Value Added Tax (VAT) Advisory and Support Services in Dubai
Operating within the UAE Value Added Tax regime requires businesses across the UAE, the wider GCC, and South Asia to maintain precise transaction records and apply correct tax treatments. From managing cross-border supplies and free zone movements to handling complex input VAT recoveries, commercial entities must align their daily accounting with statutory directives to remain compliant.
We provide structural advisory and technical assistance across all aspects of UAE VAT management. Whether your business requires a thorough review of historical filings, technical support during a Federal Tax Authority audit, or guidance on escalating a disputed assessment, our team prepares the technical documentation and financial analysis your commercial operations rely on.
What we do in this area
VAT health check
We conduct comprehensive reviews of your historic VAT filings, general ledgers, and tax invoices. Our team identifies calculation errors, improper tax treatments, and missing documentation to reduce non-compliance risks before official regulatory authority audits occur.
VAT transaction advisory
We evaluate the tax implications of specific commercial contracts, corporate restructurings, and cross-border transactions. Our advisors determine correct zero-rating, exemption, or standard-rate applications, so your agreements reflect the correct tax treatment under UAE rules.
FTA VAT audit support
We assist your management team throughout official tax audits conducted by the Federal Tax Authority. Our consultants organise requested transaction records, reconcile submitted returns against general ledgers, and manage operational technical correspondence with regulatory officers.
Reconsideration & penalty waiver support
We prepare formal technical applications challenging administrative penalties or tax assessment decisions. Our team reviews the grounds for dispute, compiles supporting evidence, and submits detailed reconsideration files through the official regulatory portal on your behalf.
TDRC filings
We support businesses escalating unresolved tax disputes to the Tax Disputes Resolution Committee. Our consultants prepare legal arguments, reconcile financial files, and compile formal objection dossiers required for review by the committee.
Tax agency services
We prepare and manage your communications and submissions to the Federal Tax Authority. Our team handles routine inquiries, prepares formal clarification requests, and manages your ongoing administrative interactions with regulatory authorities.
VAT compliance & return filing
We assist businesses in compiling, verifying, and submitting regular VAT returns. Our team reconciles input and output tax accounts, checks supporting invoice compliance, and prepares accurate return summaries, supporting timely filing through official portals.
Full pageVAT refund assistance
We support registered businesses in identifying eligible excess input tax and preparing formal refund applications. Our consultants gather supporting invoices, construct verifiable transaction trails, and assist in responding to authority verification queries.
Full pageVoluntary disclosures
We assist companies in correcting errors found in previously submitted VAT returns. Our team quantifies calculation mismatches, prepares necessary technical documentation, and files formal voluntary disclosure forms to regularise historic tax reporting.
Full pageVAT registration & deregistration
We assist entities in evaluating mandatory or voluntary registration requirements, preparing application files, and managing the process when threshold criteria are met or when a business ceases taxable activities and requires deregistration.
Full page
VAT health check
Over time, minor operational oversights in invoice formatting, improper input tax claims, or incorrect supply classifications can compound into significant financial exposure. A VAT health check is a proactive review of a company's historical accounting records, tax returns, and operational procedures. Businesses typically undertake a health check when preparing for a financial year-end, undergoing corporate restructuring, or when anticipating an official tax audit.
We conduct a structured analysis of your sales and purchase ledgers, testing sample transactions against statutory invoice requirements. Our team verifies whether zero-rated and exempt supplies have been categorised correctly and checks if input tax was claimed on blocked expenses.
KSB delivers a detailed health check report outlining identified compliance gaps, quantifying potential exposure, and recommending corrective measures, such as filing voluntary disclosures, to align your systems with regulatory standards before formal inspections.
VAT transaction advisory
Complex commercial deals, international trade flows, and multi-party corporate arrangements often present ambiguous VAT considerations. Improperly applying tax rules can result in unexpected liabilities, double taxation, or commercial disputes between contracting parties. Businesses require transaction advisory when launching new product lines, entering cross-border supply agreements, or executing real estate transfers.
We analyse the specific contractual terms, physical movement of goods, and flow of services associated with your proposed deal. Our advisors determine the tax treatment required, whether standard-rated, zero-rated, exempt, or out of scope.
