Quick Answer
The cost of a UAE corporate tax return is not one fixed government filing fee. It normally has two separate parts: the professional fee for preparing and submitting the return, and any corporate tax payable to the Federal Tax Authority, or FTA. BCL Globiz currently advertises corporate tax services from AED 500 per year. The final professional fee can rise when bookkeeping needs correction, transactions are complex, multiple entities are involved, or transfer pricing and supporting schedules are required. Corporate tax itself is generally 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% on taxable income above that threshold, subject to the applicable UAE Corporate Tax rules.
What Does the Cost of a UAE Tax Return Include?
For most businesses, the price is determined by the work needed to turn accounting records into a complete and defensible corporate tax return. A basic engagement may include reviewing the trial balance, identifying tax adjustments, calculating taxable income, preparing the return, and supporting submission through EmaraTax.
A fuller engagement may also include accounting clean-up, reconciliation of bank and related-party balances, fixed asset and depreciation reviews, assessment of exempt income, interest deduction checks, loss schedules, Small Business Relief analysis, Free Zone status analysis, and transfer pricing disclosures.
Typical Cost Components
| Cost component | What it covers | What affects the price |
| Return preparation and filing | Tax computation, return preparation, review, and filing support | Business size, record quality, and number of adjustments |
| Accounting or bookkeeping clean-up | Correcting incomplete ledgers and reconciling balances | Volume of records and length of backlog |
| Transfer pricing support | Related-party analysis, disclosure form, benchmarking, or documentation | Transaction values, counterparties, and documentation thresholds |
| Special tax analysis | Free Zone, exempt income, reliefs, losses, or restructuring issues | Complexity and level of technical review |
| Corporate tax payable | Amount paid to the FTA based on taxable income | Taxable income, reliefs, and applicable tax status |
How Much Does BCL Globiz Charge?
BCL Globiz lists corporate tax services from AED 500 per year on its Corporate Tax Services Dubai page. Its broader compliance pricing also shows a Corporate Tax Compliance package at AED 400 per month plus 5% VAT at the time of writing. That monthly package includes accounting and bookkeeping, corporate tax advisory, annual tax computation, and return preparation and filing support. A one-time backlog accounting package is listed at AED 2,500 plus 5% VAT for FY 2025 and includes full-year backlog bookkeeping, reconciliations, corporate tax computation, and return filing.
These figures illustrate why the answer depends on scope. A filing-only service for clean records is different from a year-round compliance package or a clean-up project. Businesses should request a written scope that identifies the entity covered, tax period, bookkeeping assumptions, number of revisions, filing support, and any exclusions.
Is There an FTA Fee for Filing a Corporate Tax Return?
The amount quoted by a tax adviser is a professional service fee. It should not be confused with the corporate tax liability due to the FTA. The tax return reports the taxable person’s position and calculates any tax payable. A business can therefore have a filing cost even when its final corporate tax liability is nil.
For a standard taxable person, taxable income up to AED 375,000 is generally subject to 0%, while taxable income above AED 375,000 is generally subject to 9%. Different rules can apply to Qualifying Free Zone Persons, exempt persons, multinational enterprise groups subject to the UAE Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax, and other specific cases.
Example of Professional Fees Versus Tax Payable
Assume a UAE company has AED 575,000 of taxable income after all permitted adjustments and does not qualify for a special relief or regime. The first AED 375,000 is taxed at 0%, and the remaining AED 200,000 is taxed at 9%. The corporate tax payable would be AED 18,000. The professional fee charged for preparing and filing the return is separate and is added to the business’s compliance cost.
What Factors Increase the Tax Return Filing Cost?
- Incomplete or unreconciled accounting records that must be corrected before the tax computation can be prepared.
- A high volume of transactions, several bank accounts, foreign currency activity, or multiple branches.
- Related-party and connected-person transactions that require transfer pricing review or disclosure.
- Free Zone operations requiring an assessment of Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions and qualifying income.
- Complex adjustments involving interest expenditure, entertainment expenses, exempt income, unrealised gains or losses, tax losses, or group relief.
- Late registration, missed filing periods, voluntary disclosures, or responses to FTA queries.
- Need for audited financial statements or additional schedules under applicable rules.
Which UAE Corporate Tax Rules Affect the Return?
Filing Deadline
A taxable person generally must file its corporate tax return and pay any corporate tax due within nine months from the end of the relevant tax period. For example, a business with a tax period ending on 31 December would generally have a filing and payment deadline of 30 September of the following year, unless a specific FTA decision changes the deadline.
Record Keeping
Taxable persons should retain records and documents that support the information in the return for at least seven years following the end of the relevant tax period. Good records reduce preparation time and allow the adviser to support tax adjustments if the FTA asks questions.
One Return Per Tax Period
Corporate tax is generally reported for each tax period through EmaraTax. A tax group files through its representative parent company. UAE branches are generally treated as part of the same taxable person as their UAE head office rather than as separate taxable persons.
Small Business Relief
Eligible resident persons may elect for Small Business Relief where the statutory conditions are met. Revenue must not exceed AED 3 million for the relevant tax period and previous tax periods, and the relief is available only for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2026 under the current rules. A business that elects for the relief still has compliance responsibilities, including filing its return on time.
How Can a Business Keep Tax Return Costs Under Control?
- Close the books monthly and reconcile bank, receivable, payable, payroll, and related-party balances.
- Use a clear chart of accounts that separates potentially non-deductible and exempt items.
- Maintain invoices, contracts, loan documents, fixed asset records, and ownership information in an organised file.
- Identify related parties and connected persons early, rather than at the filing deadline.
- Ask for a fixed written scope and confirm whether bookkeeping, computation, return filing, and post-filing support are included.
- Start the review well before the nine-month deadline so issues can be resolved without urgent clean-up work.
Why Use BCL Globiz for UAE Tax Return Filing?
BCL Globiz supports UAE businesses with corporate tax registration, accounting review, tax computations, return preparation, filing, transfer pricing, and ongoing compliance. Its published pricing provides a useful starting point, but the appropriate scope should be confirmed after reviewing the company’s records and tax profile. Businesses can review BCL Globiz corporate tax services or compare corporate tax pricing options before requesting a tailored quotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a UAE corporate tax return?
BCL Globiz advertises corporate tax services from AED 500 per year. The final fee depends on record quality, business complexity, required tax analysis, and whether accounting or transfer pricing work is needed.
Is the filing fee the same as corporate tax payable?
No. The filing fee pays the adviser for compliance work. Corporate tax payable is the amount due to the FTA based on taxable income and the applicable rules.
Does a company with no tax payable still need to file?
A registered taxable person generally must file its return even if no corporate tax is payable, unless a specific exemption or other rule applies.
When is the UAE corporate tax return due?
The general deadline is nine months after the end of the tax period, with payment due by the same deadline.
Can filing cost more if the books are incomplete?
Yes. Unreconciled or missing records usually require bookkeeping clean-up before a reliable tax computation and return can be prepared.
Is VAT included in a tax adviser’s quoted price?
Not always. BCL pricing pages identify 5% VAT in addition to certain published package prices, so businesses should check whether VAT is included in any quotation.
Final Answer
The cost of a tax return in the UAE depends mainly on the professional work required, not on a single standard filing price. BCL Globiz lists corporate tax services from AED 500 per year, while broader ongoing compliance and backlog packages cost more because they include additional accounting and advisory work. Any corporate tax payable to the FTA is separate. To compare quotations accurately, businesses should check the scope, confirm whether the records are filing-ready, and identify any Free Zone, relief, group, or transfer pricing issues before work begins.
