UAE Corporate Tax – Example with Disallowed Expenses

🔹 Scenario

  • Company: XYZ Consulting LLC
  • Financial year: 2024
  • Accounting profit (per books): AED 400,000

This profit already includes some expenses that are NOT fully allowed for tax.


📄 Expenses in the Accounts

ExpenseAmount (AED)Tax Treatment
Office rent80,000✅ Allowed
Staff salaries120,000✅ Allowed
Client entertainment30,00050% disallowed
Traffic fines5,000100% disallowed
Director’s personal travel15,000100% disallowed

🧮 Step 1: Identify Disallowed Portion

❌ Entertainment expense

  • 50% of AED 30,000 = AED 15,000 disallowed

❌ Traffic fines

  • 100% of AED 5,000 = AED 5,000 disallowed

❌ Personal travel

  • 100% of AED 15,000 = AED 15,000 disallowed

👉 Total disallowed expenses = AED 35,000


🧮 Step 2: Calculate Taxable Income

DescriptionAmount (AED)
Accounting profit400,000
Add back disallowed expenses+35,000
Taxable income435,000

🧮 Step 3: Calculate Corporate Tax

PortionRateTax
First AED 375,0000%0
Remaining AED 60,0009%5,400

✅ Final Result

  • Taxable income: AED 435,000
  • Corporate tax payable: AED 5,400

🚫 Common Disallowed Expenses in UAE Corporate Tax

  • Fines & penalties (traffic, municipality, visa fines)
  • Personal expenses charged to company
  • 50% of business entertainment (meals, gifts, events)
  • Bribes or illegal payments
  • Donations (unless to approved UAE entities)

💡 Pro Tip

Always keep proper documentation. If an expense looks personal or non-business, the FTA will likely disallow it during review.

We provide accounting and tax services in UAE.

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