Insights · UAE Corporate Tax
UAE Corporate Tax Explained: the 9% Rate, the 0% Band, and Who Pays
UAE corporate tax is 0% up to AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% above it. Who must register, how the 9% is computed and the 15% top-up for large groups.
The UAE charges corporate tax at 0% on the first AED 375,000 of taxable income and 9% on the excess. It applies to financial years beginning on or after 1 June 2023 under Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022. Every company must register and file, including free-zone companies that expect to pay nothing.
Key figures
- 0% on the first AED 375,000 of taxable income; 9% above (UAE Government)
- 0% on qualifying income of a Qualifying Free Zone Person
- Return and payment within 9 months of the end of the tax period; AED 10,000 late-registration penalty (UAE Ministry of Finance)
- 15% Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax for groups with revenue of EUR 750 million or more, from 1 January 2025 (Ministry of Finance)
- No withholding tax on dividends, interest or royalties paid abroad: the rate is 0%
Who has to pay
Corporate tax applies to:
- companies and other juridical persons incorporated in the UAE, mainland or free zone
- foreign companies that are effectively managed and controlled in the UAE
- foreign companies with a permanent establishment or a nexus, such as UAE real estate income
- individuals carrying on a business in the UAE with turnover above AED 1 million in a calendar year. Salary, personal investment income and personal real estate income are outside the tax.
Government entities, qualifying public benefit entities, pension funds and qualifying investment funds can be exempt, mostly on application. Businesses engaged in extracting natural resources remain taxed at emirate level.
How taxable income is worked out
The starting point is accounting profit under IFRS, or IFRS for SMEs where revenue is AED 50 million or less. The main adjustments are:
- Exempt income. Dividends from UAE companies are exempt. Dividends and capital gains from foreign shareholdings are exempt under the participation exemption if the holding is at least 5% or cost at least AED 4 million, has been held for 12 months, and the subsidiary is subject to tax of at least 9%.
- Interest. Net interest expense above AED 12 million is deductible only up to 30% of tax-adjusted EBITDA. The excess is carried forward for ten years.
- Entertainment. Only 50% of client entertainment is deductible.
- Related parties. Transactions with related parties and payments to owners and directors must be at arm’s length.
- Losses. Tax losses carry forward indefinitely but can offset only 75% of taxable income in a later year, subject to continuity of ownership or business.
- Not deductible. Fines, bribes, dividends, corporate tax itself, and donations to bodies that are not qualifying public benefit entities.
A worked example
| Taxable income | Tax at 0% | Tax at 9% | Total tax | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AED 300,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| AED 1,000,000 | 0 on 375,000 | 56,250 on 625,000 | AED 56,250 | 5.6% |
| AED 5,000,000 | 0 on 375,000 | 416,250 on 4,625,000 | AED 416,250 | 8.3% |
The AED 375,000 band applies once per taxable person, or once per tax group. Splitting a business across several companies to multiply the band is specifically countered by the anti-abuse rules.
Reliefs worth knowing
- Small Business Relief. A resident with revenue of AED 3 million or less can elect to be treated as having no taxable income, for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2026.
- Free zones. A Qualifying Free Zone Person pays 0% on qualifying income. See the conditions in detail.
- Tax groups. A UAE parent and its 95% subsidiaries can file as one taxpayer, which allows losses in one company to offset profits in another.
- Restructuring relief. Transfers within a 75% group and qualifying business reorganisations can be made without triggering a gain.
Large multinationals: the 15% top-up
For financial years starting on or after 1 January 2025, UAE entities of multinational groups with consolidated revenue of at least EUR 750 million are subject to a Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax, which brings their effective UAE rate to 15% in line with the OECD Pillar Two rules. It does not affect anyone below that threshold.
Registration, filing and penalties
- Register on EmaraTax within the deadline set for your licence date. Late registration costs AED 10,000.
- Keep records for seven years after the end of the tax period.
- Have the accounts audited if revenue exceeds AED 50 million, or if you are a Qualifying Free Zone Person.
- File the return and pay within nine months of year end. For a calendar-year company, the 2025 return is due by 30 September 2026. There are no advance instalments.
- Late filing attracts AED 500 a month for the first twelve months and AED 1,000 a month after that, and unpaid tax carries a monthly late-payment penalty.
Related reading: UAE corporate tax for Indian businesses, Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions and transfer pricing between India and the UAE. Our UAE corporate tax team handles registration, computation and filing.