IT & technology industry
Accounting, VAT and Corporate Tax Services for UAE technology businesses
Software subscriptions, foreign hosting costs, contractor payments and recurring revenue all reconciled into one clear set of books, built for how UAE software companies and IT consultancies actually operate.
- 1,000+ UAE Businesses Served
- Transparent Upfront Pricing
How we account for your tech business
Revenue
Subscriptions · projects · licences
Reconciliation
Cloud costs · RCM VAT · bank
Accounting
Revenue · contractor costs · margin
Compliance
VAT · Corporate Tax
Awards
1000+
1000+ Active Clients
30+
Industries Served
94%
Client Renewal Rate
35+
Years of Experience
300+
Experts Globally
Understanding technology accounting
Technology accounting isn't ordinary accounting
Software and IT businesses buy and sell services that cross borders by default. Foreign subscriptions, remote contractors and recurring revenue each need a specific accounting and VAT treatment.
Reverse charge VAT
AWS, Google Cloud, Adobe and Microsoft 365 bills come from outside the UAE, and VAT still needs to be self-accounted under the reverse charge mechanism.
Remote contractors and developers
Payments to freelance developers and remote engineers need contract and rate evidence to stay deductible under Corporate Tax.
Recurring subscription revenue
Annual and monthly SaaS billing needs to be recognised across the period it covers, not booked as a lump sum on invoice date.
Multi-currency transactions
Client billing, cloud costs and contractor payments often sit in different currencies, complicating bank reconciliation.
VAT on digital services
Digital services sold to UAE and overseas clients can carry different VAT treatments depending on where the customer is based.
Project vs product margins
Custom development projects and product subscriptions have very different cost structures that need separate reporting.
Where the numbers get complicated
Eight systems, one set of books
Cloud infrastructure, contractors and client billing rarely sit in one place. Every source around this diagram is a point where your revenue and true cost can drift apart before they reach your books.
Client contract signed
Retainer · project · media budget
Service delivered
SaaS · project · support
Foreign cloud invoice
AWS · Google Cloud · Microsoft 365
Contractor invoiced
Remote developers · engineers
Your books
Reconciled monthly
Reverse charge VAT
Self-accounted on foreign invoices
Multi-currency reconciliation
Client billing · cloud costs
Bank account
Net funds received
VAT & Corporate Tax filed
Built from these records
Where it usually breaks: the highlighted sources above are where most technology businesses lose track, foreign cloud invoices arrive without UAE VAT charged on them, reverse charge VAT is missed entirely, and contractor payments go unrecorded against the right project.
✓
How BCL fixes it
We track every foreign supplier invoice, apply the reverse charge mechanism correctly and reconcile contractor costs to the project they relate to, so your VAT return and Corporate Tax filing are built on numbers that already tie out.
What's included
Our IT and technology accounting services
Six service pillars, built around how software revenue, cloud costs and contractor talent actually move through your business.
01
Technology bookkeeping & reconciliation
02
Cloud costs & reverse charge VAT
03
Contractor & freelance developer accounting
04
UAE VAT compliance
05
UAE Corporate Tax
06
Financial reporting
Built for your model
Accounting built around your technology model
Software companies, consultancies and freelance developers each create different accounting and VAT questions. We adjust the approach to the model, not the other way round.
Software development companies
Custom project billing, milestone revenue recognition and contractor cost tracking.
SaaS & subscription businesses
Recurring revenue recognised across the subscription period, with churn and renewal tracking.
IT consultancies
Time and materials billing, retainer contracts and multi-client margin reporting.
Freelance developers & engineers
Simplified bookkeeping, cross-border invoicing and VAT and Corporate Tax compliance for solo operators.
Managed service providers
Recurring support contracts, third-party licence costs and SLA-based billing.
Know your real numbers
Recognising revenue the way it's actually earned
A software business that books a full year’s subscription as revenue on invoice day looks profitable in month one and exposed for the rest of the year. Spreading revenue across the period it covers changes the picture.
