EX-BIG 4 Β· UAE

Big 4 standards.
Boutique attention.

First month on us.

Top-rated Chartered Accountants in Dubai β€” bookkeeping, tax & company setup by ex-Big 4 professionals.

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PHOTO PLACEHOLDER

Arsalaan Shaikh, FCA

Managing Partner Β· Ex-EY

Fellow ICAI Β· LLB Mumbai Β· Masters in Accounting

OUR STORY

Big 4 standards shouldn't be a Big 4 luxury.

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.
SA

Shoeb Afaq

Executive Director Β· HiTHIUM Energy Storage

China cross-border client

MILESTONES

2021

Founded in Dubai by ex-EY team

100+

Clients in first 24 months

500+

UAE businesses served today

100M+

AED saved in tax & restructuring

WHAT WE DO

An entire finance function —
without an entire finance team.

From bookkeeping to Corporate Tax to M&A advisory, we run the full finance department for over 500 UAE businesses.

01    FIRST MONTH FREE β˜… FLAGSHIP

Bookkeeping & Accounting

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.

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🎁 Start Free Month →
02    TAX & REGULATORY

UAE Corporate Tax

CT registration, annual filing, transfer pricing & GFZP analyses.

Estimate Your CT →
03    TAX & REGULATORY

VAT & Indirect Tax

VAT registration, return filing, FTA audit defence & voluntary disclosure.

VAT Health Check →
04    ASSURANCE

Audit & Assurance

Statutory audit, internal audit & agreed-upon procedures by ICAI/ACCA qualified auditors.

Request an Audit →
05    ADVISORY

Company Setup & Structuring

Mainland, free zone or offshore β€” with optimal holding structure and visa quotas.

Compare Structures →
06    ADVISORY

CFO Services & M&A

Virtual CFO, financial modelling, due diligence & transaction advisory for growth-stage businesses.

Talk to a CFO →
06     FOR FAMILY OFFICES & MULTINATIONALS PREMIUM TIER

Strategic Advisory & M&A

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.

Virtual CFO M&A Due Diligence Restructuring Fundraise Prep Exit Planning
By application · partner-led engagements Speak To A Partner →

+ 12 MORE SERVICES

Don't see what you need?

Payroll, ESR, UBO, transfer pricing, backlog clearance, and more β€” we likely cover it.

View All Services →

Test-drive us for 31 days.
Decide on day 32.

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.

1

Fill the form

Tell us your business type, size & current accounting software.

2

We onboard you

Our team sets up your books and runs Month 1 β€” zero cost to you.

3

You decide on Day 32

If you love it, we continue. If not, we hand back everything β€” no invoice.

Claim your free month

βœ“ No credit card    βœ“ Cancel anytime    βœ“ IFRS-clean books guaranteed

WHY FOUNDERS SWITCH TO US

The old way isn't working.
Here's what we changed.

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.

OUR PROPRIETARY METHODOLOGY

The Shaikh Formulaβ„’

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.

TRANSPARENT PRICING

Fixed monthly fees.
No surprise invoices.

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

999

Up to 50 transactions/month Β· billed monthly

WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • Monthly bookkeeping (up to 50 transactions)
  • VAT filing (quarterly)
  • Annual financial statements
  • Cloud accounting setup (Zoho or QB)
  • WhatsApp support (4hr response)
  • First month free
Start Free Month →

No card. No contract.

β˜… MOST POPULAR

TIER 02 Β· FOR ESTABLISHED SMEs

From AED /month

2,500

Up to 500 transactions/month Β· billed monthly

EVERYTHING IN STARTUP, PLUS

  • Monthly KPI dashboard & insights
  • Audit-ready financial statements
  • Tax & VAT health-check (quarterly)
  • Corporate Tax filing & registration
  • Direct partner access (not juniors)
  • ESR & UBO compliance management
  • Cloud accounting (Zoho, QB, Xero, Tally)
🎁 Start Free Month →

No card. No contract. Cancel.

TIER 03 Β· FOR MULTINATIONALS

From

Custom

Quoted per scope Β· partner-led engagement

EVERYTHING IN GROWTH, PLUS

  • Unlimited transactions, multi-entity
  • Multi-currency consolidation
  • Virtual CFO services included
  • Quarterly board-ready reports
  • Transfer pricing documentation
  • Dedicated partner relationship
  • M&A, due diligence, fundraise (add-on)
Speak To A Partner →

By application only.

No setup fees Cancel anytime Switch tiers as you grow Your data is always yours

Need a custom mix? Talk to a partner →

Real founders.
Real outcomes.

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.

SAAS
"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."
SN

Suniel Nair

Founder Β· Intellisoft Software LLC

CONSULTING
"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."
SA

Shoeb Afaq

Founder Β· Emirati Consulting

FEATURED
MOBILITY
"Their Corporate Tax structuring saved us an AED 380K in our first filing year. The QFZQ analysis they did was more thorough than what we got from our previous Big 4 advisors β€” at half the cost."
AP

Aakash Panicker

Director Β· ZFZO

15+
Bank Partners
500+
Founders Advised
27
Countries Served
2500+
Activities Searchable
2B+
AED Books Managed
4hr
Avg Response Time
100%
FTA Compliance
4
Big 4 Firms

Authorized Partner Network

Our Services

Comprehensive financial solutions tailored for your business growth

Compliance & Accounting

Bookkeeping & Accounting

Complete monthly bookkeeping with IFRS-compliant statements. Flagship service with 1-month free trial.

