Short answer: Five published recruiter guides put a general accountant in the UAE at about AED 6,000 to 18,000 a month, a finance manager at AED 25,000 to 37,000 in most guides, a financial controller at AED 25,000 to 66,000 and a CFO at AED 61,000 to 122,000. Small companies often sit lower, and the guides do not all measure pay the same way.
Published guides put accountants at AED 6,000 to 32,000 a month, finance managers at AED 15,000 to 41,000 and CFOs at AED 61,000 to 122,000.
The table shows the lowest and highest monthly figure we found for each role across five guides, and which guide each end comes from. All five publish monthly figures in AED, so no annual-to-monthly conversion was needed. Robert Walters quotes basic salary; the other four quote a fixed or gross package. Read each range as a band, not a price.
| Role | Range in published guides (AED a month) | Low end from | High end from | What moves pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts assistant | 5,250 to 20,500 | NADIA 2024-25, SME | NADIA 2024-25, multinational | Company type; speed and accuracy in the accounting system |
| Accountant (general or financial) | 6,000 to 32,000 | Cooper Fitch 2025, SME | NADIA 2024-25, multinational | UAE VAT work, ERP used, ACCA or CA progress, company size |
| Senior accountant | 11,500 to 33,000 | NADIA 2024-25, SME | NADIA 2024-25, multinational | Month-end close ownership, audit support, team supervision |
| VAT or tax accountant | 15,000 to 22,000 | Charterhouse 2026 | Cooper Fitch 2025 (industry tax analyst) | VAT returns filed, FTA queries handled, corporate tax exposure |
| Corporate tax specialist (supervisor level) | 20,000 to 27,000 | Cooper Fitch 2025 (industry tax supervisor) | Cooper Fitch 2025 (industry tax supervisor) | Corporate tax registrations and returns done, transfer pricing exposure |
| Tax manager | 25,000 to 40,000 | Robert Walters 2026; Charterhouse 2026; Cooper Fitch 2025 | Robert Walters 2026; Charterhouse 2026; Hays 2025 | Big 4 background, group structures, corporate tax and VAT together |
| Accounts payable or receivable | 4,000 to 24,250 | Cooper Fitch 2025 | NADIA 2024-25, multinational (receivable) | Transaction volume, ERP, collections and reconciliation work |
| Payroll (assistant level) | 6,500 to 15,000 | NADIA 2024-25, SME | NADIA 2024-25, multinational | Headcount, WPS processing, end-of-service calculations |
| Credit controller | 10,000 to 28,500 | Hays 2025 | NADIA 2024-25, multinational | Size of receivables book, customer base, collections record |
| Chief accountant | 15,000 to 39,500 | Cooper Fitch 2025 | NADIA 2024-25, multinational | Number of entities, team size, whether the role also runs tax |
| Management accountant | 8,000 to 30,000 | Cooper Fitch 2025, SME | Robert Walters 2026 (basic) | Costing, MIS and budgeting depth; CMA or CIMA |
| Internal auditor | 11,000 to 25,000 | Cooper Fitch 2025 | Robert Walters 2026 (basic) | Big 4 or listed-company audit background, CIA |
| FP&A or financial analyst | 15,000 to 28,000 | Robert Walters 2026; Hays 2025 | Robert Walters 2026, senior analyst (basic) | Modelling skill, business partnering, sector |
| Finance manager | 15,000 to 41,000 | NADIA 2024-25, SME | NADIA 2024-25, multinational | Entities and people covered, reporting to owner or board |
| Financial controller | 25,000 to 66,000 | Charterhouse 2026 | Cooper Fitch 2025, SME | Group reporting, controls, IFRS, audit sign-off |
| Finance director | 38,000 to 85,000 | NADIA 2024-25, multinational | Charterhouse 2026 | Company size, funding or banking work, board exposure |
| CFO | 61,000 to 122,000 | Cooper Fitch 2025, SME | Cooper Fitch 2025, large groups | Group or single company, sector, fundraising and investor work |
Figures in thousands of AED a month (15k means AED 15,000). Where a guide splits by company type, both figures are shown. n/a means the guide does not list that role.
