UAE Tax Calendar 2026: Every Deadline Founders Must Know
Complete UAE tax deadline calendar for 2026. VAT, Corporate Tax, ESR, UBO dates with penalties. Down...
Read MoreFirst month on us.
Top-rated Chartered Accountants in Dubai β bookkeeping, Corporate Tax, VAT, audit & company setup bookkeeping, tax & company setup by ex-Big 4 professionals.
PHOTO PLACEHOLDER
Arsalaan Shaikh, FCA
Managing Partner Β· Ex-EY
Fellow ICAI Β· LLB Mumbai Β· Masters in Accounting
Shaikh Associates was founded in 2021 by professionals from EY's Advisory and Transactions practice β built around a frustration we'd all watched repeat for years.
Founders building serious businesses in the UAE were either paying Big 4 fees they couldn't sustain β or settling for accountants whose work they couldn't trust. Nothing in between.
We exist to close that gap. Same Big 4 methodology. Same review rigour. Same documentation discipline. Without the pyramid of associates and managers that doubles or triples the bill.
Today our team serves 500+ UAE businesses β from solo founders to multinational groups β with the same playbook that protects Fortune 500 companies.
WHAT FOUNDERS TELL US
Running an energy storage business across two continents, our books need to be bulletproof. Shaikh Associates built a system that scales as we grow β IFRS-clean, audit-ready, every quarter, no surprises.
Shoeb Afaq
Executive Director Β· HiTHIUM Energy Storage
MILESTONES
Founded in Dubai by ex-EY team
Clients in first 24 months
UAE businesses served today
AED saved in tax & restructuring
From bookkeeping to Corporate Tax to M&A advisory, we run the full finance department for over 500 UAE businesses.
Daily, weekly, monthly books β reconciled to the cent. IFRS-compliant statements, multi-currency, multi-entity. Cloud accounting on Zoho, QuickBooks, Xero, Tally or SAP.
CT registration, annual filing, transfer pricing & GFZP analyses.
Estimate Your CT →VAT registration, return filing, FTA audit defence & voluntary disclosure.
VAT Health Check →Statutory audit, internal audit & agreed-upon procedures by ICAI/ACCA qualified auditors.
Request an Audit →Mainland, free zone or offshore β with optimal holding structure and visa quotas.
Compare Structures →Virtual CFO, financial modelling, due diligence & transaction advisory for growth-stage businesses.
Talk to a CFO →Virtual CFO, M&A advisory, due diligence (buy-side & sell-side), group restructuring, fundraise readiness, and exit planning. The strategic layer that turns clean books into business decisions.
+ 12 MORE SERVICES
Payroll, ESR, UBO, transfer pricing, backlog clearance, and more β we likely cover it.
We'll run your first month of bookkeeping completely free β no credit card, no obligation. Your books will be clean, your team will be impressed, and the decision will be obvious.
Tell us your business type, size & current accounting software.
Our team sets up your books and runs Month 1 β zero cost to you.
If you love it, we continue. If not, we hand back everything β no invoice.
If you've worked with another UAE accounting firm, you'll recognise the left column. If you've worked with us, you'll recognise the right.
THE INDUSTRY DEFAULT
The Old Way
THE NEW STANDARD
The Shaikh Way
01 WHO HANDLES YOUR ACCOUNT
Junior associate, supervised maybe.
Partners are signing things they didn't read. You're paying senior fees for junior work.
01 WHO HANDLES YOUR ACCOUNT
A partner β start to finish.
A Big-4 trained Chartered Accountant stays on your account. No handoffs to juniors at month 3.
02 TRIAL PERIOD
12-month locked contract. Sign now, hope later.
No way to test the work before committing. Once you're locked, you're stuck.
02 TRIAL PERIOD
31 days free. Decide on day 32.
First month of bookkeeping on us β no card, no contract, no obligation. Test the actual work.
03 QUALITY OF BOOKS
"We'll fix it before the audit."
