Tax & Compliance Shared Services UAE | Virtual Accountants

Centralise corporate tax, VAT and compliance with our Tax & Compliance Shared Services Centre in Dubai, UAE. FTA-aware support for SMEs and groups.

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Tax & Compliance Shared Services Centre (SSC) – UAE

The UAE tax landscape has changed quickly: Corporate Tax, VAT, Excise, ESR, UBO reporting and ongoing FTA requirements now sit firmly on management’s agenda.

Our Tax & Compliance Shared Services Centre (SSC) in Dubai centralises these activities into one specialist team. We help you stay on top of corporate tax compliance, VAT compliance, excise tax and regulatory reporting while you focus on running and growing the business.

Backed by a team with Big 4 experience and a strong track record in UAE tax and accounting services, Virtual Accountants LLC provides a practical, scalable way to manage your tax and compliance workload.

The Tax & Compliance Challenge for UAE Businesses

The UAE has introduced a full corporate tax regime alongside existing VAT and excise systems. Corporate Tax applies from financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023, generally at 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000, and the first filing deadlines have already passed for many businesses.

At the same time, the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) requires detailed records and documentation for both tax and non‑taxable persons, often for at least seven years for Corporate Tax, and similarly robust retention for VAT. 

Our Solution: Tax & Compliance Shared Services in Dubai, UAE

A Tax & Compliance Shared Services Centre centralises tax‑related processes and statutory reporting into a single team that serves the whole group. Leading firms increasingly move tax compliance (corporate tax, VAT and statutory filings) into shared services to gain standardisation, economies of scale and better control.

Instead of each entity or finance team handling tax alone, you get:

  • One coordinated Tax & Compliance SSC for the entire organisation
  • Common SOPs, templates and checklists for all filings
  • Centralised documentation, record‑keeping and audit readiness

What Our Tax & Compliance Shared Services Centre Delivers

Our Tax & Compliance SSC works alongside your CFO and finance team to:

  • Prepare and support Corporate Tax (CT) compliance
  • Handle VAT and Excise compliance centrally
  • Coordinate statutory and regulatory reporting
  • Maintain FTA‑ready records and reconciliations
  • Manage risk, deadlines and communication with external advisors where needed

You stay in control of tax positions and key decisions; we provide the engine room that keeps everything moving correctly and on time.

Scope of Our Tax & Compliance SSC Services
Corporate Tax Compliance Shared Services (CT SSC)

The introduction of UAE Corporate Tax means most businesses now have to register, calculate taxable profits, file returns and pay tax for financial years starting from 1 June 2023 onwards.

Our Corporate Tax compliance shared services support you with:

  • CT registration and data preparation for returns
  • Gathering and validating financial data from your accounting systems
  • Supporting tax adjustments (deductible vs non‑deductible, reliefs, losses)
  • Drafting CT computations and return workings for your tax decision‑makers to review
  • Coordinating Corporate Tax filings and payments in line with FTA deadlines 
  • Structuring and storing CT documentation and evidence for future reviews

For groups with multiple entities, we help you achieve consistent treatment and documentation across the group.

VAT Compliance Shared Services (VAT SSC)

UAE VAT requires accurate transaction capture, correct VAT coding, return filing and strong record‑keeping. 

Our VAT compliance shared services include:

  • Reviewing VAT registration and group structures
  • Validating input and output VAT in your accounting system
  • Preparing VAT return workings (standard, zero‑rated, exempt and out‑of‑scope supplies)
  • Supporting VAT return filing via the FTA portal
  • Maintaining VAT documentation (invoices, contracts, reconciliations) in an organised structure
  • Supporting VAT voluntary disclosures and queries where required

Because all VAT work flows through one SSC, you reduce the risk of miscalculations, missed deadlines and inconsistent treatments across entities.

Excise Tax & Other Indirect Tax Compliance

If you deal in excise goods (such as tobacco products, energy drinks, carbonated or sweetened beverages, or electronic smoking products), excise compliance adds another layer of complexity. 

