Accounting Software for Production Houses in UAE | HelloBooks Production budgets, crew and kit hire, foreign clients and cost-to-complete for UAE film, video and media production houses, kept by an AI agent.
A production house in an Abu Dhabi media free zone shoots a TV commercial for a bank, a documentary series for a European broadcaster and a social campaign for a Dubai developer, all in one quarter. Each job has a budget, a crew paid by day rate, kit hired by the day and locations with permit fees. HelloBooks gives every production its own budget-versus-actual view, with the AI agent posting crew invoices and receipts and the producer approving costs.
Free Plan with invoices within 200 transactions, bills & quotes — no credit card.
Productions are projects with short, intense spending. HelloBooks organises costs in budget-style categories that producers recognise.
Production services for UAE clients are standard-rated at 5%. Work for a foreign broadcaster can be zero-rated as an export of services only where the FTA’s conditions are met; services connected with goods or events in the UAE may still carry UAE VAT. With a foreign client and a UAE shoot, take advice before choosing the treatment.
Freelance crew who are not VAT-registered invoice without VAT, while kit hire companies usually charge 5%. Music and footage licensed from overseas are generally imported services under the reverse charge.
During a shoot, crew members send invoices and the production coordinator photographs receipts for fuel, catering and props. The agent reads each one, in Arabic or English, and posts it to the right production and budget line. Petty cash floats given to runners are tracked until receipts come back.
The producer can ask “how much of the lighting budget is left on the bank commercial?” or “which crew invoices are unpaid?” Overages are flagged as they happen. You approve each crew payment and every client overage before it is invoiced.
Budget versus actual by production, cost to complete, petty cash outstanding and client receivables are the core reports. On an AED 450,000 commercial with AED 372,000 spent and post-production still to come, the cost-to-complete figure shows whether the margin will hold.
Budget templates that match your top sheet, AI rules for regular kit-hire suppliers and approval chains for producers can be configured. Book at /book-a-demo or email hello@hellobooks.ai.
Industry · Event management
Industry · Travel agencies
Industry · Holiday homes
How HelloBooks fits the books, VAT treatment and reporting of each UAE sector.
Accounting firms: run HelloBooks under your own brand
Free Plan with full access to the AI accountant — no credit card, no time limit.