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VAT calculator UAE: add or remove 5% VAT

Add 5% VAT to a price, take the VAT out of a VAT-inclusive total, or estimate your next VAT return. Every figure is worked to the fils, with the working shown.

Free to use. No sign-up. Your figures stay in your browser.

UAE VAT in four lines

Standard rate
5%
VAT inside a gross price
× 5 ÷ 105
Return and payment due
28 days after period end
Mandatory registration
Above AED 375,000

Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017, Art. 3; Cabinet Decision 52/2017, Arts. 61 and 64

Free tool · UAE VAT at 5%

UAE VAT calculator

Add 5% VAT to a price, take VAT out of a VAT-inclusive price, or estimate what your next VAT return will show. Results update as you type, with the working shown.

What does your amount include?
Up to 2 decimal places (fils). Commas are fine.

Most goods and services are standard-rated. Not sure? See “Zero-rated or exempt?” below.
Net (excl. VAT)
—
VAT at 5%
—
Total (incl. VAT)
—
Zero-rated or exempt? What is the difference?

Neither has VAT added to the price. The difference is whether you can claim back the VAT you pay on your own costs.

Zero-rated (0%)Still a taxable supply, so the VAT on related costs can normally be recovered. Examples: qualifying exports of goods and services outside the Implementing States (conditions apply), international transport, investment precious metals, the first sale or lease of a new home within 3 years of completion, and certain education and healthcare services. Conditions apply.
ExemptNot taxable, so the VAT on costs used to make these supplies cannot be recovered. Examples: certain financial services, residential property sold or let (other than the zero-rated first supply), bare land, and local passenger transport.

If you make both taxable and exempt supplies, the VAT on shared costs usually has to be split (apportioned). That is something to check with an adviser.

Sources: Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017, Art. 45 (zero rate), Art. 46 (exempt), Art. 54 (recoverable input tax).

Prices shown to consumers must include VAT

If you are VAT-registered, the prices you publish for taxable supplies must include VAT. A shelf price, menu or website price for the public should be the VAT-inclusive total.

You may quote prices excluding VAT only for exports or when the customer is VAT-registered, and the price must then be clearly marked as excluding VAT. Supplies taxed under reverse charge must be quoted excluding VAT.

Source: Cabinet Decision No. 52 of 2017 (VAT Executive Regulation), Art. 27.

How rounding works

When VAT works out to a fraction of a fils, it may be rounded to the nearest fils using normal (mathematical) rounding. We round half a fils up. On a return, VAT is usually totalled invoice by invoice, so your real figure can differ from this estimate by a few fils.

When removing VAT, we round the VAT and then take it away from the total, so net + VAT always equals the amount you entered.

Source: VAT Executive Regulation, Art. 61.

Indicative only. This calculator is not tax or legal advice and does not cover every rule, such as apportionment, the profit margin scheme, designated zones or adjustments. Check your own position before you file.

Not sure which rate applies, or what to put on your return?

Ask DirhamWise. We can review your figures before you file.

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How it works

Two modes: a quick add-or-remove calculation for one amount, and an estimate of a full VAT return for one tax period.

  1. Choose the direction

    Add VAT when your figure is before VAT (net). Remove VAT when it already includes VAT (gross), such as a receipt or a shelf price.

  2. Pick the VAT treatment

    Standard-rated supplies carry 5%. Zero-rated supplies, such as qualifying exports, are taxable at 0%. Exempt supplies, such as residential rent and certain financial services, carry no VAT, and the VAT on costs that relate to them cannot be recovered.

  3. Round to the fils

    VAT is worked out in fils, and a fraction of a fils is rounded to the nearest fils (Executive Regulation, Art. 61). When VAT is removed, the net is the gross less the VAT, so the two always add back to what you entered.

  4. Estimate the return

    In the second tab, enter one period's sales and purchases. Output VAT less recoverable input VAT gives the amount payable or refundable, with blocked VAT and reverse-charge imports handled separately.