Our Tax & Compliance SSC can support you with:

  • Identifying excise exposures and registration obligations
  • Supporting excise tax registrations and warehouse keeper obligations
  • Preparing excise tax data and reconciliation for returns
  • Documenting movements into and out of designated zones

We also help coordinate with your existing VAT/TAX service line at Virtual Accountants (e.g., Excise Tax Registration, Excise Tax Return, VAT record keeping and compliance review) so everything fits together. 

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Regulatory, Statutory & Other Compliance Support

Beyond tax filings, many UAE businesses must manage other regulatory compliance such as:

  • Economic Substance Regulation (ESR) reporting
  • UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner) disclosures
  • Local statutory financial statements and supporting schedules

Our Tax & Compliance SSC helps centralise data gathering, documentation and coordination around these requirements, often in close alignment with your auditors or legal advisors. 

FTA Audit Readiness & Tax Risk Management

The FTA continues to emphasise the need for proper tax records and can initiate VAT or tax audits where discrepancies or gaps appear. 

Our shared services team helps you stay FTA‑audit‑ready by:

  • Ensuring all tax returns can be traced back to underlying records
  • Maintaining reconciliations between accounting data and tax filings
  • Flagging unusual items or risks for your management to review
  • Supporting responses to FTA information requests and desk audits

You gain confidence that your tax compliance is defensible, documented and consistent.

Tax Data, Documentation & Record Keeping Shared Services

Tax compliance is only as strong as the data and documentation behind it.

Our Tax & Compliance SSC:

  • Maintains centralised tax folders for each period and entity
  • Organises contracts, invoices, computations and working papers
  • Helps you meet FTA retention requirements (for Corporate Tax, at least seven years from the end of the relevant tax period; for VAT, similarly robust record‑keeping expectations). 

This structure makes internal reviews and external audits far smoother.

Benefits of a Tax & Compliance Shared Services Centre

Global experience shows that tax shared services and centralised statutory reporting can significantly improve efficiency, consistency and control. 

Lower Cost and Reduced Duplication

Instead of each entity managing its own tax compliance separately, a Tax & Compliance SSC allows you to:

  • Consolidate recurring compliance tasks in one team
  • Avoid duplicated work on similar filings and reconciliations
  • Use specialised staff for high‑volume, process‑driven tax tasks

This model often reduces the overall cost of tax compliance while improving quality.

Standardised Tax Processes & Stronger Controls

With a shared services model, you can:

  • Apply the same tax policies, templates and review steps across the group
  • Use standard checklists for VAT, Corporate Tax and excise returns
  • Create clear segregation of duties (preparation, review, approval)
  • Embed tax risk controls into your everyday workflows

This standardisation is one of the key reasons many organisations move tax and statutory compliance into SSCs. 

Better Visibility & Strategic Insight

Because all tax data and filings are handled centrally, you can:

  • See the full picture of tax exposures and liabilities across entities
  • Spot trends in effective tax rate, VAT positions and cash impact
  • Support strategic decisions (e.g., restructuring, expansion, incentives) with reliable numbers

Tax stops being a last‑minute scramble and becomes a controlled, predictable process.

Why Virtual Accountants LLC for Tax & Compliance Shared Services?
Deep UAE Tax & Compliance Experience

Virtual Accountants LLC is a UAE‑based team of accounting and tax professionals with prior Big 4 experience, serving SMEs, family groups and growing companies since 2017. 

Our existing VAT/TAX service line already covers:

  • Corporate Tax registration and related support
  • VAT registration, VAT return filing and VAT compliance review
  • VAT record keeping and VAT refunds
  • Excise tax registration and excise tax returns 

Your Tax & Compliance SSC is built on top of this foundation – not starting from zero.

Integrated with Your Finance & Other SSC Towers

Because we also provide Finance & Accounting SSC and HR & Payroll SSC, we can offer a joined‑up shared services model where:

  • Finance SSC feeds clean data to the Tax & Compliance SSC
  • HR & Payroll SSC provides accurate payroll numbers for CT and WHT purposes
  • You have one coordinated partner across finance, tax and back‑office support

This integrated view makes it easier to keep your tax compliance aligned with real‑world operations.

