The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) operates EmaraTax — the UAE's electronic tax administration portal for VAT under Federal Decree-Law 8/2017, Corporate Tax under Federal Decree-Law 47/2022, and Excise Tax under Federal Decree-Law 7/2017. Most UAE SMBs interact with EmaraTax the same way: an accountant exports VAT working papers from accounting software, manually re-keys them into the EmaraTax web form, hopes nothing is mistyped, and submits. It works, but it is slow, error-prone, and it does not scale. HIBR ERP closes that loop. The FTA EmaraTax integration submits VAT 201 and Corporate Tax returns directly via the FTA's tax-software API — you review the calculated return inside HIBR, approve it with a single click, and HIBR submits, stores the FTA acknowledgement, and updates the period status. Under Federal Decree-Law 28/2022 on tax procedures, the taxable person remains responsible for the return regardless of who or what files it — HIBR is the filing mechanism, not the responsible party — and every supporting workpaper is archived for the FTA's audit retention requirement.
What this integration does
- VAT 201 auto-preparation. Every output VAT entry, input VAT entry, and adjustment posts to the right box on the VAT 201 form in real time. Box 1 (standard-rated supplies), Box 3 (zero-rated), Box 4 (exempt), Box 6 (imports under reverse charge), and so on — populated from the underlying invoices and bills, not retyped.
- Direct submission to EmaraTax. When you approve the return inside HIBR, the submission goes straight to the FTA EmaraTax API with your TRN credentials. The FTA's submission reference comes back into HIBR within seconds.
- Corporate Tax module under FDL 47/2022. HIBR prepares the taxable income workings: accounting profit, exempt income, deductible/non-deductible adjustments, Small Business Relief election under Article 21 where eligible (revenue threshold 3M), transfer pricing entries for related-party transactions.
- Quarterly + annual filing cadence. VAT is quarterly (or monthly for large taxpayers); Corporate Tax is annual with the first return due within 9 months of the FY end. HIBR's calendar engine surfaces both deadlines 60 days, 30 days, and 7 days out.
- Five-year audit archive. Every submitted return, every supporting workpaper, every source invoice and bill is archived for at least five years per Federal Decree-Law 28/2022 — exportable as a single audit pack on FTA request.
- Penalty calculator under Cabinet Decision 49/2021. If you miss a deadline (it happens — try not to), HIBR calculates the administrative penalties under Cabinet Decision 49/2021 on administrative penalties for tax procedure violations so you know what you owe before the FTA tells you.
The filing flow inside HIBR ERP
- The period closes. When your VAT quarter ends, HIBR locks the period draft and prepares the VAT 201 form. You see every line populated, with click-through to the source invoices.
- Review the return. Your finance lead or external accountant reviews the form in HIBR. Any unusual variance is flagged (revenue dip, unusual exempt-supply spike, atypical reverse charge volume). Comments and audit trail stay attached.
- Approve and submit. Click "Submit to EmaraTax". HIBR pushes via API to the FTA portal using your TRN credentials. The FTA acknowledgement reference comes back into HIBR within seconds.
- Pay the VAT due. HIBR generates a payment slip with the FTA reference. Pay via direct debit, GIBAN bank transfer, or one of the supported card rails. HIBR books the payment against the liability.
- Period closes officially. The acknowledged return moves to the archive. The next period opens automatically with the right opening positions.
Use cases
Frequently asked questions
Can the FTA reject a HIBR-submitted return?
Technical rejections happen rarely and are usually about missing fields. HIBR validates against the FTA's published technical rules before submission, so the rejection rate in our beta cohort is below 1%. If a rejection comes back, HIBR shows the FTA reason code and surfaces the field to fix in one click.
Does HIBR file Excise Tax returns?
Not in Year 1. Excise Tax under Federal Decree-Law 7/2017 affects a narrower set of businesses (tobacco, energy drinks, sweetened beverages, e-cigarettes); we are adding Excise filing in Year 2. For now, HIBR books excise correctly in the ledger and exports a workpaper for manual EmaraTax entry where needed.
How does this work with my existing tax consultant?
Your tax consultant logs into HIBR ERP as a "Reviewer" with read-only or comment access. They review the auto-prepared return, raise queries, and approve. The submission still goes via your TRN. Most consultants love it — their work focuses on advisory questions, not data re-entry.
File VAT 201 and Corporate Tax in clicks, not days
Direct EmaraTax submission, AI-prepared, audit-archived. Built for UAE SMBs under Federal Decree-Law 8/2017 and 47/2022. Beta launches October 2026.
Join the waitlist →Related: ClearTax UAE e-invoicing · VAT 201 filing guide · Corporate Tax guide · HIBR vs other UAE accounting tools · HIBR ERP pricing