  5. Check the deadline

    Enter the period end date to see the filing and payment date: 28 days after the period ends, unless the FTA directs another date (Executive Regulation, Art. 64).

Three worked examples

The figures below come from the calculator above, using the inputs described.

  • Adding VAT to a quote

    A consultant quotes AED 2,400 before VAT for a standard-rated service.

    Net (excl. VAT)
    AED 2,400.00
    VAT at 5%
    AED 120.00
    Total to invoice AED 2,520.00

    A price published to consumers must be the VAT-inclusive AED 2,520.00 (Executive Regulation, Art. 27).

  • Taking VAT out of a receipt

    A supplier's receipt shows AED 1,575 including VAT.

    Gross (incl. VAT)
    AED 1,575.00
    VAT (1,575 × 5 ÷ 105)
    AED 75.00
    Net (excl. VAT) AED 1,500.00

    Taking 5% of the gross (AED 78.75) overstates the VAT. VAT is 5% of the net, not of the total.

  • A quarterly return estimate

    Quarter ending 30 September 2026. Standard-rated sales AED 400,000 before VAT. Purchases AED 157,500 including VAT, of which AED 500 of VAT is on client entertainment and cannot be recovered.

    Output VAT on sales
    AED 20,000.00
    Input VAT on purchases
    AED 7,500.00
    Less blocked VAT
    − AED 500.00
    Recoverable input VAT
    AED 7,000.00
    VAT payable AED 13,000.00

    Return and payment due by 28 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers about the vat calculator and the rules behind it.

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How do I calculate 5% VAT on a price?

Multiply the net price by 0.05 to get the VAT, then add it: AED 1,000 plus AED 50 VAT is AED 1,050. Or multiply the net price by 1.05 to go straight to the VAT-inclusive total.

How do I remove VAT from a VAT-inclusive price?

Multiply the gross amount by 5 and divide by 105 to get the VAT, then subtract it. AED 1,050 contains AED 50 of VAT and AED 1,000 net. Taking 5% of the gross overstates the VAT.

What is the difference between zero-rated and exempt?

Neither carries VAT on the sale, but they work differently. A zero-rated supply, such as a qualifying export, international transport or certain education and healthcare, is taxable at 0%, so the VAT on related costs can be recovered. An exempt supply, such as residential rent, bare land, local passenger transport or certain financial services, is not taxed, and the VAT on related costs cannot be recovered (Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017, Articles 45, 46 and 54).

Do prices shown to customers have to include VAT?

Yes. Published prices for taxable supplies must include VAT. A price may be shown before VAT only for exports or for customers who are VAT-registered, and it must then be clearly marked (VAT Executive Regulation, Article 27).

When is the VAT return due?

Within 28 days of the end of the tax period, filed on EmaraTax, with payment due by the same date. The standard tax period is a quarter. Businesses with annual turnover of AED 150 million or more file monthly.

When does a business have to register for VAT?

Registration is mandatory when taxable supplies and imports exceeded AED 375,000 over the previous 12 months, or are expected to exceed it in the next 30 days. Voluntary registration is possible above AED 187,500 on the same two tests, and taxable expenses also count towards that threshold.

How long do I have to claim a VAT refund?

From 1 January 2026, excess refundable VAT or a credit balance must be claimed or used within five years of the end of the tax period it relates to. Where the five years ran out before 1 January 2026, or run out within a year of it, the claim can be made until 31 December 2026.

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About these results

This calculator gives an indicative figure only. It is not tax advice. It assumes standard-rated purchases with valid tax invoices, does not apportion input VAT when you also make exempt supplies, and does not cover credit notes, bad-debt relief, the profit margin scheme, designated zones, the Capital Assets Scheme or penalties. The changes made by Cabinet Decision 149/2026 from 1 October 2026 are not modelled: enter any blocked VAT as an amount. The deadline is not moved for weekends or public holidays. The figures you type are not sent anywhere unless you send them to us.

Rules last checked against the primary sources on 7 October 2026.

Primary sources

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