Illustrative example, not actual client figures
Booked incorrectly
AED 120,000 annual subscription booked as revenue on the invoice date
AWS and Google Cloud invoices recorded without UAE VAT self-accounted
Contractor payments made without supporting contracts
Corporate Tax computed on a distorted, front-loaded profit figure
Booked correctly
Subscription revenue spread across the 12 months it covers
Reverse charge VAT self-accounted on every foreign cloud invoice
Contractor costs matched to contracts and the project they relate to
Corporate Tax computed on the period’s actual taxable profit
How it works
How BCL manages your technology accounting
01
Collect
We collect client invoices, cloud provider statements, contractor invoices and bank data.
02
Reconcile
We reconcile subscription revenue, cloud costs and contractor payments against bank transactions.
03
Record
We accurately record revenue, cloud infrastructure costs, contractor expenses and other overheads.
04
Comply
We handle applicable VAT, including reverse charge, and Corporate Tax requirements.
05
Report
You receive accurate financial statements and product or project-level management reports.
See it in practice
From subscription sale to accounting entry
This is what reverse charge VAT and subscription accounting actually look like for a single month, worked through step by step.
Illustrative example, not actual client figures
- Client pays a AED 1,000 annual subscription upfront
- Revenue of AED 833 recognised for the month
- AWS hosting invoice of AED 2,000 received with no UAE VAT charged
- Reverse charge VAT of AED 100 self-accounted on the AWS invoice
- Contractor invoice of AED 3,000 recorded against the product
BCL reconciles the month so your books reflect recognised revenue, the reverse charge VAT position and contractor costs correctly
Works with your stack
Platforms we reconcile with
Why UAE technology businesses choose BCL
One firm for accounting, VAT, tax and reporting
Technology accounting expertise
Accounting processes designed around subscriptions, cloud costs and remote contractors, not generic bookkeeping.
Reverse charge VAT handled correctly
Every foreign cloud and software invoice reviewed and self-accounted for under the reverse charge mechanism.
UAE VAT & Corporate Tax
Accounting and tax compliance handled together, by the same team that keeps your books.
Clear product and project reporting
Accurate profit and loss, recurring revenue and margin reports, by product and by client.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Reverse charge VAT applies when you buy services, such as AWS hosting, Google Workspace or Adobe subscriptions, from a supplier outside the UAE. You self-account for the VAT that would otherwise have been charged, and can generally recover it in the same return.
Yes. We review where your customers are based and apply the correct VAT treatment to digital services sold from the UAE, whether the customer is local or overseas.
Annual and multi-month subscriptions are recognised evenly across the period they cover, in line with IFRS 15, rather than as a single amount on the invoice date.
Yes. We record contractor payments against the relevant project, reconcile cross-border payments, and help you keep the contract and rate evidence the Federal Tax Authority expects to support deductibility.
Generally yes, if you are licensed in the UAE. Small Business Relief may apply where revenue stays under the relevant threshold. We assess your position and handle registration and filing either way.
We reconcile foreign currency invoices and cloud provider charges against your UAE bank accounts, applying the correct exchange rate treatment at each stage.
Yes. We maintain separate cost and revenue tracking for custom development projects and recurring product subscriptions, so margins are reported accurately for each.
Yes. We offer simplified bookkeeping, VAT and Corporate Tax compliance for solo freelance developers and engineers, alongside full services for software companies and IT consultancies.
We assess your qualifying income and activities against the Corporate Tax free zone rules and advise on registration and filing accordingly.
We work with Xero, QuickBooks, Zoho Books and similar cloud platforms, and can set one up if you’re not currently using any.
Monthly as standard, covering profit and loss, cash flow and recurring revenue metrics, with more frequent reporting available on request.
Looking for an accounting partner who understands technology billing?
From reverse charge VAT and cloud costs to contractor payments, revenue recognition and Corporate Tax, let our team handle the accounting behind your technology business.
