Tax Associate (Direct & Indirect Tax) — UAE

XB4 - CPAs & Advisors (Dubai Branch); Dubai; On-site; AED 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

XB4 - CPAs & Advisors (Dubai Branch) seeks a Tax Associate in Dubai to support UAE Corporate Tax and VAT for a portfolio of corporate and group clients. You will join a specialist tax advisory team and work directly with senior advisers on compliance, advisory and FTA matters from day one.

The role suits a tax professional with two to four years of UAE or GCC experience who wants breadth across direct and indirect tax rather than specialising in one.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Law.
• Two to four years of UAE or GCC tax experience in professional services or in-house tax.
• Strong knowledge of UAE Corporate Tax and VAT and their regulations.
• Ability to read legislation and apply FTA guidance with sound judgement.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and review Corporate Tax computations and returns.
• Prepare and review VAT returns and related filings.
• Support FTA audits, correspondence, and relief applications.
• Act as day-to-day contact for clients, managing deadlines and document requests.

Skills

UAE Corporate Tax

VAT compliance

Tax planning

English drafting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Law

Job description

About the role

We are hiring a Tax Associate in Dubai to work across UAE Corporate Tax and VAT for a portfolio of corporate and group clients. You will join a specialist tax advisory team and work directly with senior advisers on compliance, advisory and FTA matters from day one. The role suits a tax professional with two to four years of UAE or regional experience who wants to build genuine depth in both direct and indirect tax rather than specialise in one. Full-time, based in Dubai, reporting to a Tax Manager or Senior Tax Adviser.

Key responsibilities

• Corporate Tax (Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022)
  • Prepare and review Corporate Tax computations and returns on EmaraTax, including taxable income adjustments, exempt income, interest limitation and loss relief.
  • Support Corporate Tax registrations, de-registrations, Tax Group applications and Qualifying Free Zone Person assessments.
  • Draft technical memoranda and position papers on specific transactions, restructurings and group arrangements.
  • Assist with transfer pricing compliance: related-party and connected-person disclosures, Local File and Master File preparation, and benchmarking support.
• VAT (Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017)
  • Prepare and review VAT returns, including input tax apportionment, reverse charge, Designated Zone and zero-rating analysis.
  • Handle VAT registrations, amendments, voluntary disclosures and refund claims.
  • Conduct VAT health checks and transaction reviews, and advise on VAT treatment of contracts and supply chains.
• Client service and FTA matters
  • Conduct tax compliance procedures and testing of supporting documents.
  • Act as day-to-day contact for assigned clients, managing deadlines and information requests.
  • Support FTA audits, clarification requests and reconsideration applications.
  • Monitor new legislation, Cabinet and Ministerial Decisions, FTA guides and public clarifications, and summarise their impact for the team and clients.
  • Prepare clear, well-referenced deliverables in Word and Excel to the firm's quality standard.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Law or a related field.
• Two to four years of tax experience in the UAE or GCC, in a professional services firm or an in-house tax function.
• Working knowledge of UAE Corporate Tax and VAT law, their Executive Regulations, and the main Cabinet and Ministerial Decisions.
• Hands-on experience with EmaraTax filings and FTA correspondence.
• Ability to read legislation and FTA guidance closely and apply it to client facts, with sound judgement on when to escalate.
• Strong written English: able to draft a clear, referenced technical memo with minimal rework.
• Solid Excel skills and comfort working with trial balances, ledgers and IFRS financial statements.
• Organised and reliable under filing deadlines, managing several clients at once.

Desirable

• Professional qualification in progress or complete: ACCA, CPA, CA, CTA, ADIT or an equivalent tax qualification.
• Exposure to transfer pricing documentation or benchmarking.
• Experience with Free Zone entities, Tax Groups, or Pillar Two / Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax questions.
• Familiarity with Excise Tax or Economic Substance matters.
• Arabic language skills, particularly for reading FTA correspondence and client documents.