — it requires a structured reconciliation of accounting profit to taxable income, completion of the transfer pricing disclosure form for any business with related-party transactions, supporting schedules for QFZP qualifying income claims or Small Business Relief elections, and attachment of audited financial statements for businesses above AED 50 million in revenue or claiming QFZP status. Filing inaccurately — even without intent — creates a FTA liability from the date of filing. Filing late creates a penalty of AED 500 per month for the first twelve months, rising to AED 1,000 per month thereafter. Unpaid corporate tax accrues at 14% per annum from the due date. Risians prepares and files UAE corporate tax returns for mainland and free zone businesses as an FTA-registered tax agent — with full reconciliation, documented adjustments, and client review before every submission.
Every registered taxable person in the UAE must file an annual corporate tax return — regardless of whether any tax is owed, whether the business made a profit or a loss, whether it had any activity, or whether it elected Small Business Relief. The obligation to file is unconditional. A business with zero taxable income still files. A business that has not yet generated its first dirham of revenue still files once registered.
The deadline is nine months from the end of the relevant financial year. For a 31 December year-end, that is 30 September. Filing late carries a penalty of AED 500 per month for the first twelve months, rising to AED 1,000 per month from month thirteen onwards. Unpaid corporate tax accrues at 14% per annum from the payment due date. Both penalties run simultaneously when tax is owed and the return is filed late.
The return itself is more demanding than a simple income summary. It requires a structured reconciliation of accounting profit to taxable income, completion of supporting schedules including the transfer pricing disclosure form, and financial statement attachment for businesses above AED 50 million in revenue or claiming QFZP status. First-year elections that cannot be undone must be identified and made in the return itself. Getting it right — not just filed on time — is what protects the business in the event of an FTA audit.
Risians Accounting & Tax Consultancy prepares and files UAE corporate tax returns for mainland and free zone businesses as an FTA-registered tax agent, before every deadline, with full client review before every submission.
Corporate tax return filing with Risians is not a data entry service. It is a structured compliance engagement that begins with the accounting profit and ends with a filed return supported by documentation that stands up to FTA scrutiny. Every return we prepare includes the full accounting profit to taxable income reconciliation with documented legal basis for each adjustment; transfer pricing disclosures; QFZP or SBR schedules where applicable; identification of any available elections; and a client review meeting before submission. The additional time this takes compared to a basic filing service is the difference between a return that is accurate and one that creates an FTA liability on the first audit.
An FTA audit of a corporate tax return begins with the reconciliation from accounting profit to taxable income — examining whether every add-back and deduction is correctly calculated and supported by the legal basis stated in the UAE Corporate Tax Law or the relevant Ministerial Decision or FTA Public Clarification. A return filed without documented legal basis for each adjustment is a return that cannot be defended if the FTA challenges a position. A return that claims the participation exemption on dividends without documenting the shareholding and holding period conditions is a return that risks disallowance of the exemption in full. A return that applies the QFZP 0% rate without a completed qualifying income schedule and audited financial statements is a QFZP claim that the FTA will reject. Risians builds every return on the assumption that it will be reviewed by an FTA auditor — because eventually, for every business, it will be.
The return begins with net profit from the financial statements and works through every adjustment — non-deductible expenses added back, exempt income deducted, reliefs applied, and elections made — to arrive at taxable income. This reconciliation is the primary document an FTA auditor examines and the foundation of the entire return.
Mandatory for any business with related-party or connected-person transactions. Discloses the nature, value, and pricing methodology of all intercompany transactions. Completing it incorrectly or failing to complete it when required is a standalone violation. Businesses with volumes above AED 40 million must also maintain a Local File available to the FTA within 30 days of request.
The realization basis election for capital gains and the transitional relief for pre-CT assets can only be elected in the first return. Missing them is permanent. Risians identifies all available first-year elections during the pre-filing review and advises on each.
Free zone entities claiming 0% on qualifying income complete additional schedules classifying income as qualifying or non-qualifying and calculating the de minimis non-qualifying revenue position. These must be consistent with audited financial statements and substance documentation.
The SBR election is made within the return. Risians confirms eligibility, documents the revenue position, and advises on whether making the election is in the business’s long-term financial interest — including its impact on loss carry-forward rights.
Mandatory for businesses with annual revenue above AED 50 million and for all QFZP-claiming entities. Risians provides audit services as a DMCC-approved auditor — ensuring the audit report and the corporate tax return are fully consistent, filed in the same engagement, and without the coordination risk of using separate firms.
Financial Year End | Return and Payment Deadline |
31 December | 30 September |
31 March | 31 December |
30 June | 31 March |
30 September | 30 June |
Returns and payment are due within nine months of the financial year end. For a 31 December year-end: 30 September. For a 31 March year-end: 31 December. Even businesses with no tax liability must file — the obligation to file is independent of the obligation to pay.
Certain elections in the UAE corporate tax law can only be made in the first return — including the realization basis election for capital gains and transitional relief for pre-CT assets. Once the first return is filed without these elections, they cannot be applied retrospectively. For businesses with significant pre-CT asset values or capital gains exposure, missing these elections is a permanent and potentially material financial cost.
Audited financial statements are mandatory for businesses with annual revenue exceeding AED 50 million, and for all entities claiming Qualifying Free Zone Person status and the 0% rate. For other businesses, financial statements must be prepared and maintained but do not need to be independently audited unless required by free zone authorities or banking arrangements.
Yes. As an FTA-registered tax agent, Risians accesses EmaraTax on your behalf, prepares the complete return including all supporting schedules, files before the deadline, and manages all FTA correspondence and representation in any post-filing queries or audits.
If your current corporate tax return has been prepared without a full accounting profit to taxable income reconciliation, without documented transfer pricing disclosure, or without a review of available elections — your return may be creating FTA exposure that has not yet been identified. Contact Risians to discuss taking over your corporate tax return preparation. We will review your most recent return, identify any positions that carry risk, and prepare your next return to the standard required to withstand FTA scrutiny — filed before the nine-month deadline, with full client review before every submission.
An FTA-certified accounting, auditing & tax advisory firm based in Downtown Dubai, serving businesses across the UAE.
