Accounting for Abu Dhabi.
Federal tax, zero distance.
Accounting, VAT and Corporate Tax for Abu Dhabi businesses — government suppliers, ADGM entities and KIZAD industrials — run from our Dubai office since 2017. UAE tax is federal: the FTA, EmaraTax and the deadlines are identical in every emirate, so the work travels well; we come on site when the work needs hands.
We serve Abu Dhabi from our Dubai office — remote-first, on site when the work needs it. UAE tax is federal: the FTA, EmaraTax and every filing deadline are the same in all seven emirates.
Can a Dubai accounting firm handle VAT and Corporate Tax in Abu Dhabi?
Yes — because UAE tax is federal, VAT (5%, VAT201 due within 28 days of period end) and Corporate Tax (9% above AED 375,000, filed on EmaraTax within nine months of year-end) work identically in every emirate. Authentic Accounting has served Abu Dhabi businesses from its Dubai office since 2017 — remote-first, with on-site visits for stocktakes, fixed-asset tagging and audit-support fieldwork, and designated-zone VAT for KIZAD, Khalifa Port and the airport free zone.
How we serve Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi’s zones, and what they change.
Abu Dhabi’s free zones — KIZAD, Abu Dhabi Airport Free Zone and the Free Trade Zone of Khalifa Port among them, with ADGM as its financial free zone — carry real Corporate Tax consequences. The 0% Qualifying Free Zone Person rate demands qualifying income, substance and audited IFRS financial statements; miss a condition and 9% applies. We keep the books, transfer pricing discipline and audit-ready financials that QFZP status assumes.
VAT adds a second layer. Abu Dhabi’s industrial designated zones under Cabinet Decision 59 of 2017 (as amended) include the Free Trade Zone of Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi Airport Free Zone and KIZAD — zones where certain goods movements can fall outside the normal VAT rules, while goods consumed inside a zone are generally taxed (unless used to produce other goods there) and services follow the standard treatment regardless. ADGM is not a designated zone: normal VAT applies there. Getting each flow classified — and evidenced — is the work we do.
Abu Dhabi engagements, most often.
General guidance for businesses in Abu Dhabi; confirm tax specifics for your facts against the latest FTA / Ministry of Finance sources, or talk to us.
Working with us from Abu Dhabi, answered.
Do you have an office in Abu Dhabi?+
No — our one office is in Al Nahda 1, Dubai, and we have served Abu Dhabi businesses from it since 2017. UAE tax is federal: the FTA, EmaraTax, VAT and Corporate Tax are identical in every emirate, so filings, reviews and advisory run remotely without losing anything. Where the work is physical — stocktakes, fixed-asset verification and tagging, audit-support fieldwork, year-end closings — we travel to your site.
How does VAT work in KIZAD and the Khalifa Port free zone?+
The Free Trade Zone of Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi Airport Free Zone and KIZAD are designated zones under Cabinet Decision 59/2017 (as amended), so certain goods movements — into, within or between designated zones — can sit outside the normal 5% VAT treatment, while goods consumed inside a zone are generally taxed (unless used to produce other goods there). Services follow the standard rules regardless. Each flow needs classifying on its facts and evidencing — exactly the work our VAT engagements are built for.
Can you keep IFRS books for an ADGM holding company?+
Yes. ADGM entities — holding companies especially — need proper IFRS accounting records and — depending on size and ADGM’s audit-exemption criteria — audited financial statements, always where the 0% QFZP rate is claimed. ADGM itself is a financial free zone where normal VAT rules apply rather than a designated zone. We keep the ledger, prepare full IFRS financial statements with audit referencing in mind, and handle the Corporate Tax analysis behind the structure. Partner review before anything is signed off.
We supply government entities — when does e-invoicing apply?+
In phases. Businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more fall in scope from 1 January 2027, other businesses from 1 July 2027, and government entities themselves go live from 1 October 2027 — but the invoices YOU issue to them follow your own phase go-live, not theirs — relevant to Abu Dhabi’s government and semi-government supply chains. Readiness is mostly a data-quality exercise: TRNs, addresses and tax categories in your master data have to be right before an accredited service provider can transmit a compliant invoice.
Rules current as at August 2026 — general guidance, not tax advice.