Corporate Tax Questions & Answers.

Under the standard framework, corporate tax is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% on the amount above that band. See the FTA General Guide. Taxable income starts from accounting income and applies the relevant tax adjustments; it is not simply sales or money received in the bank. Revenue thresholds govern some different rules, including relief eligibility. Qualifying Free Zone Persons and groups within the domestic minimum top-up tax regime require a separate assessment before applying standard headline rates.

The general deadline is nine months after the end of the relevant tax period, for both filing the corporate tax return and paying the tax due. The FTA explains the filing and payment timetable. Work from the business's actual registered period rather than assuming every company uses the calendar year. Allow time to finalise accounts, calculate adjustments and approve the return. A nil liability or eligibility for Small Business Relief does not by itself remove the return requirement; keep the filing acknowledgement and payment evidence together.

The Ministry of Finance extended Small Business Relief to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029, retaining the AED 3 million revenue threshold. Read the August 2026 announcement. Eligibility requires more than checking the latest revenue figure: review the applicable conditions, exclusions and relevant history. Relief is an election to assess and document as part of the return. Keep the records supporting that assessment, and distinguish the revenue test from the taxable-income bands used in the standard corporate tax calculation.

For a natural person, the FTA's registration test refers to business turnover exceeding AED 1 million in a calendar year. Wages and qualifying personal investment and real-estate investment income are excluded under the applicable rules. See the FTA registration conditions. Identify the activities actually carried on and assess the relevant business turnover together, rather than treating each receipt or licence in isolation. This test applies to individuals; a separately incorporated company should assess its own registration obligations and cannot simply adopt the individual's turnover threshold.

Registration and calculation of tax are separate questions. We assess the legal person and applicable registration rules, then consider the tax calculation through the relevant filing work. A low profit, a loss or an expectation that relief may apply should not be used as the sole reason to ignore registration.

No. Corporate tax has its own registration and obligations. We review your existing EmaraTax profile to use the correct business record, but an existing VAT number does not replace the corporate tax application. Bring both tax certificates and any authority correspondence so we can check the account consistently.

A free-zone licence does not settle every corporate tax question. We review the entity's registration position separately from any potential qualifying free-zone treatment of income. The application should reflect the legal facts, and the business needs a separate assessment before relying on a particular rate or relief for its return.

Yes. We establish the relevant dates, check whether an application or penalty already exists and review the current rules for your circumstances. The proposal identifies registration work and any additional filing or penalty-related assessment. We do not promise a waiver without confirming that the conditions can actually be met.

Only if the agreed proposal expressly includes it. Registration prepares the taxpayer account; return filing requires financial records, tax calculations and management approval for a tax period. We can combine the work in one engagement, but the deliverables, document timetable and fee for each part remain clear.

Yes. We agree the accounts and schedules that the other accountant will provide, the date they are considered final and who answers queries. We then review the tax-relevant information within our scope. Bookkeeping corrections or missing schedules are identified separately so responsibilities remain clear between your team and both advisers.

Yes. Do not assume that no tax payable means no filing requirement. We review the registered entity, period and applicable obligations, then prepare the return where required. A supported loss position can also matter in later periods, so the underlying accounts and calculation should be retained with the completed filing record.

No. The FTA's filing guidance expressly includes persons eligible for Small Business Relief within the return requirement. We assess the election and supporting history as part of the work. Relief eligibility and a nil tax result should be documented; they do not replace the act of filing the applicable return. See FTA guidance.

No, unless a separate audit engagement is expressly agreed. Tax return preparation and an independent audit have different purposes and deliverables. We review whether audited statements are relevant to your situation and coordinate the timetable where needed, but do not describe a completed tax calculation as an audited financial statement.

Contact us with the current records and the registered due date. We assess what is missing and whether bookkeeping or year-end work must be completed first. We explain realistic preparation steps and responsibilities before accepting a timetable; we do not promise a reliable return from figures that cannot yet be supported.

Registration establishes the tax account. Implementation prepares the records, controls and responsibilities needed to support compliance throughout the year. A business can have a registration number while still lacking the information required for its return. We assess those gaps and agree practical changes rather than treating registration as the end of preparation.

Not necessarily. We first review the system and reporting arrangements already in use. Many issues can be addressed through better account structure, transaction descriptions, document routines or review controls. If a change or migration is warranted, we explain why and define it as part of the scope before implementation begins.

Yes. We agree which tasks your team will carry out and which Firswood will handle, then provide the specifications and review points needed. The project should leave your team able to operate the process. Responsibilities, training and follow-up testing are included only to the extent set out in the agreed proposal.

Only where the proposal says so. Implementation creates the process and records; preparing and filing a return requires a separate period-specific calculation and approval. We can coordinate both engagements, using the implementation work to support the first filing while keeping its fee, timetable and deliverables clear.

Yes. The review may identify ways to improve a process that has already produced a return, especially after growth, a system change or an adviser handover. We examine current controls and define improvements. Any suspected historical filing error is assessed separately rather than being concealed within a prospective implementation project.

Yes. Sharing a draft and the commercial objective early allows us to identify the tax questions before the arrangement is fixed. We review the proposed facts and explain relevant implications within the agreed scope. Contract drafting, legal advice and specialist valuation are distinct services and are not assumed to be part of a tax opinion.

No. The treatment depends on the law, the actual transactions and any conditions that must be maintained. We explain the supported position and its assumptions rather than promise an outcome from a label or licence. Advice should also consider recordkeeping and compliance consequences, not only the rate quoted in a proposal.

Yes. We assess the particular entity, activities, customers and income streams relevant to the question, using current requirements. A free-zone address alone does not establish the outcome. The scope identifies the analysis and evidence needed and distinguishes an initial advisory assessment from the ongoing monitoring and annual return work.

Yes, where the recurring needs can be defined clearly. We agree the matters covered, response arrangements and how work outside that scope is approved. A retainer may support regular business questions, but a major restructuring, dispute or detailed technical opinion may need a separately agreed project and fee.

Only if VAT is included in the scope. The same transaction can create questions under more than one tax, but the rules and reporting are different. Tell us which entities and transactions are involved so we can identify linked issues and propose coordinated advice without assuming that one tax conclusion answers them all.