Corporate Tax Audit Checklist Quick Version
Before an FTA Corporate Tax review, check that you have:
Tax Returns & Calculations
Corporate Tax return
Tax computation
Tax adjustment workings
Tax loss calculations, where applicable
VAT records, where relevant
FTA correspondence and previous submissions
Financial Statements & Core Ledgers
Financial statements
Trial balance
General ledger
Bank statements and reconciliations
Fixed asset register
Transactions & Expense Records
Sales invoices
Purchase invoices
Expense records
Customer and supplier balances
Liability records
Corporate & Statutory Documents
Shareholding records
Related-party transaction records
Transfer pricing documents, where applicable
Free Zone/QFZP supporting documents, where applicable
Relevant contracts and agreements
FTA Corporate Tax Audit Checklist
1. Corporate Tax Records
- Corporate Tax registration details
- Filed Corporate Tax return
- Filing acknowledgement
- Tax computation
- Tax payable calculation
- Tax adjustments
- Tax loss calculations
- Tax credits, where applicable
2. Financial Records
- Financial statements
- Trial balance
- General ledger
- Journal entries
- Balance sheet schedules
- Profit and loss records
- Cash flow records
3. Bank Records
- Bank statements
- Bank reconciliations
- Loan statements
- Finance agreements
- Supporting payment records
4. Revenue Records
- Sales invoices
- Sales ledger
- Customer statements
- Contracts
- Credit notes
- Receipts
- Revenue reconciliation
5. Expense Records
- Purchase invoices
- Expense vouchers
- Supplier statements
- Contracts
- Payment evidence
- Expense schedules
- Tax adjustment support
6. Asset and Liability Records
- Fixed asset register
- Asset purchase records
- Asset disposal records
- Accounts receivable
- Accounts payable
- Loans
- Accruals
- Provisions
7. Ownership and Related-Party Records
- Shareholder records
- Ownership changes
- Related-party list
- Related-party transactions
- Accounts payable
- Loans
- Accruals
- Provisions
🔗 FTA Corporate Tax Audit Checklist
Tax Return
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Tax Computation
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Financial Statements
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Trial Balance
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General Ledger
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Original Docs
Every important figure must be traceable through this chain.
FTA Audit Checklist for Financial Statements
Revenue agrees with the ledger
Expenses agree with the ledger
Bank balances are reconciled
Receivables are supported
Payables are supported
Related-party balances identified
If your company requires audited financial statements, keep the final signed accounts and auditor’s report with the tax file.
Corporate Tax Audit Document Checklist
Documents the FTA May Ask You to Explain
Corporate Tax Audit Checklist for Free Zone Companies
If the company claims Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) treatment, add:
Free Zone licence
Qualifying income calculation
Non-qualifying income calculation
Related-party records
Transfer pricing records
Audited financial statements
Supporting records for the company's qualifying activities
For this topic, link to Qualifying Income and Free Zone Regulations in UAE.
Pre-FTA Corporate Tax Audit Checklist
Before the review:
- Tax return matches tax computation
- Tax computation matches financial statements
- Financial statements match trial balance
- Bank accounts are reconciled
- Revenue is supported
- Major expenses are supported
- Tax adjustments are documented
- Tax losses are supported
- Related-party transactions are reviewed
- Transfer pricing documents are ready where required
- Free Zone records are ready where applicable
- Original documents can be produced quickly
- FTA correspondence is organised
FTA Audit Checklist for Financial Statements
Filing the return without keeping supporting evidence
Tax figures not matching the accounts
Unreconciled bank balances
Unsupported expenses
Unexplained tax adjustments
Missing related-party records
Missing transfer pricing documents where required
Poor Free Zone documentation
Missing old financial records
Sending incomplete documents to the FTA
What If You Receive an FTA Audit Notice?
Start with the notice.
1
Tax period
2
Scope of the review
3
Documents requested
4
Submission deadline
4
Submission deadline
5
Contact details
6
Any specific transactions or issues mentioned
Then prepare one indexed audit file rather than sending unrelated documents. For the detailed procedure, link to FTA Corporate Tax Audit Process in UAE.
Need Help Preparing Your Corporate Tax Audit File?
AEY Auditing can review your:
- Financial statements
- Trial balance
- General ledger
- Tax computation
- Tax adjustments
- Supporting documents
- Related-party records
- Free Zone records
See Corporate Tax Audit Requirements UAE for the broader compliance requirements. You can also use Audit Readiness Support Dubai before responding to an FTA review.
FAQs Of Corporate Tax Audit Checklist
What documents are needed for a Corporate Tax audit in UAE?
The core file normally includes the Corporate Tax return, tax computation, financial statements, trial balance, general ledger, bank records, invoices, contracts, asset records, liability records and relevant ownership and related-party documents.
What should I check before an FTA audit?
Check that the tax return, tax computation, financial statements and accounting records agree, and make sure supporting documents are available for major transactions and tax adjustments.
Does the FTA audit every company?
No. An FTA Tax Audit is not the same as a routine annual audit. The FTA may select taxpayers for review based on its tax administration and compliance processes.
How long should Corporate Tax records be kept?
Relevant Corporate Tax records generally need to be retained for seven years after the end of the relevant Tax Period.