Learn More
Compliance & Accounting

Backlog Clearance & Books Reconstruction

Clean up messy historical records and reconstruct books from incomplete data.

Learn More
Compliance & Accounting

Management Accounts & MIS Reporting

Monthly management packs with KPIs, cash flow forecasts and board reports.

Learn More
Compliance & Accounting

Year-End Financial Statements

Statutory year-end accounts prepared under IFRS for compliance and filing.

Learn More
Tax & Regulatory

UAE Corporate Tax Registration & Filing

End-to-end UAE corporate tax services from registration to annual filing.

Learn More
Tax & Regulatory

VAT Registration & Return Filing

Complete VAT services including registration, monthly/quarterly filings and refunds.

Learn More

Check Your Eligibility in 60 Seconds

Find out how much loan you can get for your business instantly

Check Eligibility Now

Banking & Finance Solutions

Specialized services for growing businesses

Simple steps. No surprises.

From your first message to your first management report β€” here's exactly what to expect.

0
Day 0

Discovery Call

A 30-minute conversation with a partner. We listen first, learn your business, and understand your pain points. Zero sales pressure.

0
Day 1-2

Tailored Proposal

Within 48 hours, receive a written proposal with three pricing tiers, clear deliverables, and exact timelines. Fixed-fee. Never hourly.

0
Day 3

Free Trial Activation

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 Card
0
Days 4-30

Onboarding Sprint

Your dedicated partner and senior accountant migrate your books, set up the compliance calendar, and deliver your first month's reports.

0
Day 31+

Steady State

Monthly accounts by the 10th, quarterly reviews, proactive tax planning, and unlimited WhatsApp support β€” included.

Start Your Free Month β€” No Credit Card Needed

30-day free trial for bookkeeping services. Cancel anytime.

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Know your numbers before you commit.

Free, instant calculators built by our tax team β€” no signup, no email gate. See your liability, plan your structure.

VAT Calculator

  • Add or remove 5% VAT on any amount
  • Reverse charge calculation for imports
  • Designated zone scenarios
Calculate VAT

UAE Corporate Tax Calculator

  • 9% liability above AED 375,000 threshold
  • QFZP (Qualifying Free Zone Person) toggle
  • Small business relief assessment
  • Tax group impact estimator
Estimate Your CT

Free Zone vs Mainland Comparator

  • Setup costs comparison
  • Annual compliance costs
  • Visa quota implications
  • Banking ease score
Compare Now

Need a Custom Forecast?

Get a personalized Virtual CFO consultation with detailed financial projections tailored to your business.

Get a Custom Forecast
0 +

Bank Partners

0 +

Founders Advised

0

Countries Served

0 +

Activities Searchable

0 B+

AED Books Managed

0 hr

Avg Response Time

0 %

FTA Compliance

0

Big 4 Firms

Trusted by founders who hold us to the highest standard.

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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

Why founders, family offices & boards choose Shaikh Associates.

Big-4 standards without the Big-4 overhead. Boutique attention without the boutique limitations.

Trained at Deloitte, PwC, EY & KPMG

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.

CAs and qualified lawyers under one roof

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.

Fixed-fee engagements. Never hourly.

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.

Average response time: under 2 hours

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.

Cloud-native, paperless, secure

Certified across Zoho, QuickBooks, Xero, Tally, and SAP. Encrypted document portals. Real-time dashboards. Your finance function runs on modern tech, not email attachments.

Try before you commit. 30 days, free.

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 Required

Questions founders ask us most.

Direct answers from our partners β€” no fluff, no jargon.

Latest Insights

Expert advice on banking, finance, and compliance

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UAE Tax Calendar 2026: Every Deadline Founders Must Know

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Complete comparison of Mainland vs Free Zone company setup in UAE 2026. Costs, activities, banking, ...

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Learn before you decide.

Free guides, calculators, and explainers β€” written by our partners. Use them with us, or with anyone.

PDF Guide 32 pages

UAE Corporate Tax Guide 2026

Registration deadlines, 9% rate mechanics, QFZP rules, transfer pricing, group taxation, common mistakes.

Download Free Guide
Checklist Printable + Web

VAT Compliance Checklist

TRN registration, invoice requirements, return filing deadlines, common errors, voluntary disclosure guidance.

Get the Checklist
Interactive Web Tool

Free Zone Comparison Tool

DMCC vs IFZA vs RAKEZ vs JAFZA β€” costs, activities, banking, visa quotas. Side-by-side comparison.

Compare Free Zones
Article 2,500 words

Bookkeeping Best Practices for UAE SMEs

Chart of accounts setup, monthly close discipline, FTA-ready documentation, software recommendations.

Read Article
Workbook 18 pages

Pre-Audit Readiness Workbook

Documentation prep, GL review, year-end adjustments, common audit findings, templates included.

Download Workbook
Video + Article Guide

Hiring Your First Accountant β€” Founder's Guide

Outsourced vs in-house, key qualifications to look for, red flags, sample interview questions.

Watch & Read

Want personalized guidance instead of self-study?

Book a free 30-minute consultation

Get your custom quote in PDF format β€” instantly.

Tell us about your business in 90 seconds. We'll generate a tailored proposal you can save, share, or compare.

1
2
3

Step 1: About You

Ready to Get Started?

Book a free 30-minute consultation with our experts. No obligations, just clear guidance for your business.

30-min consultation No credit card required ICAI/ACCA certified advisors

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