Where recoverable input VAT exceeds the VAT charged, the difference belongs to the business and may be reclaimed from the FTA rather than left on account. The FTA scrutinises refund applications closely, and weak documentation results in rejection or months of delay. Cressford Chartered Accountants reviews the position, evidences the claim to audit standard, files it through EmaraTax, and handles every FTA query until the funds are received. Note for visitors: the tourist VAT refund is administered by Planet at the airport; this service is for VAT-registered businesses.
Describe your position and refund eligibility is assessed within one working day. Your details remain confidential.
No obligation. Your details remain confidential.
The term VAT refund covers several distinct schemes in the UAE. The following sets out who claims what:
A VAT-registered business holding recoverable input VAT is in the right place.
A refundable position arises whenever recoverable input VAT on purchases exceeds the output VAT charged in a period. This occurs most frequently where:
VAT is charged at 0% on exports while 5% continues to be paid on UAE costs, so input VAT accumulates.
Fit-out, equipment, vehicles for resale or a significant one-off spend can push input VAT above output for the period.
Substantial early expenditure before revenue develops frequently leaves a recoverable balance.
Rather than carrying the balance forward indefinitely, it can be reclaimed as cash. Whether a claim is worth making is confirmed at the outset.
Claiming VAT that is not recoverable is among the fastest routes to a rejected application. As a general rule:
The recoverable is separated from the blocked before filing, so the claim reflects only what the FTA will allow.
As auditors, the firm evidences the claim to audit standard and identifies the weaknesses that trigger rejections, before submission.
Clients deal with senior professionals who state whether a claim is worth making, and whether to take the cash now or carry it forward.
The cost is known before work begins. The quotation given is the fee payable.
Office 2514, DAMAC Smart Heights, Barsha Heights (Tecom), Dubai. Engagements conducted in person or fully remotely.
No. The tourist refund on eligible shopping is administered by Planet at airport tax-free counters. This service concerns business VAT refunds for VAT-registered companies reclaiming excess input VAT from the FTA.
Any VAT-registered business whose recoverable input VAT exceeds its output VAT for a period, most commonly exporters, zero-rated suppliers, businesses after large capital purchases, and startups in the investment phase.
Timelines vary with the quality of the evidence and the FTA's review. Complete, reconciled applications with prompt responses to information requests move considerably faster than claims that draw repeated queries.
Most rejections arise from claiming blocked input VAT, missing or invalid tax invoices, or figures that do not reconcile to the returns and the books. Each of these is addressed before submission.
It depends on the size of the balance, cash-flow needs and how regularly the business is in a refund position. Claiming releases cash but invites review; carrying forward offsets future liabilities. A plain recommendation is given on the full picture.
Yes: eligibility review, evidencing, preparation, EmaraTax submission, FTA queries and follow-through until the refund is paid or applied.
Claimed properly, evidenced fully, and paid out without the back-and-forth.