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how to prepare a 5% VAT return in the UAE

Preparing a 5% VAT return worksheet from the ledger 1:35 min

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Transcript

Al Reem gets a VAT tab because the Emirates levies VAT. A Kuwaiti company would see a different tab here. Not this one. Five per cent. The rate comes from the country, not a setting. Quarterly, like the filing calendar. Monthly if you need it. VAT you charged, VAT you paid, and the difference you owe. The base is implied from the booked VAT — and it says so. Every figure built from entries already in the ledger. Now Oman. Also five per cent. Also a VAT tab. Same return. Different currency. Three decimals, not two. Nobody changed a setting. The country brought its own precision. Built from posted ledger movements — and it tells you to check it. A worksheet to prepare the return. Not a filing.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the VAT rate come from?

From the country, not a setting — five per cent for the UAE and five per cent for Oman — and a company in a country without VAT would not see this tab at all.

What does the return show?

VAT you charged, VAT you paid and the difference you owe, quarterly like the filing calendar or monthly if you need it — every figure built from entries already posted in the ledger, with the base implied from booked VAT and the page saying so.

Is this a filing?

No — it is a worksheet to prepare the return, built from posted ledger movements, and it tells you to check it. The Omani version keeps three decimals rather than two because the country brings its own precision.

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