Three weeks of panic before year-end as everything gets reclassified, scrubbed, and rushed.
03 QUALITY OF BOOKS
IFRS-clean from day one.
Books are audit-ready every month, not just before the auditor arrives. No year-end surprises.
04 RESPONSE TIME
"Send a contact form. Wait 4 days."
Email replies stuck in someone's inbox while your tax deadline gets closer.
04 RESPONSE TIME
4-hour WhatsApp response.
Direct to a partner. Not a chatbot, not a junior, not a contact form. Real CA on your phone.
05 PRICING
Hourly billing. Surprise invoices.
Asked a quick question? AED 800. Year-end "extras"? AED 15,000 invoice you didn't see coming.
05 PRICING
Fixed monthly fee. No surprises.
One flat fee covers everything in your tier. Questions, calls, year-end β all included.
06 GEOGRAPHIC REACH
UAE-only. "Ask another firm for that."
When your business expands abroad, you start juggling 3 different accountants in 3 jurisdictions.
06 GEOGRAPHIC REACH
UAE + 27 countries.
Cross-border ops, transfer pricing, multi-entity consolidation β one team, one source of truth.
07 WHEN YOU GROW
"That's outside our scope."
Need M&A? Fundraising prep? Restructuring? Time to find another firm. And explain everything from scratch.
07 WHEN YOU GROW
M&A, fundraise, restructure β covered.
Strategic Advisory tier handles the big moves. Same team, same context, same standards.
Six pillars. One trusted finance partner. Every UAE business we serve runs on this.
Built from 12+ years of Big 4 experience and refined across 500+ UAE engagements, the Shaikh Formulaβ’ is how we systematically take a founder from messy books to investor-ready in months β not years.
Three tiers built for where you are today and where you're going tomorrow. First month always free β across every tier, no exceptions.
TIER 01 Β· FOR SOLO FOUNDERS
From AED /month
Up to 50 transactions/month Β· billed monthly
WHAT'S INCLUDED
No card. No contract.
TIER 02 Β· FOR ESTABLISHED SMEs
From AED /month
Up to 500 transactions/month Β· billed monthly
EVERYTHING IN STARTUP, PLUS
No card. No contract. Cancel.
TIER 03 Β· FOR MULTINATIONALS
From
Quoted per scope Β· partner-led engagement
EVERYTHING IN GROWTH, PLUS
By application only.
Need a custom mix? Talk to a partner →
Each name links to their verified LinkedIn profile. We don't fabricate quotes. The people below are real, the businesses are real, the results are real.
"I've worked with three accounting firms in seven years. Shaikh Associates is the first where the partner actually reads my reports before our calls. Their backlog clearance saved us during a critical FTA audit."
"Two years of backlog cleared in 38 days. When investors did due diligence on our Series A, they complimented us on how clean our books were. That's a direct result of Shaikh Associates' work."
Authorized Partner Network
Comprehensive financial solutions tailored for your business growth
Complete monthly bookkeeping with IFRS-compliant statements. Flagship service with 1-month free trial.
Learn MoreClean up messy historical records and reconstruct books from incomplete data.
Learn MoreMonthly management packs with KPIs, cash flow forecasts and board reports.
Learn MoreStatutory year-end accounts prepared under IFRS for compliance and filing.
Learn MoreEnd-to-end UAE corporate tax services from registration to annual filing.
Learn MoreComplete VAT services including registration, monthly/quarterly filings and refunds.
Learn MoreFind out how much loan you can get for your business instantly
Specialized services for growing businesses
Recurring bookkeeping, accounting & financial reporting
UAE Corporate Tax, VAT & regulatory compliance
Statutory audits, internal audits & forensic services
Virtual CFO, valuation & M&A advisory
Company formation, PRO services & ongoing support
Payroll processing, WPS compliance & labour advisory
From your first message to your first management report β here's exactly what to expect.
A 30-minute conversation with a partner. We listen first, learn your business, and understand your pain points. Zero sales pressure.
