# Maaliya Maaliya is an AI-native finance operations platform built for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The product automates day-to-day bookkeeping (reading and coding bills), invoicing and UAE e-invoicing, VAT return preparation, UAE Corporate Tax record-keeping, bank reconciliation, and document storage. Maaliya also offers "Done For You," a managed service in which UAE-qualified accountants handle bookkeeping, VAT and Corporate Tax filing on the same platform. Maaliya was founded to address the compliance work created by the UAE's VAT (introduced 2018) and Corporate Tax regimes, which existing accounting software — often built for other markets — did not handle well. This file distinguishes three kinds of content: **Product pages** (Product, About, Pricing) describe Maaliya's own software and services; **editorial content** (Xero in the UAE, Accounting & Bookkeeping, Newsroom) is written by Maaliya to explain UAE finance, accounting and Xero topics and is not an official government or Federal Tax Authority publication; **free tools** (a VAT invoice checker, VAT health checker, tax invoice generator and bank statement parser, linked within the relevant sections below) are standalone calculators/checkers that do not require a Maaliya account. For authoritative UAE tax law and regulatory requirements, consult the UAE Federal Tax Authority (https://tax.gov.ae) directly. This file does not guarantee inclusion, ranking or citation in any AI system — it only makes Maaliya's own content easier for such systems to find and understand. ## Product - [Maaliya Platform](https://maaliya.ae/platform): The core software product, on one page across 5 feature areas: AI bookkeeping (bill parsing, VAT coding), invoicing and UAE e-invoicing, VAT return and Corporate Tax preparation, bank statement reconciliation, and a document vault for licences and contracts. - [Maaliya Done For You](https://maaliya.ae/done-for-you): A managed bookkeeping and compliance service: UAE-qualified accountants handle monthly close, VAT registration and filing, and Corporate Tax (including thresholds and Small Business Relief) on top of the Maaliya platform. - [Maaliya Intelligence](https://maaliya.ae/intelligence): The platform's AI layer: anomaly alerts, cash-flow forecasts and natural-language answers over a business's own books. - [Maaliya Pricing](https://maaliya.ae/pricing): Subscription tiers for the Maaliya app (Free, Starter, Growth, Scale) and for the Done For You managed-bookkeeping service (Books Lite/Standard/Plus), plus one-off services such as annual audit and liquidation reports. - [Book a Demo](https://maaliya.ae/book-demo): Book a 30-minute walkthrough of Maaliya on a business's own ledger with a product specialist. - [Join the Waitlist](https://maaliya.ae/waitlist): Sign up for onboarding, which Maaliya runs in small batches so each migration gets proper attention. ## UAE VAT Maaliya's own VAT return automation (VAT 201 preparation) is described in Product, above (/platform, /done-for-you). The tools and any articles below are freely accessible without a Maaliya account. - [VAT Invoice Checker (free tool)](https://maaliya.ae/vat-invoice-checker): Upload a UAE tax invoice and check it line by line against Federal Tax Authority (FTA) requirements: TRNs, required wording, and the VAT breakdown. Free, no account needed. - [VAT Health Checker (free tool)](https://maaliya.ae/vat-health-checker): A 25-question UAE VAT compliance assessment across five areas, producing a score out of 100, a risk grade, and prioritised fixes. Free, no account needed. ## UAE Corporate Tax Maaliya does not yet publish standalone UAE Corporate Tax educational content. Corporate Tax is currently covered together with VAT, as one combined product feature and managed service: - [Maaliya Platform — VAT & Corporate Tax feature](https://maaliya.ae/platform#vat): Product feature description: the same ledger that feeds UAE VAT return boxes also feeds Corporate Tax schedules and disclosures. - [Maaliya Done For You — VAT & Corporate Tax service](https://maaliya.ae/done-for-you#vat): Managed service description: UAE Corporate Tax registration, thresholds, Small Business Relief and quarterly VAT prepared by UAE practitioners. ## Xero in the UAE Maaliya's most complete published guidance: a series covering Xero's suitability, setup, VAT rates and filing, chart of accounts, and organisation settings for UAE businesses already using or considering Xero. - [Xero VAT Codes Explained for UAE Businesses: 2026 Guide](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/xero-vat-codes-uae/): UAE Xero VAT codes should reflect the legal VAT treatment, not only the percentage. Standard-rated transactions generally use 5%, while qualifying zero-rated supplies use 0%; exempt, out-of-scope and reverse-charge transactions require separate treatment. In Xero, No Tax is different from a reportable 0% rate because No Tax transactions are kept outside normal sales-tax totals. - [Xero UAE VAT Return Guide: How to Prepare