For law firms and legal consultancies in the UAE, on the mainland or in a free zone. Aqid ERP bills retainers and fixed fees in AED or the client's currency, keeps client advances in their own account, shows what each matter earns, and prepares the VAT 201 and PINT AE e-invoices for 2027.
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 law firms and legal consultancies in the UAE, on the mainland or in a free zone. Aqid ERP bills retainers and fixed fees in AED or the client's currency, keeps client advances in their own account, shows what each matter earns, and prepares the VAT 201 and PINT AE e-invoices for 2027. 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 and no hourly billing, so fees are billed as fixed amounts, stages or retainers.
| For | Law 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: payroll with no employee limit and invoices in the client's currency. A sole practitioner or small firm with up to 3 users and 5 employees 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 and no hourly billing, so fees are billed as fixed amounts, stages or retainers. |
A monthly retainer is a recurring invoice, issued on the day you choose and emailed without anyone remembering to. A retainer invoiced a year in advance is recognised as revenue month by month, so the P&L does not spike in the month you bill it.
Money a client pays up front for court, expert or translation fees goes to a liability account of its own in the chart of accounts and is applied when you bill. How VAT applies to advances and to costs you pay for a client is a point to settle with your tax adviser.
Tag each fee invoice, disbursement and lawyer's expense claim to a project for the matter or the client. Its P&L shows what the matter earned after costs, and its budget shows how far through the agreed fee you are.
Send the fee proposal as a quote the client accepts in the customer portal without creating an account. Turn it into the first invoice when the work starts, and keep the accepted quote with the matter.
Fee quotes, tax invoices, recurring retainer invoices, credit notes tied to the invoice they correct, payment links once a payment provider is connected, email reminders, and statements by email or WhatsApp.
Each matter, client or practice area as a project or cost centre, with its own P&L and a fee budget to compare with actuals.
A UAE chart of accounts in Arabic and English with a liability account you add for client advances, bank reconciliation, deferred revenue for retainers billed in advance, and periods you lock once the VAT 201 is filed.
Lawyers claim travel, filing and translation costs; approved claims are tagged to the matter and paid.
Monthly payroll in AED for lawyers, paralegals and support staff, with the WPS SIF file, gratuity accrued every month and bilingual payslips.
Partners see everything; associates and staff see what their role allows. Every change is in the audit log, and two-step sign-in protects client data.
VAT in the UAE is 5% on most goods and services. How it applies to your fees, and above all to clients outside the UAE, depends on the client and the service, so agree it with your tax adviser before you set it on the invoice. Aqid ERP reports standard-rated fees by the emirate of the office that issues them, box 1b for Dubai, box 1a for Abu Dhabi.
Your invoices to companies and government are in the e-invoicing mandate, whether the firm is on the mainland or in a free zone. A firm under AED 50M in revenue appoints an accredited service provider by 31 March 2027 and transmits from 1 July 2027.
Every invoice is already signed as PINT AE XML and kept with it. Aqid ERP is not an accredited service provider and its connection to one is not yet live; you enter the VAT 201 on EmaraTax yourself.
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 fixed fees, stages or monthly retainers, and tag them to the matter.
In a liability account of their own in the chart of accounts, applied when you bill the costs on. Ask your tax adviser how VAT applies to the advance and to the costs you pass on.
Yes, on Growth and Premium. The tax invoice shows the AED equivalent and the ledger stays in AED. The VAT treatment of fees to a client outside the UAE is for your tax adviser to confirm.
Aqid ERP's estimate tests it: revenue of AED 3M or less in the period and every earlier one, for tax periods ending by 31 December 2029. It refuses the election for a qualifying free zone person or a member of a multinational group. Whether you elect it is your adviser's call, and the return is filed on EmaraTax.
Under current guidance free-zone companies are in scope on the same terms as mainland ones. Below AED 50M in revenue, appoint an accredited service provider by 31 March 2027 and transmit from 1 July 2027; confirm your case with the FTA.
Yes. Tag invoices, disbursements and claims to a project for the matter or client, allocate lawyers' salary cost from the payroll entry, and run its P&L.
Set up for the UAE's rules from the first day.
Aqid ERP