| Role | Robert Walters 2026 (basic) | Charterhouse 2026 (gross) | Hays 2025 (fixed package) | Cooper Fitch 2025 (SME / large) | NADIA 2024-25 (SME / multinational) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts assistant | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 5.25k to 6.8k / 16k to 20.5k |
| Accountant | 15k to 20k (GL/AP-AR) | 12k to 18k | 10k to 15k | 6k to 12k / 8k to 13k | 9.5k to 13.75k / 23k to 32k |
| Senior accountant | n/a | n/a | 15k to 20k | n/a | 11.5k to 17.25k / 24.25k to 33k |
| Accounts payable or receivable | 15k to 20k (GL/AP-AR) | 10k to 15k | n/a | 4k to 10k / 4k to 10k | Payable: n/a / 15.75k to 23k; receivable: n/a / 19.5k to 24.25k |
| Payroll assistant | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 6.5k to 7.5k / 13k to 15k |
| Credit controller | 15k to 25k | 15k to 25k | 10k to 18k | n/a | n/a / 21.75k to 28.5k |
| Tax accountant or analyst | n/a | 15k to 18k | n/a | 16k to 22k (industry, no size split) | n/a |
| Tax supervisor | n/a | n/a | n/a | 20k to 27k (industry, no size split) | n/a |
| Tax manager | 25k to 40k | 25k to 40k | 27k to 40k | 25k to 39k (industry, no size split) | n/a |
| Chief accountant | 18k to 30k | n/a | n/a | 15k to 23k / 15k to 23k | n/a / 30.5k to 39.5k |
| Management accountant | 18k to 30k | 18k to 22k | 20k to 25k | 8k to 13k / 9k to 15k | n/a |
| Internal auditor | 18k to 25k | 18k to 20k | 15k to 20k | 11k to 16k / 11k to 16k | n/a |
| FP&A or financial analyst | 15k to 20k; senior 18k to 28k | 18k to 25k | 15k to 20k; senior 18k to 22k | n/a | n/a |
| Finance manager | Regional finance manager 30k to 45k | 25k to 35k | 25k to 32k | 25k to 36k / 29k to 37k | 15k to 20k / 35k to 41k |
| Financial controller | 35k to 55k | 25k to 45k | 35k to 47k | 51k to 66k / 46k to 63k | n/a |
| Finance director | 60k to 80k | 50k to 85k | 45k to 65k | 66k to 81k / 56k to 73k | n/a / 38k to 48k |
| CFO | Regional CFO 70k to 100k | 65k to 110k | Group CFO 90k to 160k | 61k to 92k / 81k to 122k | n/a / 70k to 110k |
They measure different things: Robert Walters quotes basic salary, the others quote gross fixed pay, and each recruiter draws on its own placements and candidates.
Candidate-reported data sits lower again. GulfTalent, which averages what registered candidates report, gives an accountant in Dubai an average of AED 4,000 a month (range AED 3,000 to 5,000, from 613 registrations) and a financial controller in the UAE an average of AED 21,000, both updated 1 October 2026. That is a different population from the placements behind the recruiter guides.
Often. Where NADIA gives an SME figure, it sits well below its multinational figure; Cooper Fitch's gap is smaller and reverses for some senior roles.
Only two of the guides split pay by company type. In NADIA's 2024-2025 report an accounts assistant earns AED 5,250 to 6,800 at an SME against AED 16,000 to 20,500 at a multinational; an accountant AED 9,500 to 13,750 against AED 23,000 to 32,000; a finance manager AED 15,000 to 20,000 against AED 35,000 to 41,000. Cooper Fitch's 2025 guide shows a finance manager at AED 25,000 to 36,000 in an SME and AED 29,000 to 37,000 in a large group, and a financial controller slightly higher in an SME (AED 51,000 to 66,000) than in a large group (AED 46,000 to 63,000).
Each guide says its figures come from that recruiter's own placements, job listings and candidates, so the employers behind the numbers are the recruiter's own client base, not the whole market. As a hiring consideration, if your company has under 100 staff, start from the lower half of a published range and check it against the SME columns before you fix a budget.
Through our UAE placements, VAT accountants joined at AED 4,000 to 8,000 a month, below the guides' tax accountant bands of AED 15,000 to 22,000.
| Role | Monthly salary (AED) | What it is based on |
|---|---|---|
| VAT accountant | 4,000 to 8,000 | About 40 to 50 VAT accountants placed with UAE clients in the last year. Clients asked for basic corporate tax and VAT knowledge, Tally and monthly cash flow statements. |
| Marketing Executive | Around 13,000 | One local UAE hire for a Dubai business-setup client |
| Business Development Manager | Around 15,000 | One local UAE hire for the same client |
| IT Engineer | Around 25,000 | One local UAE hire for the same client |
| US Taxation Specialist | Around 8,000 | One local UAE hire for the same client |
These are our own figures, not a market survey. The last four rows are single placements for one client, shown as real examples, not as ranges. The VAT accountant roles we fill ask for a general accounting brief with VAT and basic corporate tax on top, which is a different job from the specialist tax roles in the guides. More on that role: hiring a VAT accountant in Dubai.
Seven things move pay: qualification, UAE VAT and corporate tax experience, ERP skills, emirate, company size, allowances, and whether the figure is gross or basic.
Use the guide closest to your company type, start in the lower half of its range, and adjust for tax, ERP and qualification needs.
If you recruit through Accounting Baba, the fee is one month's salary of the person you hire, plus applicable taxes, with AED 1,000 per opening paid upfront and adjusted against it. For a finance manager hired at AED 30,000 a month, the fee is AED 30,000 plus applicable taxes, and the balance after the AED 1,000 is payable within 30 days of joining. Details are on our UAE fees page.
Accounting Baba (2026). UAE Accounting and Finance Salaries 2026: Monthly Ranges by Role. https://accountingbaba.com/blog/uae-accounting-finance-salary-guide-2026/. Sources checked 22 October 2026.
All sources were checked on 22 October 2026. Figures are monthly and in AED as published.
Paid service: one month’s salary per hire, with AED 1,000 per opening paid upfront and adjusted against the fee. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.
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