For consulting firms in the UAE, in a free zone or on the mainland, with clients at home and abroad. Aqid ERP bills milestones and retainers in AED or the client's currency, holds retention until release, shows what each engagement earns after salaries and travel, and prepares the VAT 201 and the corporate tax estimate.
Sign up as this kind of business and the books start with the accounts it posts to, beyond the country's chart:
It also sets the invoice terms, whether prices include VAT, and the setup steps that matter for it. You can change it later, and nothing you have is removed.
Start with this setupFor consulting firms in the UAE, in a free zone or on the mainland, with clients at home and abroad. Aqid ERP bills milestones and retainers in AED or the client's currency, holds retention until release, shows what each engagement earns after salaries and travel, and prepares the VAT 201 and the corporate tax estimate. Aqid ERP lays out the FTA's VAT 201 from the books, generates every invoice as signed PINT AE XML for the 2027 e-invoicing mandate and runs payroll in dirhams with a WPS salary file and end-of-service gratuity. The Growth plan fits, at AED 109 a month, with a 60-day free trial. Not built yet: Aqid ERP has no timesheets or hourly billing, so fees are billed as milestones, retainers or fixed amounts.
| For | Consulting firms |
|---|---|
| E-invoicing | PINT AE: signed UBL XML kept with each invoice; sending through an accredited service provider is not yet live (the mandate starts in 2027) |
| VAT | 5% standard rate; the VAT 201 is laid out from the books, sales by emirate |
| Payroll | A WPS salary file, end-of-service gratuity, GPSSA pension for Emirati staff, payslips in Arabic and English |
| Stock | Not needed by most businesses of this kind |
| Recommended plan | Growth, at AED 109 a month before VAT: invoices in the client's currency with revaluation, and payroll with no employee limit. A one-person practice with only AED clients can start on Starter at AED 77. |
| Price | AED 109 a month before VAT · 60-day free trial today, no card |
| Not built yet | Aqid ERP has no timesheets or hourly billing, so fees are billed as milestones, retainers or fixed amounts. |
Each engagement is a project. Tag invoices, subcontractor bills and expense claims to it, and allocate consultant salary cost to it by re-tagging the payroll entry or with an allocation journal. Its P&L, set against the engagement's budget, shows what it really earned.
Bill each milestone when the client signs it off, or run a monthly advisory retainer as a recurring invoice. Fees invoiced in advance are recognised month by month as the work is delivered.
When a client holds back part of each invoice, the retention moves to its own receivable and stays there until the client releases it, so the client balance never hides what is still owed at the end.
On Growth and Premium, invoice a client in London or Singapore in dollars, pounds or euros. The tax invoice shows the AED equivalent, the ledger stays in AED, and open balances are revalued at month end.
Proposals as quotes clients accept online without an account, milestone and recurring invoices, retention, credit notes, payment links once a payment provider is connected, and email reminders.
Engagements as projects with a revenue and cost budget, and practice areas or offices as cost centres, each with its own P&L.
Consultants claim travel and client costs; approved claims are tagged to the engagement and paid.
Invoices and bills in foreign currency with the AED equivalent and month-end revaluation (Growth or Premium).
Monthly payroll in AED, the WPS SIF salary file, gratuity accrued every month, bilingual payslips and reminders before residence visas and work permits expire.
An estimate from the period's profit at 0% to AED 375,000 and 9% above, with the Small Business Relief test, for your adviser to start from.
VAT in the UAE is 5% on most goods and services, and standard-rated fees are reported by the emirate the supply is made from. For clients outside the UAE the treatment depends on the service and the client, so confirm it with your tax adviser before you invoice; Aqid ERP then puts each invoice in its box and opens the box to it.
Free-zone companies, in RAKEZ, DMCC, IFZA or any other zone, fall under e-invoicing on the same terms as mainland ones under current guidance. A firm under AED 50M appoints an accredited service provider by 31 March 2027 and transmits from 1 July 2027.
Aqid ERP signs each invoice as PINT AE XML and keeps it with the invoice; its connection to a provider is not yet live, and it is not a provider itself. You enter the VAT 201 on EmaraTax.
For small businesses that need compliant invoicing
77 د.إ / month
For teams that want the full books, not only invoices
109 د.إ / month
For companies with branches, devices and volume
214 د.إ / month
No. There are no timesheets or hourly billing. Bill milestones, monthly retainers or fixed fees.
Yes. Tag invoices, bills and expense claims to the engagement project, allocate payroll cost to it with a re-tag or allocation journal, and run its P&L against the budget.
Retention held back on an invoice sits in its own receivable until the client releases and pays it.
No. Qualifying free zone income is not modelled, and the estimate refuses Small Business Relief for a qualifying free zone person. Your adviser decides whether your income qualifies; Aqid ERP gives them the profit and the statements.
Registration with the FTA comes first, even when no tax is expected, and a natural person registers once business turnover passes AED 1 million in a year. Small Business Relief needs revenue of AED 3 million or less in the period and every earlier one. Confirm your case with your adviser.
Yes, on Growth and Premium. The tax invoice shows the AED equivalent, and foreign-currency balances are revalued at month end.
Set up for the UAE's rules from the first day.
Aqid ERP