KSB delivers a formal technical opinion detailing the correct VAT application, explaining invoicing requirements, and recommending specific contractual clauses. This analysis provides management with clarity, so tax obligations are factored accurately into pricing models and commercial negotiations.
FTA VAT audit support
When the Federal Tax Authority notifies a business of an upcoming tax audit, management must present organised, verifiable documentation within strict timelines. Regulators examine accounting software records, tax invoices, bank statements, and shipping documents to confirm that reported returns match operational reality. Companies need professional support to manage the high volume of information requested and to avoid misunderstandings during the review.
We assist businesses through every stage of an audit. Our team reviews the notification scope, reconciles submitted returns against your general ledger, and identifies potential discrepancies in advance. We organise transaction samples, prepare clear reconciliation files, and draft formal responses to technical queries raised by audit officers.
KSB acts as your administrative and technical liaison throughout the audit process, so your documentation is presented clearly, logically, and in alignment with your accounting records.
Reconsideration & penalty waiver support
If a business receives an administrative penalty or a tax assessment decision with which it disagrees, it has the right to file a formal request for reconsideration. Disagreements often arise from clerical errors, technical system delays, or misinterpretations of submitted evidence. Companies require reconsideration support to draft structured technical arguments setting out why a decision or penalty should be reviewed.
We evaluate the grounds for your dispute by examining the original assessment notice, underlying transaction data, and relevant tax provisions. Our team compiles a comprehensive dossier containing a formal legal narrative written in Arabic, reconciled financial schedules, and supporting commercial evidence.
KSB submits the complete application through the official e-Services portal and tracks its progress, helping your business present a well-documented case to the authority.
TDRC filings
If a reconsideration request is rejected or only partially accepted, businesses may escalate the dispute to the Tax Disputes Resolution Committee. Escalating to the committee involves a formal procedure separate from the initial authority review, requiring adherence to statutory deadlines and settlement of the disputed tax and penalties before submission. Companies require this support when significant assessments remain unresolved and independent committee review is needed.
We assist management in preparing the formal objection dossier. Our consultants review the previous reconsideration outcome, identify legal or factual errors in the authority's position, and build a technical argument.
KSB prepares the financial reconciliations, structures the supporting evidence file, and manages the documentation submission required for the committee to examine your case.
Tax agency services
Managing ongoing correspondence, technical clarification requests, and official filings with tax authorities demands specialised technical knowledge and consistent administrative oversight. Businesses often require a single point of responsibility for their formal interactions with regulatory bodies, so responses are handled professionally and within prescribed deadlines.
We prepare and manage your official tax communications. Our team prepares formal requests for clarification on ambiguous tax treatments, handles routine administrative inquiries, and manages submissions on official portals.
KSB presents your corporate position accurately during technical discussions, reducing the risk of administrative lapses and maintaining a clear, professional dialogue with regulatory authorities.
Frequently asked questions
When is a business required to register for VAT in the UAE?
A business must register for VAT if its taxable supplies and imports exceed the mandatory registration threshold of AED 375,000 in the previous 12 months or are expected to exceed it in the next 30 days. Companies may register voluntarily if their taxable supplies or expenses exceed the voluntary threshold of AED 187,500.
What happens if a business identifies an error in a previously submitted VAT return?
If a business discovers an error that resulted in an underpayment or overpayment of tax, it may be required to submit a Voluntary Disclosure. The requirement depends on the net tax impact of the error. We assist in quantifying the variance, compiling supporting files, and preparing the submission.
Can input VAT be recovered on all commercial business expenses?
No. Input VAT cannot be recovered on certain expenses, such as entertainment services provided to non-employees, personal vehicle uses, or specific employee benefits, unless explicit statutory conditions are met. We review your purchase ledgers during health checks so non-recoverable input tax is properly excluded.
What is the deadline for filing an FTA reconsideration request?
A formal reconsideration request must be submitted through the official portal within the statutory timeframe following notification of the decision or penalty. We help compile the required Arabic legal narrative and supporting financial evidence to meet these submission windows.
What is the role of the Tax Disputes Resolution Committee (TDRC)?
The TDRC is an independent committee that reviews disputes between taxpayers and the authority after a reconsideration request has been decided. To file an objection with the TDRC, the business must have received a reconsideration decision and settled the disputed tax and penalties. We prepare the necessary objection documentation for this process.