The FY-30-June filing window: what is actually due, and when
Federal Decree-Law 47 of 2022 requires every Taxable Person to submit a return within nine months of the end of the relevant Tax Period. For a company with a financial year ending 30 June 2025, the return — and any tax payable — is due no later than 31 March 2026.
Three things follow. First, this is the first full-cycle return for most UAE companies. Second, EmaraTax has been live for this form since 1 January 2026 — no advantage in waiting. Third, filing and paying share a single deadline. GIBAN transfers take 24-48 hours during Ramadan banking weeks; Eid Al-Fitr 2026 is forecast 20-22 March, inside the payment window.
The penalty schedule, in plain numbers
Cabinet Decision 75 of 2023 sets the administrative penalties:
Failure to register on time — AED 10,000.
Late filing of the return — AED 500 per month (first 12 months), then AED 1,000/month. Uncapped.
Late payment of tax — 14% per annum, monthly.
Failure to keep records — AED 10,000 per violation, rising to AED 20,000 on repeat within 24 months.
Failure to submit QFZP Declaration — AED 10,000 plus loss of QFZP status.
QFZP eligibility: four cut-offs Q2 filers keep missing
From our Q1 2026 file reviews:
1. De minimis 5%/AED 5M ceiling. Passive income reclassified during audit (interest on cash buffers, FX gains) pushes borderline-clean companies over the line.
2. Adequate substance for the actual Qualifying Activity. A holding co with one part-time director and no office will not pass.
3. 0% applies to Qualifying Income only. A single unauthorised mainland sale crystallises Non-Qualifying Revenue; breach the de minimis and ALL taxable income flips to 9%.
4. Electing into the standard regime is irrevocable for five years. Don't tick the box without modelling.
Audit triggers we are seeing
The FTA's risk engine clusters on five patterns: (a) related-party transactions without TP documentation (Ministerial Decision 97 of 2023); (b) loss carry-forward against post-2024 profits without continuity test under Article 39; (c) Small Business Relief claimed alongside QFZP election (mutually exclusive); (d) PE risk on remote-employee structures in Egypt, India or UK; (e) bank-reconciliation gaps above AED 50,000 vs FTA's bank-feed aggregate.
Practical checklist for the 31 March 2026 deadline
Week -8: close books, finalise audit. Week -6: run QFZP determination. Week -4: prepare TP disclosure form. Week -2: draft return in EmaraTax, save without submitting. Week -1: initiate GIBAN payment (don't rely on Ramadan clearance). Deadline week: submit, download Tax Payment Voucher, file under Article 56 seven-year retention.