Accounting software for retail shops in UAE, from stock count to VAT return

Retail books turn on gross margin, so the chart separates stock purchases from the running costs of the shop floor. HelloBooks gives retailers a starting layout with inventory as a balance sheet asset and cost of goods sold driven by sales.

• Inventory on hand, with item-level stock in HelloBooks inventory
• Shop sales by channel: counter cash, card, and any online orders you take
• Card terminal settlement clearing account and merchant fees
• Shop rent, mall service charges, fit-out depreciation and shop staff costs
• Stock write-offs for damaged or expired goods

Most retail goods are standard-rated at 5%. Shop prices are normally shown VAT-inclusive to customers, so the sales figure on your till report already includes tax and must be split out. HelloBooks does that split per line when it drafts the daily entry. Give-away items, staff purchases and stock taken for personal use can create VAT to account for, so tell the agent how you handle them and it will post them the same way each time.

Second-hand goods sold under the profit margin scheme are taxed on the margin rather than the full price, and only where the scheme’s conditions are met. If you trade used items, confirm eligibility with the FTA guidance or a tax agent before using it.

At day end you upload or photograph the till Z-report; the agent drafts the sales journal, separates VAT and splits cash from card. When the card acquirer’s settlement appears on your Emirates NBD, ADCB or FAB statement upload, it matches the payout to the clearing account and posts the merchant fee. Supplier invoices, in Arabic or English, are read and posted to stock, increasing quantity and value.

Ask “which products have not sold in 90 days?” or “what was gross margin last month?” in plain English. You still approve stock adjustments after a physical count and review the VAT return before it is filed.

Gross margin by product group, slow-moving stock, and cash versus card takings are the three figures most shop owners ask for weekly. A shop with monthly sales of AED 180,000 at a 38% margin should see roughly AED 68,400 of gross profit, and the agent highlights months where shrinkage pushes that down.

Retailers with several branches can use multi-warehouse inventory on the Business plan. If you want a custom product-group layout, a till-report template the agent should recognise or approval rules for stock write-offs, email hello@hellobooks.ai or book a call at /book-a-demo.