Process First, Tool Agnostic Approach

We don’t force you into a particular tax or ERP system. Instead, we:

  • Work with your existing accounting and reporting tools where possible
  • Map and standardise your tax and compliance processes first
  • Recommend automation or specialist tax tools only where they truly add value 

The outcome is a practical, scalable Tax & Compliance SSC that your team can work with comfortably.

How Our Tax & Compliance SSC Engagement Works

Step 1: Assessment & Tax Compliance Mapping

We start by understanding your current landscape:

  • Legal structure, entities, industries and locations
  • Existing Corporate Tax, VAT, excise and other registrations
  • Current tax compliance workflows and who does what
  • Key risks – missed deadlines, weak documentation, inconsistent treatments

Based on this, we design a Tax & Compliance Shared Services model that fits your size and complexity, including scope, SLAs and a roadmap.

Step 2: Design, Transition & Knowledge Transfer

Once the model is agreed, we:

  • Document tax compliance processes and approval flows
  • Set up shared compliance calendars and dashboards
  • Clean and organise existing tax records, where needed
  • Transition VAT, CT and excise routines into the SSC in manageable phases
  • Align with your external tax advisors (if any) to avoid overlap or gaps

The goal is a smooth transition where no filing or deadline is missed while we move work into the shared services model. 

Step 3: Steady‑State Operations & Continuous Improvement

After go‑live, your Tax & Compliance SSC runs under agreed KPIs, such as:

  • On‑time filing rates for all tax returns
  • Quality metrics (number of corrections, queries, rejections)
  • Documentation completeness and FTA‑readiness

We schedule regular review meetings to update you on performance, legislative changes and improvement opportunities.

Who Our Tax & Compliance Shared Services Are For

Our Tax & Compliance Shared Services Centre in UAE is particularly suited to:

  • SMEs and family groups with multiple entities and growing tax obligations
  • Businesses newly within scope of UAE Corporate Tax that want a structured approach
  • Companies already registered for VAT and excise but struggling with data and documentation
  • Organisations preparing for investment, financing, or potential FTA review
  • Groups that want tax to be controlled and predictable, not ad‑hoc and reactive

If tax and compliance are taking more and more of your team’s time – but still feel risky – a Tax & Compliance SSC can change that.

Accounting Software We Use

We’re always on the same page with Government Agencies, working together to get the job done!

Trusted Expertise in UAE Regulatory Compliance

We’re always on the same page with Government Agencies, working together to get the job done!

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Proven Results Shared by Our Clients

FAQs

Tax & Compliance Shared Services Centre (SSC) in UAE
How is a Tax & Compliance SSC different from using an external tax advisor?

An external tax advisor typically focuses on technical advice and complex questions.

Tax & Compliance Shared Services Centre focuses on execution and process:

  • Gathering data, preparing returns and maintaining documentation
  • Running standard workflows month after month
  • Coordinating with your external advisors where needed

Many businesses use both: the SSC runs day‑to‑day compliance; external advisors handle one‑off or complex technical matters

Will we still control our tax positions and filings?

Yes. You retain control over:

  • Tax strategies, elections and key judgements
  • Final review and sign‑off of returns
  • Relationships with the FTA and external advisors

We provide the data, workings and documentation so your decisions are well‑supported and filings are executed reliably.

Can we start with just VAT or Corporate Tax and expand later?

Absolutely. Many clients begin with VAT compliance shared services or Corporate Tax SSC support and then extend the scope to excise and other regulatory reporting once they see the value of the model.

Do we need to change our accounting system to use a Tax & Compliance SSC?

Not necessarily. We usually work with your existing systems and improve process discipline, coding rules and reconciliations first. If a system change would materially improve compliance or efficiency, we’ll propose it with a clear business case. 

How is pricing structured for Tax & Compliance Shared Services?

Pricing depends mainly on:

  • Number of entities and locations
  • Scope (Corporate Tax, VAT, excise, regulatory reporting)
  • Transaction volumes and complexity

We typically agree a fixed monthly fee with a clearly defined scope and SLA, so you know exactly what you’re paying for and what you can expect.

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Our Locations

Office - Dubai

Office 609, 6th Floor, Al Moosa Tower 1, Trade Centre 1, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE

Office - Sharjah

Sharjah Media City (Shams), Al Messaned, Al Bataeh,   Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.