VAT201 in 2026](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/xero-uae-vat-return-guide/): UAE businesses can use Xero to maintain and reconcile the VAT data behind VAT201, but as of 20 August 2026 Xero’s dedicated UAE VAT-return workflow is still marked as coming soon. The practical process is to reconcile the VAT period in Xero, review tax classifications and recoverable input VAT, map the data to VAT201, submit through EmaraTax and pay any VAT due by the applicable deadline. VAT returns and related payments are generally due within 28 days after the tax period ends. - [How to File UAE VAT Using Xero: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/how-to-file-uae-vat-using-xero/): UAE businesses can use Xero to maintain the accounting records and VAT data needed for a VAT return, but as of 20 August 2026 Xero’s dedicated UAE VAT-return workflow is still described as coming soon. The practical process is to complete and reconcile the period in Xero, review UAE VAT classifications, map the figures to the FTA return, submit through EmaraTax, and pay any VAT due by the applicable deadline. The FTA generally requires filing and payment within 28 days from the end of the tax period. - [Xero Organisation Settings for UAE Businesses: 2026 Guide](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/xero-organization-settings-uae/): A UAE business should configure Xero around the actual legal entity, accounting period, base currency, VAT registration position and finance workflow before live bookkeeping begins. The highest-impact settings are organisation details, financial year, tax information, conversion date, chart of accounts, invoice output, user access and bank setup. Clean setup reduces later reconciliation, VAT and reporting problems. - [Xero Chart of Accounts UAE: A Practical 2026 Setup Guide](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/xero-chart-of-accounts-uae/): A UAE business should customise Xero's default chart of accounts around its real reporting needs rather than copying a generic template. Keep the structure simple enough for consistent bookkeeping, separate important balance-sheet and management categories, and review the default VAT treatment attached to each account because Xero can use that account-level tax rate during transaction coding. The chart should also support reliable financial statements and records for UAE Corporate Tax and VAT review. - [Xero UAE Tax Rates Explained: A Practical 2026 Guide](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/xero-uae-tax-rates-explained/): For UAE VAT, the standard rate is 5% unless a supply qualifies for zero-rating or exemption under UAE VAT law. In Xero, a reportable 0% transaction should use an appropriate 0% tax rate rather than the overall No Tax treatment, because Xero keeps No Tax transactions outside normal sales-tax totals. Out-of-scope and reverse-charge transactions are separate concepts and should be configured according to their actual UAE VAT treatment rather than treated as extra VAT percentages. - [Xero UAE Setup Guide: How to Configure Xero Properly in 2026](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/xero-uae-setup-guide/): A UAE business can use Xero as its accounting ledger, but the setup should be tailored to UAE VAT, local banking and upcoming eInvoicing requirements. Configure the organisation details, financial year, VAT registration data, chart of accounts, bank accounts, conversion balances and invoice templates before posting live transactions. Xero is FTA-accredited, while dedicated UAE VAT-return and eInvoicing features are still being rolled out, so transaction-level tax coding and compliance review remain important. - [Is Xero Suitable for UAE Businesses? An Honest 2026 Guide](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/is-xero-suitable-for-uae-businesses/): Xero is suitable for many UAE businesses, particularly service-based SMEs, startups, professional firms and companies that value cloud accounting, collaboration, integrations and multi-currency capability. Xero is currently listed by the UAE Federal Tax Authority as accredited tax accounting software, but its dedicated UAE VAT-return and UAE eInvoicing functionality is still being rolled out; UAE payroll also generally requires an integrated third-party application. Businesses should therefore treat Xero as a strong accounting ledger, not as a complete UAE compliance stack on its own. - [Setting Up Xero for UAE VAT: Step-by-Step Guide](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/setting-up-xero-for-uae-vat-step-by-step-guide/): To set up Xero for UAE VAT, first confirm your VAT registration and effective date, then configure your organisation and tax settings, enter your TRN, create separate tax rates for standard-rated, zero-rated, exempt and out-of-scope transactions, review Xero's VAT control account, configure UAE-compliant tax invoices, migrate opening VAT balances carefully and test representative transactions before going live. As of August 2026, Xero