Accounting software for nurseries in UAE, with each fee line on the right VAT code

Nurseries bill a bundle of services to the same parent, so the chart separates each one. HelloBooks gives early-years providers this layout.

• Tuition fee income and fees received in advance for future terms
• Meals, after-hours care and extracurricular clubs
• Uniform and supplies sales
• Transport fee income and bus running costs
• Teacher and assistant salaries, rent, learning resources

Government guidance on education lists nurseries and pre-schools among qualifying institutions whose education is zero-rated, provided the curriculum is recognised by the relevant authority. The same guidance says uniforms, food and drink, and extracurricular activities charged as an extra fee are standard-rated at 5%, while school transport falls under domestic transport and is exempt.

That mix matters for costs. Input VAT on costs used for zero-rated tuition is generally recoverable, while input VAT on costs used for exempt transport is not, and shared overheads may need apportioning. HelloBooks tags costs by activity so your accountant can work out the recoverable share; the agent does not apply an apportionment formula on its own.

Before term starts, the agent drafts invoices for every child from the enrolment list, with tuition, meals, clubs and transport on separate lines and the right treatment on each. It sends reminders to parents by email or WhatsApp and matches payments from your bank statement upload. Supplier invoices for food, books and bus maintenance are read and tagged.

Ask “which families have not paid the autumn term?” or “how much input VAT relates to the bus?” The nursery manager approves sibling discounts and refunds, and your accountant reviews the VAT 201 draft before filing.

Owners watch fees outstanding, occupancy against capacity, staff cost as a share of fee income and advance fees held. A nursery with 85 children at AED 9,500 per term has AED 807,500 of tuition to collect each term, so a 5% shortfall is real money.

Term invoice layouts, discount rules and fee codes can be set up for you, including Arabic and English parent communications. Book at /book-a-demo or write to hello@hellobooks.ai.