Audit · United Arab Emirates
Audit season, without the fire drill
Internal audit programmes that find the problem before an auditor does, and an audit file that answers the external auditor's questions before they are asked.
- Internal audit across financial, operational and IT controls
- Audit-ready file maintained year-round
- Full liaison with your external audit firm
- Free zone filing deadlines tracked
- Management letter findings actually closed, not just noted
Speak to a specialist
Free 30-minute consultation. Written proposal within one business day.
The problem
The audit is not the work. The preparation is.
Most of what makes an audit painful happens before the auditor arrives. Supporting documents are not filed against entries. Related-party balances do not agree. Inventory was never counted. Fixed assets exist in a spreadsheet nobody has reconciled to the ledger in two years. The audit then takes three months instead of three weeks, the fee runs over, and the management letter arrives full of findings that were entirely predictable.
The filing deadlines are unforgiving. DMCC requires audited financial statements within 180 days of the year end. DIFC ties them to licence renewal. ADGM allows nine months for private companies. Late filing penalties run from AED 5,000 to AED 50,000 depending on the authority, with service suspension available as an escalation. Corporate tax adds its own requirement for audited statements above the relevant revenue threshold and for any entity claiming Qualifying Free Zone Person status.
Scope note: the statutory audit report is signed by an audit firm licensed in the relevant jurisdiction. We prepare the audit file, conduct internal audit work, and manage the relationship with your external auditor end to end — and we will introduce you to a licensed firm where you do not have one.
Scope
What is included
Internal audit
- Financial and internal control audits
- Compliance audits against licence and regulatory obligations
- Operational and process audits
- Construction and project audits
- Information systems audits
- Special investigation audits
External audit support
- Audit-ready file prepared and maintained
- Schedules, reconciliations and lead sheets
- Fixed asset register and inventory verification
- Auditor queries handled on your behalf
- Management letter findings remediated before the next cycle
How it works
Four steps
Scope
We agree what is being examined — a control environment, a process, or preparation for the statutory audit.
Fieldwork
Testing carried out, evidence documented, exceptions raised with management as they are found.
Report
Findings ranked by exposure, with a remediation plan rather than a list of complaints.
Follow-through
Fixes implemented and re-tested, and the file kept current for the next cycle.
Pricing
What it costs
Published, fixed, and quoted in writing before we start. All fees exclude 5% UAE VAT.
| Service | Basis | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Audit coordination & audit-ready file | Per audit | from AED 4,000 |
| Internal audit only, without bookkeeping | Per year, for companies with an in-house accountant | AED 5,000 |
| Internal audit programme, wider scope | Project, scope dependent | On request |
| Special investigation audit | Project | On request |
| Included in Growth package and above | Monthly | from AED 2,000/month |
Questions
Internal & External Audit — frequently asked
Does my company need an audit?
Mainland LLCs are generally required to maintain audited accounts, and most free zones require audited statements to be filed for licence renewal — DMCC, JAFZA, DIFC and ADGM among them. Corporate tax adds a requirement above the relevant revenue threshold and for anyone claiming Qualifying Free Zone Person status. If you are unsure, tell us your licensing authority and we will confirm it.
Do you sign the audit report?
The statutory audit opinion is signed by a firm licensed to audit in your jurisdiction. Our work is the internal audit programme, the preparation of the audit file, and full management of the external audit process. Where you need an auditor we will introduce licensed firms and manage the appointment.
When is my audited report due?
It depends on the authority. DMCC allows 180 days from the financial year end. ADGM allows nine months for private companies. DIFC ties filing to licence renewal. Mainland requirements vary by activity. Missing it risks penalties from AED 5,000 to AED 50,000 and, in some zones, suspension of services.
What will the auditor ask me for?
Bank confirmations and statements, the general ledger and trial balance, sales and purchase invoices on a sample basis, the fixed asset register, inventory count sheets, payroll records, loan and lease agreements, related-party schedules and board resolutions. We assemble all of it in advance.
What is the difference between internal and external audit?
The external audit is a statutory opinion on whether the financial statements give a true and fair view, addressed to shareholders. Internal audit is a management tool: it examines whether controls work, whether processes are being followed, and where the business is exposed. One is compliance; the other is protection.
We had findings in last year's management letter. Can you fix them?
That is a large part of this work. Findings are usually control gaps — no segregation of duties on payments, no stock count procedure, no approval threshold on purchases. We design the control, implement it, document it, and test that it held before the next audit.
Next step
Thirty minutes, no obligation
Tell us where you are. We will tell you what is required, what it costs, and whether anything is already overdue — before you have paid us anything.
Prefer to see numbers first? Take the 3-minute assessment — package, indicative fee and your own filing deadlines, no contact details required.
Request a call back
A senior advisor, not a call centre.