Accounting and bookkeeping in Saudi Arabia

Accounting for a foreign-owned company in Saudi Arabia means keeping books that support three things: the zakat or income tax return, the VAT returns and the annual financial statements. The owners are often abroad and the figures may need to feed a parent group’s reporting, so the practical questions are who records the transactions, in which system and currency, and how the month-end pack reaches head office.

Ask a firm which accounting standards it prepares statements under, which invoicing and bookkeeping software it supports, and how it fits a parent company’s reporting calendar. Ask who signs the annual statements and whether audit is done in-house or by a partner practice. Ask also what the monthly fee includes: bank reconciliations, payroll entries and VAT preparation, or bookkeeping alone. The Saudi Arabia guide covers the registration steps that come first.

Accountanty lists 87 firms offering accounting in Saudi Arabia: 46 corporate service providers and 41 accounting firms. Fifty-nine say they focus on foreign clients; English is offered by 66 and Arabic by 51. Manufacturing, healthcare, construction and real estate are the sectors they name most. Browse them by city: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam or Al Khobar.

Firms offering accounting in Saudi Arabia

Sidra Hub

Corporate services provider · Medium-sized firm

Jeddah

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +6 more

Languages: Arabic · English

View profile of Sidra Hub

63 more firms offering accounting in Saudi Arabia

Frequently asked questions

Does a foreign-owned company in Saudi Arabia need a local accountant?

The company must keep books and file returns in the Kingdom, and most owners abroad appoint a local firm to do it. Ask a firm which filings it will take on and which stay with you or your group.

Can a Saudi accounting firm report to my head office abroad?

Many firms prepare a monthly pack for a parent company. Agree the format, currency, deadline and language at the start, and ask whether the firm has worked with your group's software before.

What should an accounting quote in Saudi Arabia include?

A clear list of tasks: bookkeeping, reconciliations, VAT and zakat or tax preparation, payroll entries and the annual statements. Ask what counts as extra work and how it is charged, so you can compare quotes fairly.

Other services in Saudi Arabia

Accountants by city in Saudi Arabia

Setting up a company in Saudi Arabia: the guide and every firm

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, rates and fees change: check them with the official sources linked on this page or with a qualified adviser before you act.