Fees and steps checked on
Accounting in Dubai has no single price list. Bookkeeping is published at AED 400 to AED 1,500 a month. Corporate tax registration is published at AED 299 to AED 1,500 and VAT registration at AED 199 to AED 2,500, from 3 setup agencies each. External audit has no market range, because too few sources publish a price. This page shows which prices are public, so you know what to expect before you ask for quotes.
All ranges below come from prices that firms and free zones put on their own websites, checked in . They are not a survey of the whole market and they change.
Published ranges at a glance
| Service | What is published | Detail page |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping | AED 400 to AED 1,500 a month | Bookkeeping cost |
| Corporate tax registration | AED 299 to AED 1,500 from 3 setup agencies | Corporate tax registration cost |
| VAT registration | AED 199 to AED 2,500 from 3 setup agencies | VAT registration cost |
| External audit | No range. Prices are published by too few sources | Audit cost |
| Company liquidation | AED 5,000 to AED 15,550 from 2 setup agencies | Liquidation audit and closure |
The liquidation range covers packages that may bundle an audit, tax deregistration, visa and licence cancellation. Read what each package contains before you compare it with anything else.
What sets the price
Firms price on the work, not on a menu. These are the things that move a quote most.
- Number of transactions. Bookkeeping is often counted by bank lines, invoices and bills per month. More lines, higher fee.
- Which filings are included. A monthly fee for entries only is a different product from one that includes VAT returns and the corporate tax return.
- Licence and activity. Mainland, free zone and branch companies have different filing and audit duties.
- State of your records. Catching up missed months costs more than keeping up with the current month.
- Software. Some firms work in your system, some insist on theirs. Ask who pays for the licence.
- Reporting. Monthly management accounts, budgets and board packs are extra to basic bookkeeping.
Where a published price is a promotion
Several of the lowest figures are promotional. In the registration data, one agency's lowest VAT figure and one agency's lowest corporate tax figure are promo prices, and at least one provider includes corporate tax registration in a monthly plan. A low headline price is a reason to ask what is left out, not proof of a cheaper service.
Which accounting services have no public price?
Audit is the clear case. Only one firm and one free zone publish a starting audit price that we found, so any "average audit fee" you see elsewhere is not backed by a market sample here. See audit cost for what we can say and what drives that fee. Advisory work such as transfer pricing, valuation and due diligence is quoted per job, and we do not show a range for it.
Government fees are a separate thing
Registering with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) for corporate tax is free when you do it yourself on EmaraTax. What you pay an agency for is the preparation and the follow-up, not a government fee.
Source: Federal Tax Authority, corporate tax registration service page, checked .
How to compare quotes
Ask each firm for the same four things in writing: the services included, the volume limit, what is billed extra, and the notice period to leave. Then compare. If you do not know what you need yet, start with accounting services in Dubai to see what firms offer, and then use the quote form below. The form sends your request to firms that match, and you decide who to talk to.
A note on VAT on the fee
Some published prices are shown before VAT. Ask whether the figure includes VAT, since it changes the total you pay.
