Statutory financial-statement audit
An independent annual audit for UAE limited liability companies, built around your financial year, records and reporting purpose. SAIF helps owners move from an open year-end ledger to a signed auditor’s report with a clear scope and timetable.
Start with the right obligation
Company law, Corporate tax and the intended recipient of the report are related—but they are not the same rule.
Article 27 of Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021 requires every limited liability company and joint stock company within its scope to have one or more auditors carry out an annual audit. Article 102 provides for annual appointment of an LLC auditor by the partners’ General Assembly.
The company should keep annual financial accounts and identify its actual financial year. A first year or a quiet year should not be treated as an automatic exemption.
For Tax Periods starting on or after 1 January 2025, Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 covers specified taxable persons, QFZPs and Tax Groups. Filing a Corporate tax return alone is not a universal audited-accounts trigger.
Annual appointment and audit do not mean every mainland licence renewal uses the same upload process. Confirm the company’s authority, licence conditions, bank covenant or shareholder requirement before the report is finalised.
What the engagement covers
An audit provides reasonable assurance about material misstatement, not a check of every transaction or a promise of a particular opinion.
Understand how revenue is earned, how cash and inventory move, who approves transactions and where material judgment enters the accounts.
Test selected transactions, confirmations, reconciliations, estimates, cut-off, related-party balances and disclosures according to assessed risk.
Review the final statements against the applicable accounting framework and issue the auditor’s report after evidence and quality review.
Management prepares and approves the books and financial statements. Where accounting or financial-statement preparation support is also needed, we assess independence and agree the services separately.
Audit readiness
A complete audit file is more useful than a large unorganised upload. Start with the closed ledger and schedules that reconcile to it; we then request evidence for the significant balances and transactions.
Need to bring the books up to date first? →Trade licence, memorandum and amendments, ownership information, prior audited statements and the agreed financial year.
Final trial balance, general ledger, draft financial statements, journal listing and reconciled supporting schedules.
Bank statements and reconciliations, receivable and payable ageing, major invoices, subsequent receipts and payments.
Inventory listings and counts, fixed-asset register, lease and loan agreements, payroll and employee-benefit workings.
VAT returns and reconciliations, Corporate tax workings, related-party agreements, intercompany balances and material contracts.
A clear route to reporting
The sequence is predictable even though the procedures and time needed depend on the company’s records and risks.
Confirm the LLC, financial year, reporting framework, independence, intended users and deadlines in an engagement letter.
Understand the business and prior accounts, assess risk, plan confirmations and arrange inventory observation where needed.
Review selected transactions, balances, estimates and disclosures, and follow up on exceptions and missing records.
Discuss proposed adjustments and significant matters; management approves the final financial statements and representations.
Complete the independent review and sign the auditor’s report. Provide the agreed financial statements and any submission support in scope.
Cost and timetable
Fees and timing depend on the work needed, not just the licence name or turnover. We review the company’s latest trial balance, previous audit report, number of entities, transaction volume and reporting deadline before quoting.
Inventory, branches, complex estimates, related-party dealings and unreconciled records can expand the work. A realistic timetable begins with a completed year-end close and prompt access to supporting evidence.
Discuss your audit scopeFrequently asked questions
Short answers to the legal, tax and practical questions that often arise before appointing an auditor.
For a limited liability company within the scope of Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2021, Article 27 requires one or more auditors to carry out an annual audit of its accounts. Article 102 addresses the LLC auditor’s annual appointment. Confirm the company’s legal form and any specific regulator or authority rules.
Low turnover or no trading does not by itself remove the Companies Law audit requirement for an LLC within its scope. A dormant company still needs reliable accounting records and an assessment of its actual reporting obligations.
No. The Corporate tax audit requirement is a separate test. For Tax Periods commencing on or after 1 January 2025, Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 includes a non-Tax-Group Taxable Person with Revenue above AED 50 million, a Qualifying Free Zone Person, and specified Tax Group statements. An LLC can still require an audit under company law even where this tax-specific test does not apply.
Do not assume one submission rule applies to every Dubai LLC. The annual audit requirement and the obligation to upload or submit the report are different questions. Check the company’s licence, regulator, portal and any specific request for that reporting year.
Start with the final trial balance and general ledger, bank and account reconciliations, major contracts, invoices, inventory and fixed-asset schedules, payroll and employee-benefit workings, tax records, ownership documents and prior-year accounts. The auditor will tailor the request to material risks and the business model.
There is no single fee that fits every LLC. The quote depends on transaction volume, record quality, inventory, branches or subsidiaries, estimates, related-party transactions, the reporting framework and the deadline. Share the latest accounts and prior audit report so scope and fee assumptions can be stated clearly.
We agree a timetable after reviewing the records and reporting deadline. A reconciled year-end close, timely bank and customer confirmations, inventory evidence and prompt answers help avoid delays. Missing records or unresolved accounting issues can extend the engagement.
Financial-statement preparation and independent audit are different services. Any assistance with accounting must be scoped and assessed against applicable independence requirements; management remains responsible for the books, judgments and approved financial statements. Separate arrangements may be necessary.
An audit opinion addresses the financial statements under the applicable reporting framework. A bank, regulator or free zone can have its own eligibility, format or submission requirements. Confirm the intended recipient and purpose before commissioning the report.
Reviewed 15 October 2026. Apply the version of the law and tax decision relevant to the company and its reporting period.
Ready to plan the year-end audit?
Share the financial year, authority, current accounts and deadline. We will respond with an appropriate audit scope and proposal.
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