The short answer
Begin with a complete record inventory and the actual filing deadline. Reconcile cash movements, then add the invoices, liabilities, assets and adjustments that a bank statement cannot show. Do not invent missing invoices or assume an unsupported expense becomes acceptable because it is small.
The practical workflow below is a suggested recovery method, not an FTA-prescribed checklist or a promise to finish within a particular number of days. The time and scope depend on the period, systems and evidence available.
Collect one complete set of records
Identify every bank account, card, cash book and payment platform used by the business, including closed accounts for the relevant period. Preserve the original exports before changing or importing anything.
| Record group | What to gather | What to reconcile |
|---|---|---|
| Banks, cards and platforms | Full-period statements, settlement reports and opening balances | Transfers, fees, refunds and missing statement periods |
| Sales and receivables | Invoice register, credit notes, contracts and customer balances | Gross sales versus net settlements; unpaid and cancelled invoices |
| Purchases and payables | Supplier bills, receipts, statements and unpaid items | Duplicate bills, personal items and costs paid by an owner |
| Payroll and people | Approved payroll, payment results and settlement records | Payroll expense, amounts paid and outstanding liabilities |
| Assets, loans and owners | Purchase documents, agreements, asset list and owner transactions | Capital versus operating items; loan principal versus interest |
| Earlier accounts and tax | Prior trial balance, filed returns, schedules and correspondence | Opening balances and differences from previously reported figures |
Do not mistake bank reconciliation for complete accounts
A marketplace might settle AED 9,000 after withholding AED 1,000 in charges from AED 10,000 of customer collections. Posting only the net receipt can obscure the sales and charges. Use the settlement statement to explain the movement; assess VAT and accounting treatment from the actual transactions, not from this arithmetic alone.
Likewise, an unpaid supplier bill, depreciation or an owner-funded business purchase may not appear in the company's bank statement. Identify those items separately and apply the accounting basis appropriate to the entity. Do not count transfers between your own accounts as new revenue.
Keep a missing-evidence and decision log
- List each unresolved item, its amount, period, source and person responsible for finding evidence.
- Ask the original supplier, customer, bank or platform for a duplicate document or transaction history where available.
- Separate a documented reconstruction from an unsupported assumption. Keep the underlying evidence and the reason for any adjustment.
- Prioritise significant and deadline-sensitive issues without treating smaller transactions as automatically exempt from evidence requirements.
- Record the accounting decision and assess tax deductibility or input-VAT recovery separately. One conclusion does not automatically establish the other.
- Keep unresolved questions visible for review; do not manufacture invoices or silently force a balancing entry.
If a tax deadline is close or has passed
Confirm the relevant tax, period, notification and deadline immediately. Keep filing, payment and any correction or dispute procedure as separate actions. A bookkeeping project does not itself extend a statutory deadline, and a penalty challenge does not automatically suspend other obligations.
Waiver, instalment and reconsideration are different procedures with their own conditions and evidence. The FTA waiver service refers to Cabinet Decision 105 of 2021; there is no automatic reduction merely because records were late or an explanation was supplied. Preserve the decision and notification date, establish the appropriate route promptly and use a registered tax agent or legal representative where the proposed role requires one.
Check your corporate-tax deadline Tax dispute support and coordination
Agree the closing handover and prevent another backlog
Ask for an agreed handover containing the trial balance, reconciliations, supporting schedules, adjustment log and remaining questions. Distinguish completed bookkeeping from a submitted tax return or an independent audit; none proves that the others have been done.
The FTA says relevant corporate-tax records must be retained for at least seven years following the end of the tax period. Exempt persons also need evidence supporting their status. Other obligations may require different periods, so do not use that minimum as an automatic deletion instruction for every business record.
- Assign a monthly document owner and a consistent folder structure.
- Review unreconciled bank items, overdue receivables and missing invoices each month.
- Agree who approves adjustments and who checks the tax calendar.
- Use the initial enquiry for scope only. Arrange an appropriate secure channel before sharing bank statements, payroll or identity documents.
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