Key takeaways
- A UAE Taxable Person must keep the records that support its corporate tax return for 7 years after the end of the Tax Period they relate to (Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022, Article 56).
- An Exempt Person under UAE corporate tax must also keep 7 years of records, in its case the ones that let the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) confirm its exempt status.
- UAE corporate tax records can be held as a register plus electronic copies instead of paper originals, provided a readable copy can be produced and matches the original (Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 4).
- The FTA may accept English records for UAE corporate tax, but it can require certified Arabic translations within a deadline it sets (Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 5).
- Failing to keep required records carries an administrative penalty of AED 10,000 per violation under the penalty table published by the FTA; check the current table before relying on the amount (as of November 2026).
How long do I have to keep corporate tax records in the UAE?
You must keep corporate tax records for seven years after the end of the Tax Period they relate to. The clock starts when the Tax Period ends, not when the document was created or the return filed.
Say a company has a financial year ending 31 December 2026. That Tax Period ends on 31 December 2026, so every record supporting that return has to be kept until 31 December 2033. An invoice dated January 2026 is therefore kept for almost eight years.
The corporate tax rule sits alongside a shorter general rule. The table below shows both, with the extensions that can lengthen the general one.
| Rule | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax records, Taxable Persons | 7 years after the end of the Tax Period | Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022, Article 56(1) |
| Corporate tax records, Exempt Persons | 7 years after the end of the Tax Period | Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022, Article 56(2) |
| General tax records, Taxable Persons | 5 years from the relevant Tax Period | Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 3(1)(a) |
| Extension: open dispute, or unfinished or announced audit | 4 extra years | Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 3(2) |
| Extension: refund application not yet decided | 2 extra years | Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 3(2)(e) |
Accurate as of 01 November 2026. Article 56 applies "notwithstanding" the Tax Procedures Law, so for corporate tax the seven-year period is the one to plan around. Amendments to the Executive Regulation took effect on 1 April 2026 (Cabinet Decision No. 17 of 2026); the Ministry of Finance says they extend retention by two years for Tax Periods tied to an undecided refund claim.
7 years: minimum retention period for UAE corporate tax records, counted from the end of each Tax Period. Source: Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022, Article 56, checked 01 November 2026.
Which records does the FTA expect a UAE company to keep?
The FTA expects a company to keep every record that supports the figures in its corporate tax return and lets the FTA work out its Taxable Income. In its August 2025 notice, the FTA named records of transactions, assets, liabilities and shares held at the end of the Tax Period.
The Executive Regulation is more specific about what counts as accounting records and supporting documents:
| Category | Examples named in the regulation or FTA notice |
|---|---|
| Transactions | Payments, receipts, purchases, sales, revenue and expenses |
| Financial statements | Balance sheets and profit and loss accounts |
| Assets and liabilities | Fixed asset records, purchases and disposals, liability records |
| Inventory | Inventory records and counts at each period end |
| Payroll | Payroll records |
| Shareholdings | Records of shares held at the end of the Tax Period |
| Supporting documents | Business correspondence, invoices, licences, contracts, and documents showing how tax choices or calculations were made |
Accurate as of 01 November 2026. The FTA may also ask for other auditable information (Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 2(2)).
If you'd rather not track these dates by hand, the free UAE compliance calendar lists your company's tax and compliance deadlines, personalised from a few questions, as a PDF and calendar file.
How should corporate tax records be stored?
A company can keep either the original documents with a register, or a register with the information from the originals held in photocopy or electronic form. The electronic route is allowed only if a readable copy can be produced, the information matches the originals, and it stays available for the whole retention period (Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 4(1)).
For a company moving to digital records, the sequence is:
- Scan or export each supporting document in a format that stays readable for the full retention period.
- Keep a register that links each entry in your books to its supporting document.
- Check that each digital copy matches the original before you discard any paper.
The FTA's audit powers extend to electronically stored data and the accounting systems a business uses (Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 17(1)). So the stored record needs to be retrievable, not just archived.
Do corporate tax records have to be in Arabic?
No, Arabic is not a blanket requirement. The FTA may accept English, but it can require Arabic translations of any or all documents, certified under the State's translation law and filed within the deadline it sets (Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Article 5).
So an English-only file is fine until the FTA asks otherwise; the cost and delay arrive then. The penalty table has a separate AED 5,000 row for failing to provide tax records in Arabic on request (FTA-published annex to Cabinet Decision No. 75 of 2023, as amended to February 2024).
What happens if a company doesn't keep the right records?
