Compliance, Tax & Accounting

Service · 02 of 05 / Risk & Financial Control

Compliance, Tax & Accounting

Risk protection. Clean financial control.

The UAE’s 2023 Corporate Tax regime turned every operator’s books into a regulatory artefact overnight. Add VAT, AML, ESR and UBO obligations, IFRS-grade reporting expectations from banks and investors, and increasingly granular FTA scrutiny — and bookkeeping has been replaced by financial intelligence as a board-level discipline. We close the gap: clean books, defensible filings, and the strategic interpretation that turns numbers into decisions.

Corporate Tax 47/2022 · VAT · IFRS · AML 20/2018 · ESR · UBO · QFZP

Get compliant All Services

What We Cover

Sub-specialties of Compliance, Tax & Accounting.

Each handled by a senior partner with the regulatory and commercial fluency the engagement demands.

AML / CFT Compliance

Risk assessments, policies, KYC frameworks, sanctions screening and AML training for DNFBPs, brokers, dealers and traders.

Corporate Tax Registration & Filing

TRN registration, group structuring, QFZP assessment, return preparation and FTA correspondence.

VAT Registration & Filing

Voluntary & mandatory registration, quarterly returns, voluntary disclosures and FTA audit representation.

Bookkeeping

Outsourced day-to-day accounting on cloud-based platforms — reconciled, audit-ready, and tied to monthly management reports.

IFRS Financial Reporting

IFRS-compliant management accounts and audit pack for DMCC, ADGM, DIFC, JAFZA and Mainland filings.

Economic Substance (ESR)

Annual notifications, ESR reports, exemption claims and gap-analysis to avoid AED 50,000+ penalties.

Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO)

UBO register filings, annual maintenance and group-structure mapping for compliance with Cabinet Resolution 58/2020.

Audit Support

External auditor liaison, audit-pack preparation and audit-completion management with Big-4 and tier-2 firms.

Payroll & WPS

Monthly payroll processing, Wage Protection System submission, end-of-service calculations and gratuity tracking.

CFO Advisory

Fractional CFO services — budgets, forecasts, board packs, scenario modelling, fundraising and investor-pack preparation.

Who We Serve

Engagements accepted only where we can deliver genuine impact.

SMEs & Growth-Stage

Lean teams without an in-house finance leader. Outsourced accounting, FTA filings, payroll and a quarterly board pack.

Free Zone Operators

Qualifying Free Zone Person assessments, audit support and FTA defence on the new 0%/9% regime.

Family Offices

Multi-entity consolidation, transfer-pricing across cross-border structures and discreet UBO maintenance.

PE / VC-Backed

IFRS-grade financials, KPI dashboards, fundraising support and investor / lender reporting cadence.

What We Deliver

Tangible outputs — scoped, fixed-fee, defensible.

Every engagement starts with a written scope. We work to fixed fees wherever possible, tied to deliverables — not billable hours.

Get compliant

AML / CFT policy, risk assessment and STR framework
Corporate Tax registration (TRN) and annual return
Quarterly VAT returns and voluntary disclosures
IFRS management accounts (monthly) and audit pack (annual)
ESR notifications, ESR reports and exemption claims
UBO register filing and annual maintenance
Monthly payroll processing and WPS submission
Fractional CFO: budgets, forecasts, board pack, fundraising

Why TruWise

Built for this work — not bolted on as a side practice.

FTA-Defensible

Every position taken is documented to the standard required to defend it in front of an FTA inspector or external auditor.

Free-Zone Specialists

Deep familiarity with QFZP rules, substance requirements and the carve-outs that materially change tax outcomes.

Audit-Liaison Ready

We work with the Big-4 and tier-2 auditors regularly — audit completion becomes weeks, not months.

Strategic, Not Just Compliant

Books that close on time, but also numbers that drive pricing, hiring, M&A and capital decisions.

Frequently Asked

Questions clients ask before the first conversation.

Does my Free Zone company really pay 0% Corporate Tax?

Only if it qualifies as a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) — which requires audited financials, adequate substance, qualifying income and de-minimis non-qualifying income within thresholds. Many Free Zone entities won’t qualify even if they expect to. We assess each entity against the QFZP tests and document the position before filing.

When do I need to register for Corporate Tax?

Almost every UAE-licensed entity is required to register, regardless of profitability. Registration deadlines were rolled out by month-of-incorporation on a published schedule. Late registration carries an AED 10,000 penalty plus knock-on consequences. If you’re unsure of your status, we run a same-week assessment.

My business is a real-estate brokerage — what AML obligations do I have?

Real-estate brokers are designated DNFBPs under UAE AML law and must register with the goAML portal, conduct customer due diligence, screen against sanctions lists, file STRs and maintain a written AML/CFT compliance programme. We typically deliver a policy, training and a quarterly review cadence within 30 days.

Do I need to file an ESR report?

Most UAE-licensed entities had to assess ESR exposure. Recent amendments narrowed the regime, but for relevant activities (banking, insurance, IP, holding company, fund management, lease-finance, headquarters, distribution & service centre, shipping) the obligation continues. We file the notifications and reports — and where you qualify for exemption, document it properly.

Do I really need an audit?

Many Free Zones (DMCC, JAFZA, ADGM, DIFC) require audited accounts. For Corporate Tax purposes, audited financials are increasingly the practical standard for any meaningful operation. For QFZP status, audit is mandatory. We can prepare your books to audit-ready quality and manage the auditor relationship.

What does CFO Advisory actually include?

A fractional CFO from us typically delivers: monthly board pack with KPIs, rolling 13-week cash flow, annual budget and quarterly re-forecast, financial-model maintenance, fundraising / investor support, and treasury & banking optimisation. Engagement is sized to your needs.