Costs and options
E-invoicing cost in the UAE: low-cost options and the full bill
No official price list exists for UAE e-invoicing, so the cost is whatever you agree with your provider and software supplier. The full bill has several parts: software, the accredited provider, setup and connection, training, support and VAT. Each provider commits to 100 free exchange and reporting services a year per customer, which covers little of a business that sends hundreds of invoices a month. Ask for written, like-for-like quotes.
Read this first
StarterKit sells ERPNext services, and our plans include an e-invoice allowance, so we have a commercial interest in this topic. We use our own published plan below as one worked example, not as a market average. We do not quote prices for other providers, because we have no dated written quotes from them yet.
Cheap, affordable and low-cost all ask the same question: what will I actually pay? The honest answer starts with what is not known. No official source sets a price for UAE e-invoicing. The Ministry of Finance guide to choosing a provider lists the questions to ask, but gives no prices. This article is general information from official sources.
Government source: MoF selection considerations v1.1 (28 October 2026), section 3.2.5: pricing structure.
The parts of the bill
Split any offer into these lines before you compare. A low monthly price can hide a large line elsewhere.
| Part | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Business software | Do I pay a subscription or licence for the system that creates my invoices? |
| Accredited provider | What does the provider charge once the free services are used? Per invoice, per bundle or per month? |
| Setup and connection | Is connecting my system to the provider included, or is there a one-off fee? |
| Onboarding | Who does the onboarding steps, and is there a fee per company? |
| Training | Is training included, and for how many people? |
| Support | What does support cover, and how fast is the response? |
| Storage and records | Who stores the invoices, for how long, and what does exporting them cost? |
| Extra invoices | What is the price above the included number? |
| VAT | Are prices shown with or without 5% VAT? |
The MoF guide asks businesses to check the pricing model (subscription, per transaction or another) and whether there are hidden fees. It also asks about integration support, support response times, and how the provider supports keeping invoices and related data for the period set by the Tax Procedures Law.
Government source: MoF selection considerations v1.1 (28 October 2026), sections 3.2.2 to 3.2.5, pages 6 to 8.
The standard VAT rate is 5%, so a price shown without VAT is lower than what you pay.
Source: FTA: value added tax (the VAT calculator on the page uses 5%).
How far the 100 free services go
Each accredited provider commits to 100 free e-invoice exchange and reporting services a year for each customer, counted from the date the customer signs. The rule does not define what counts as one service. The table below assumes one invoice counts as one service. Ask your provider to confirm that in writing.
Government source: Decision 168 of 2026, Article 9(4): free services.
| Invoices a month | Invoices a year | Covered by the free 100 | Left to price with your provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 120 | 100 | 20 |
| 100 | 1,200 | 100 | 1,100 |
| 1,000 | 12,000 | 100 | 11,900 |
At 10 invoices a month, the free allowance covers most of the exchange cost. At 1,000 a month, it covers under 1% of the year. This is why the price per invoice above the allowance matters more than the free allowance as volume grows. For what is and is not free, see free e-invoicing in the UAE.
A fictional example: 300 invoices a month
Al Noor Office Furniture Trading LLC is a fictional company. It sends 300 invoices a month. This is arithmetic only. It was not run on a live system, and it uses no real provider price.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Invoices a year (300 x 12) | 3,600 |
| Covered by the free 100 | 100 |
| Left to price with the provider | 3,500 |
| Share of the year the free 100 covers | Under 3% |
The owner now has a clear question for each provider: what is the price for the other 3,500, and what else is on the quote? A provider that quotes a low software fee but a high price per extra invoice can cost more over the year than one that does the reverse. Only a written quote with the same scope shows which.
Use our plan as one worked example
StarterKit publishes its own plan prices. Treat them as our commercial offer, not a market average. Prices are as published on our pricing page. They exclude VAT. The table adds 5% VAT as arithmetic.
| Option | Price over 12 months | With 5% VAT | E-invoices included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly billing (AED 599 x 12) | AED 7,188 | AED 7,547.40 | 12,000 (1,000 a month) |
| 12-month bundle | AED 5,000 | AED 5,250 | 15,000 over 12 months, including 3,000 bonus |
Extra e-invoices cost AED 10 per 100, plus VAT. The plan includes ERPNext, cloud hosting and ticketing support. Exchange through an accredited provider depends on the provider arrangements, which are confirmed in your quote before activation. StarterKit is not an accredited service provider. Provider charges are agreed for each engagement.
Read e-invoicing for a small business in the UAE for the wider picture, or see the full plan comparison.
What delay can cost
The bill is not only what you pay to suppliers. The rules also set penalties for not implementing the system. Cabinet Decision 173 of 2026 sets these amounts.
| Violation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Not implementing the system, including not appointing an accredited provider | AED 5,000 for the first instance, then AED 5,000 for each month or part of a month it continues. Total capped at AED 50,000 in any 12 consecutive months |
| Not issuing and sending an e-invoice | AED 100 per e-invoice, up to AED 5,000 a month |
| Not issuing and sending an e-credit note | AED 100 per credit note, up to AED 5,000 a month |
| Not telling your provider about changes to the data registered with the FTA | AED 250 per day or part of a day, up to AED 5,000 a month |
Government source: Cabinet Decision 173 of 2026, Article 3 and annexed table.
The amounts are as published in the decision and can change. The PDF does not state the Official Gazette date, so confirm the current position with your accountant.
The dates matter for planning. A business with revenue of AED 50 million or more had to appoint a provider by 30 October 2026 and must implement by 1 January 2027. A business below AED 50 million must appoint by 31 March 2027 and implement by 1 July 2027.
Government source: Ministerial Decision 66 of 2026, Article 5(1)(a) as replaced.
Government source: Decision 244 of 2025, Article 5(1)(b).
For what a provider does, read what an accredited service provider is. For the full process and dates, see the UAE e-invoicing guide.
How to compare quotes
Ask every provider for the same written scope: software, provider exchange, setup, integration, training, support, storage, extra volume and VAT. Compare the first year and the recurring year separately.
- Fix the volumeCount invoices and credit notes you send in a normal month, and in your busiest month.
- Send one scopeGive each supplier the same list of lines from the table above.
- Ask for dated written quotesPrices change, so the date and the validity period matter.
- Add VATPut every quote on the same basis, with or without 5% VAT.
- Check the exitAsk what it costs to export your invoices if you leave.
To judge providers once you have quotes, see the list of accredited providers. This article is general information from official sources. Ask your accountant to confirm how it applies to your business.
Prepared by the StarterKit team. Regulatory statements link to UAE government sources. Examples and suggested work plans are labelled separately; they do not determine your business’s legal or tax position. Check the linked decisions for the full conditions and later changes.