The company can face an administrative penalty, and in an audit it may struggle to support its return. The FTA-published annex to Cabinet Decision No. 75 of 2023 sets the amounts.
| Violation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Failing to keep the required records and other information | AED 10,000 per violation |
| Repeating that violation within 24 months of the last one | AED 20,000 |
| Failing to provide tax records in Arabic when the FTA requests them | AED 5,000 |
Accurate as of 01 November 2026, using the annex as amended by Cabinet Decision No. 10 of 2024. Cabinet Decision No. 129 of 2025 amended the administrative penalties regime from 14 April 2026, and Qawi could not confirm these three rows against the newer text from an official source. Check the current table on tax.gov.ae before quoting an amount.
How does the seven-year rule fit with other record rules?
For corporate tax, the seven-year period governs; for other taxes administered under the Tax Procedures Law, the general five-year period applies, with extensions. Because one invoice can feed both a VAT return and a corporate tax return, the sensible rule is to keep every document for the longer period.
Audited financial statements follow the same logic. Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 requires them from Qualifying Free Zone Persons, and from other Taxable Persons (not Tax Groups) with Revenue above AED 50,000,000, for Tax Periods starting on or after 1 January 2025. It says "prepare and maintain" without a retention period, so treating them as Article 56 supporting records is the safer reading.
What most guides don't tell you
- The longest-held record is the oldest one in the period. Seven years runs from the end of the Tax Period, so a January invoice outlasts a December one by eleven months. Set deletion dates by Tax Period.
- Cancelling accounting software can break your record trail. The FTA can audit stored data and accounting systems, so an export of the full ledger with its audit trail should exist before a subscription ends or a provider changes.
- Scanned does not mean safe to shred. The scan must match the original and be producible in readable form on request, which a blurry or partial image is not.
Which deadlines apply to your company?
Seven-year retention is one date among many, and each depends on your Tax Period, licence and activities. The free UAE compliance calendar builds a calendar of your company's tax and compliance deadlines from a few questions, as a PDF and calendar file.
Frequently asked questions
What are the penalties for not filing a corporate tax return? Late filing is penalised from the day after the deadline and the charge repeats monthly. The amounts sit in the annex to Cabinet Decision No. 75 of 2023, which Cabinet Decision No. 129 of 2025 amended from 14 April 2026, so check the current table on tax.gov.ae.
What are the penalties for incorrect corporate tax returns? The annex to Cabinet Decision No. 75 of 2023 sets a separate penalty for an incorrect return, with relief where the company corrects the return before the filing deadline expires. Cabinet Decision No. 129 of 2025 amended the penalty regime from 14 April 2026, so confirm the current figure on tax.gov.ae.
Can I use cash basis accounting for corporate tax? Only where the Minister of Finance allows it. Article 20(5)(a) of Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 lets the Minister set the circumstances in which a person may prepare statements on a cash basis, and Article 20(6) lets a taxpayer apply to switch from cash to accrual.
What accounting standard do I need to use for corporate tax? Taxable Income is worked out from standalone financial statements prepared under accounting standards accepted in the UAE (Article 20(1) of Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022). Which standard suits your company depends on its size and activity, so confirm it with your accountant.
How do I pay my corporate tax in the UAE? Payment is made through the EmaraTax platform, and the FTA says the deadline is within nine months of the end of the Tax Period. Filing and payment do not have to happen at the same time, but the FTA warns that last-minute payments may not be processed in time.
About Qawi · Qawi is a corporate services firm licensed in the Sharjah Media City (SHAMS) free zone, handling company formation, visas and PRO, bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax for UAE businesses. Guides are researched from FTA, Ministry of Finance and free zone sources. Qawi on LinkedIn
Sources
- Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 on the Taxation of Corporations and Businesses, as amended (Ministry of Finance)
- Cabinet Decision No. 74 of 2023, Executive Regulation of the Tax Procedures Law (UAE Legislation portal)
- FTA notice on retaining records, 27 August 2025 (tax.gov.ae)
- FTA notice on filing and paying corporate tax within nine months, 24 September 2025 (tax.gov.ae)
- Annex to Cabinet Decision No. 75 of 2023 on administrative penalties, as amended (tax.gov.ae)
- Ministerial Decision No. 84 of 2025 on Audited Financial Statements (Ministry of Finance)
- Ministry of Finance announcement of Tax Procedures Executive Regulation amendments effective April 2026
Last checked: 01 November 2026
This is general information, not tax or legal advice for your specific situation.