is FTA-listed in the UAE, although Xero says its dedicated UAE VAT return functionality is still being rolled out. - [Xero in the UAE: Everything You Need to Know](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/xero-in-the-uae-everything-you-need-to-know/): Xero is a strong cloud-accounting platform for UAE businesses that need invoicing, bank reconciliation, financial reporting, multi-currency accounting and collaboration with their accountant. It is currently listed on the UAE Federal Tax Authority’s Tax Accounting Software Register. However, as of 30 July 2026, Xero’s native UAE VAT-return mapping and eInvoicing capabilities are still under development, while UAE payroll generally requires a separate application. Maaliya’s live Xero API integration adds UAE-focused VAT automation, invoice checks, transaction coding and VAT-return preparation without requiring businesses to replace their Xero ledger. ## Accounting & Bookkeeping Maaliya's own bookkeeping automation is described in Product, above (/platform, /done-for-you). - [Maaliya vs Dext for UAE Businesses: Which AI Bookkeeping Solution Is Better?](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/maaliya-vs-dext-uae/): Maaliya and Dext both help automate bookkeeping by extracting financial data from invoices and receipts. Dext is a mature document capture platform widely used by accountants worldwide, while Maaliya combines AI-powered document processing with bookkeeping workflows tailored for UAE businesses, including VAT-focused processes and local accounting requirements. - [Best AI Bookkeeping Software for UAE Businesses (2026)](https://maaliya.ae/resources/articles/best-ai-bookkeeping-software-uae/): AI bookkeeping software helps businesses automate repetitive accounting tasks such as invoice processing, receipt capture, expense categorization, and document management. For UAE businesses, the best solutions also support local accounting workflows, VAT compliance, and integrations with modern accounting systems. - [The Hidden Cost of Manual Bookkeeping for UAE SMEs](https://maaliya.ae/resources/guides/the-hidden-cost-of-manual-bookkeeping-for-uae-smes/): Discover the hidden costs of manual bookkeeping for UAE SMEs, from costly errors and VAT risks to lost productivity. ## Invoicing & UAE E-Invoicing Maaliya's own invoicing and UAE e-invoicing feature is described in Product, above (/platform). - [Tax Invoice Generator (free tool)](https://maaliya.ae/tax-invoice-generator): Fill in supplier, customer and line-item details and generate a clean, FTA-compliant UAE tax invoice as a downloadable PDF. Free, no account needed. ## Finance Operations Maaliya's own bank reconciliation and document vault features are described in Product, above (/platform). - [Bank Statement Parser (free tool)](https://maaliya.ae/bank-statement-parser): Upload a bank statement PDF and get back a clean transaction table with running totals and a check for anything that looks missing. Free, no account needed. ## Newsroom Company announcements and perspective pieces, useful for understanding Maaliya as a company — not UAE tax/accounting guidance. - [The Future of Finance Isn't More Software, It's Less Manual Work](https://maaliya.ae/resources/newsroom/the-future-of-finance-isn-t-more-software-it-s-less-manual-work/): Discover why the future of finance isn't about adding more software, but eliminating repetitive work through AI-powered finance operations. - [What You Can Expect from Maaliya](https://maaliya.ae/resources/newsroom/what-you-can-expect-from-maaliya/): Discover the features and vision behind Maaliya, the AI-native finance operations platform helping businesses across the GCC automate finance operations. - [Why We Built Maaliya](https://maaliya.ae/resources/newsroom/why-we-built-maaliya/): Learn why we built Maaliya, an AI-native finance operations platform designed to simplify bookkeeping, invoicing, reconciliation, and compliance. - [Welcome to Maaliya](https://maaliya.ae/resources/newsroom/welcome-to-maaliya/): Meet Maaliya, an AI-native finance operations platform helping businesses across the GCC automate bookkeeping, invoicing, reconciliation, VAT, and more. - [7 Signs Your Business Has Outgrown Spreadsheets!](https://maaliya.ae/resources/guides/7-signs-your-business-has-outgrown-spreadsheets/): Still managing your business with spreadsheets? Discover seven clear signs it's time to upgrade your finance processes and improve efficiency. - [The Future of Finance in the GCC: Trends Shaping the Next Decade](https://maaliya.ae/resources/guides/the-future-of-finance-in-the-gcc-trends-shaping-the-next-decade/): Explore the key trends shaping the future of finance in the GCC, including fintech growth, digital payments, AI, regulation and open banking. ## About Maaliya - [About Maaliya](https://maaliya.ae/about): Why Maaliya was built: UAE businesses faced a wave of compliance work after VAT (2018) and Corporate Tax arrived, using accounting software built for other markets. Background on the company and its mission.