Within 48 hours, receive a written proposal with three pricing tiers, clear deliverables, and exact timelines. Fixed-fee. Never hourly.
For bookkeeping clients: 30 days free begin here. We onboard your data, set up cloud accounting, and run your first month β at no cost.
No Credit CardYour dedicated partner and senior accountant migrate your books, set up the compliance calendar, and deliver your first month's reports.
Monthly accounts by the 10th, quarterly reviews, proactive tax planning, and unlimited WhatsApp support β included.
30-day free trial for bookkeeping services. Cancel anytime.
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Free, instant calculators built by our tax team β no signup, no email gate. See your liability, plan your structure.
Get a personalized Virtual CFO consultation with detailed financial projections tailored to your business.
Get a Custom ForecastBank Partners
Founders Advised
Countries Served
Activities Searchable
AED Books Managed
Avg Response Time
FTA Compliance
Big 4 Firms
Real clients. Real outcomes. Real names.
"I've worked with three accounting firms in seven years. Shaikh Associates is the first where the partner actually reads my reports before our calls. Their backlog clearance saved us during a critical FTA audit."
CEO
Infocloud Computer Software LLC
"Two years of backlog cleared in 38 days. When investors did due diligence on our Series A, they complimented us on how clean our books were. That's a direct result of Shaikh Associates' work."
Founder
Staunch Consulting Solutions FZCO
"Their Corporate Tax structuring saved us AED 380K in our first filing year. The QFZP analysis they did was more thorough than what we got from our previous Big 4 advisors β at half the cost."
Managing Director
Avrio Mobility FZCO
"We started with their free month trial. By Day 21 we'd already moved off our previous bookkeeper. The reports were that much better. Six months in and we're recommending them to every founder we know."
Co-Founder
Sunna Energy LLC, Joule Cube Energy
"Managing 8 entities across Mainland Ajman and UAE was a nightmare with our old setup. Shaikh Associates restructured our group, set up consolidations, and our monthly close went from 21 days to 8."
CEO and Managing Director
Dupak manufacturing LLC
"Setup, VAT registration, CT registration, banking, and first 90 days of bookkeeping β all done in 12 working days. Their PRO team handled everything while I focused on launching."
Founder
Crescent Realty FZ-LLC
Big-4 standards without the Big-4 overhead. Boutique attention without the boutique limitations.
Every partner spent 5+ years at a Big 4 firm before founding Shaikh Associates. The methodology, review standards, and documentation rigour are identical β without the pyramid overhead that inflates Big 4 fees.
Tax structuring meets corporate law on every engagement. When your VAT case overlaps with a contractual dispute, we don't refer you out β we handle it in-house.
You'll know what you're paying upfront. No surprise invoices for "additional research" or "review time". Scope changes are discussed and agreed before any work happens.
WhatsApp, email, phone β we reply within 2 business hours, not 2 business days. Your dedicated partner gives you their direct number on Day 1.
Certified across Zoho, QuickBooks, Xero, Tally, and SAP. Encrypted document portals. Real-time dashboards. Your finance function runs on modern tech, not email attachments.
New bookkeeping clients get their first month entirely free β full books, management accounts, partner review. No credit card. No auto-billing. Decide on Day 31.
No Credit Card RequiredDirect answers from our partners β no fluff, no jargon.
Expert advice on banking, finance, and compliance
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Read MoreFree guides, calculators, and explainers β written by our partners. Use them with us, or with anyone.
Registration deadlines, 9% rate mechanics, QFZP rules, transfer pricing, group taxation, common mistakes.
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Watch & ReadWant personalized guidance instead of self-study?
Book a free 30-minute consultationTell us about your business in 90 seconds. We'll generate a tailored proposal you can save, share, or compare.
Book a free 30-minute consultation with our experts. No obligations, just clear guidance for your business.
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Complete UAE tax deadline calendar for 2026. VAT, Corporate Tax, ESR, UBO dates with penalties. Downloadable calendar included.