For employers in Dubai and the UAE

Hire a Chief Accountant in Dubai: 3 to 5 CA-Reviewed Profiles in 7 Working Days

A chief accountant runs the books day to day: the ledger, reconciliations, VAT returns, payroll and the audit file, and usually supervises the accountants. You see 3 to 5 profiles within 7 working days of our receiving the service charge, each interviewed by our team and reviewed by our founder, CA Ketul Patel.

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Paid service. The employer pays; the candidate pays nothing. See the fees

3 to 5CA-reviewed
profiles

7working days from
the service charge

The role

What does a chief accountant do in a UAE company?

Keeps the ledger right: reconciliations, VAT returns, payroll and WPS, fixed assets and inventory, audit schedules, and the accounts team.

Keeping the general ledger accurate and up to date; bank, supplier and customer reconciliations; VAT returns; payroll and WPS; fixed assets and inventory records; preparing schedules for the auditors; and supervising accountants and accounts assistants. The chief accountant usually reports to a finance manager or, in a smaller company, to the owner.

Skills checklist

Which skills do UAE employers ask for in a chief accountant?

VAT returns filed end to end, control of the ledger and month-end close, an ERP, and experience supervising a small team.

What we screen for

UAE VAT returns filed end to end, and the basics of corporate tax
Full control of the ledger and month-end close
Bank reconciliation, receivables and payables
Inventory and costing, for trading and manufacturing companies
Hands-on use of an accounting system or ERP, often Tally, Zoho Books, QuickBooks or SAP Business One
Experience supervising a small accounts team

What to ask in your interview

"Take me through a VAT return from invoice to filing."
"Walk me through your month-end close, step by step."
"Tell me about a reconciliation that would not balance. What was the cause?"
A short exercise: a bank reconciliation with two or three planted differences

More questions, and how to check the answers: how to interview an accountant or finance manager in the UAE.

If your requirement is different, tell us on the first call and we screen for it. How the screening works: how we screen.

Salary

What does a chief accountant earn in the UAE?

Published guides put a chief accountant in the UAE at AED 15,000 to 39,500 a month, depending on company type and the guide.

Source	Monthly salary
Robert Walters 2026 (basic) source	AED 18,000 to 30,000
Cooper Fitch 2025, SME / large company source	AED 15,000 to 23,000 / 15,000 to 23,000
NADIA 2024-25, multinational source	AED 30,500 to 39,500

Charterhouse 2026 and Hays 2025 do not list a chief accountant. What moves pay: the number of entities, team size, and whether the role also runs tax. Packages often include allowances on top of basic pay.

Sources, checked 22 October 2026: Robert Walters, Middle East Salary Survey 2026 (basic salary); Cooper Fitch, UAE Salary Guide 2025 (basic plus fixed allowances); NADIA Global, Annual Salary Report 2024-2025 (total monthly gross). Robert Walters quotes basic salary; the other guides quote a fixed or gross package, so read each range as a band, not a price. All roles in one table: UAE accounting and finance salaries 2026.

What it costs

What does it cost to hire a chief accountant through Accounting Baba?

One month's salary of the person you hire, plus applicable taxes. AED 1,000 per opening is paid upfront and adjusted against that fee.

Item	Amount	When it is paid
Service charge, per job opening	AED 1,000	Before we start work
Recruitment fee	One month's salary of the person you hire, plus applicable taxes	When the candidate joins
Balance	Fee less the AED 1,000 already paid	Within 30 days of joining

For example, if you hire a chief accountant at AED 12,000 a month, the fee is AED 12,000 plus applicable taxes. AED 1,000 is already paid as the service charge, so the balance is AED 11,000 plus applicable taxes, payable within 30 days of joining.

If no candidate we introduced has accepted your offer within 30 days of our receiving the service charge, we return 50% of it, subject to conditions. If the person you hire leaves within 90 days of joining, we recruit one replacement for the same role at no additional fee, subject to conditions. Full rules: UAE fees page and the Terms of Business.

Visa sponsorship, PRO steps, medical tests, Emirates ID, flights and relocation stay with the employer.

Timeline

How long does it take, and where do the candidates come from?

3 to 5 profiles within 7 working days of our receiving the service charge, mostly people already living and working in the UAE and the Gulf.

Day 0: a call about the role. We agree the role, the salary range and the companies to target. You pay the service charge.
Within 7 working days: your shortlist. 3 to 5 profiles, each interviewed by our team and reviewed by CA Ketul Patel, who checks every shortlisted profile himself.
After that: your interviews, the offer and the notice period. We schedule the interviews and support the salary discussion.

Tell us the companies you want people from, including your competitors, and we approach candidates working there. About 80% of our clients hire people already living in the UAE and the Gulf. We recruit from India when you ask for it.

Which role?

Chief accountant or finance manager?

A chief accountant makes sure the books are right. A finance manager uses those books to run cash, reporting, budgets, tax and the team.

If your owner or a part-time adviser already handles the reporting, a chief accountant may be the hire you need. If nobody owns cash flow, budgets and reporting to the owner, start with a finance manager.

Other finance roles we recruit for in the UAE: