Accounting and Bookkeeping Services in Qatar
Every company in Qatar must keep accounting books and supporting records, and the tax rules say to keep them for ten years. Many companies must also file audited accounts with their tax return. Our part is the monthly bookkeeping and a set of statements ready for your auditor, who has to be someone other than us.
Books and accounts at a glance
- How long books and records are kept
- 10 years
- After the year end, to file the tax return, even if exempt
- 4 months
- For LLC managers to prepare the year-end accounts
- 2 months
- An LLC’s general assembly appoints an auditor
- Every year
From the Income Tax Law and its Executive Regulations, and the company law; see the sources at the end of the page.
The books the law asks for
The tax regulations name three books as the minimum, kept under Qatar’s laws and international accounting standards.
General journal
Every transaction, in date order.
General ledger
The same entries, sorted by account.
Inventory book
Stock and assets counted at the year end.
Supporting documents
The papers behind each entry, kept with the books.
Company accounting services we help with
Our company accounting services run month by month, and each one feeds the year-end file.
Monthly recording
Each sale, purchase and expense posted in the month it happens.
Bank reconciliation
Every bank statement ticked off against the books.
Payables and receivables
Who owes you, and whom you owe, kept up to date.
Monthly reports
A short set of figures for the owners each month.
Payroll records
Wages and transfers kept in line with your books.
Year-end statements
Prepared for your auditor to audit.
Monthly bookkeeping, step by step
- Send the documents
Invoices, receipts and bank statements for the month.
- Record
Each transaction entered in the journal and ledger.
- Reconcile
Every bank account matched to its statement.
- Review balances
Open invoices, supplier balances and unusual items.
- Report
The month’s figures sent to you, with any questions.
Wages in Qatar are paid by transfer to each worker’s account at a financial institution in Qatar, so payroll and bank records sit side by side in the books.
Financial statements and audit preparation
In a limited liability company, the managers prepare the balance sheet, the profit and loss account and a report within two months of the year end, and send copies to the Ministry and each partner within one month.
For companies owned by Qatari and GCC nationals, a GTA circular asks for audited statements with the return when capital is QAR 1 million or more, or annual revenue QAR 5 million or more. For other companies, your accountant confirms the current rule.
Final accounts in brief
- Statements
- Financial position, profit or loss, changes in equity and cash flows
- With them
- Notes, the auditor’s report and the listed schedules
- Audited by
- An auditor registered in Qatar
- Not by
- Anyone who took part in preparing the accounts
Accounting firms in Qatar and your auditor
An accounting firm in Qatar can keep your books or audit them, but not both for the same accounts.
| The job | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Posting your ledgers through 2026 | Your accounting firm |
| Signing the 2026 audit report | A different firm, listed on the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s register of auditors |
| Signing your tax return | A firm registered with the GTA as a tax agent |
Records the tax authority expects
Return within 4 months
Of the end of the tax year or accounting period.
Even if exempt
An exempt company still files its return.
At your place of business
Books kept there for ten years, longer while in dispute.
Penalties for late returns and missing records
- A day for a late return, up to QAR 180,000
- QAR 500
- Of tax paid late, up to the tax due
- 2% a month
- Required records not kept
- QAR 30,000
- Final accounts and books not kept as the rules ask
- QAR 30,000
Your accountant can tell you which of these could reach your company. The Arabic text of the amended Income Tax Law is the one that counts.
Accounting software and electronic records
A ledger kept in accounting software is within the rules if three things hold.
Paper kept
The paper invoices and receipts are kept.
System written down
Someone has written down how the system is set up and used.
Entries locked
The auditor confirms that a posted entry cannot be changed afterwards.
Related services
- Audit preparationYear-end files for your auditor
- Budgeting and forecastingBudgets and cash flow forecasts
- Tax card and tax returnsRegistration, returns and deadlines
- Payroll and WPSMonthly wages through the Wage Protection System
- Corporate bank accountPreparing the bank’s file
- Company liquidation and closureFinal accounts when a company closes
Common questions about accounting services in Qatar
What accounting help does a small business in Qatar need?
Usually a bookkeeper rather than a finance department. Every month someone posts the sales and bills, matches them to the bank statement and files the papers as the tax rules require; once a year, the statements go to the auditor. A two-person shop in Al Sadd goes through the same four steps as a company of forty; there are just fewer lines in its ledger.
Source: Income Tax Executive Regulations, Cabinet Decision No. 39 of 2019 (Al Meezan)
How much do accounting services cost for a small business in Qatar?
We have no list price, so ask us for a quote. Fifty café receipts in one account make a small month; three trading accounts plus a payroll make a much larger one. Send counts of transactions, accounts and staff, and we will reply with a figure in writing.
Did not find your question? Ask an adviser. We reply with what applies to your case.
Sources
Official sources for the facts on this page, last checked 19 Oct 2026.
- Income Tax Law No. 24 of 2018 (Al Meezan)
- Income Tax Executive Regulations, Cabinet Decision No. 39 of 2019 (Al Meezan)
- General Tax Authority, Circular of the President No. 2 of 2021 (PDF)
- General Tax Authority, Investors guide
- General Tax Authority, Income Tax Law and its Executive Regulations, 2024 edition (PDF)
- Law No. 8 of 2020 regulating the auditing profession (Al Meezan, Arabic)
- Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, as amended (Al Meezan)
- Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 (Al Meezan)
Tell us your legal form, about how many transactions you have each month and your year end.
We reply with the scope of the work and a written quotation.