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Ask how much an audit costs in Qatar and you will find figures that differ by a factor of two to four, usually with no source behind them. The reason is simple: there is no official fee scale, and no two audits involve the same amount of work.
What can be explained is how an audit fee is arrived at. Qatar’s Code of Conduct for auditors requires fees to be proportionate to the time and effort spent, and the work an auditor must do is set by auditing standards and by the company’s own circumstances.
This article sets out the factors that drive that work, the steps that reduce it, and how to ask for a quote that can be compared fairly.
- Official fee scale
- None
- Fee basis
- Time and effort (Code Rule 9)
- Fee approved by
- General assembly
- Rules checked
- 16 October 2026
The short answer
In short
- No law or regulator in Qatar sets audit fees. Law No. 8 of 2020 on the auditing profession contains no fee scale.
- The Auditors’ Code of Conduct requires fees to be proportionate to the time and effort spent, and bans fees that depend on the result of the work.
- The main drivers are the size and complexity of the business, the number of transactions and locations, the state of the records, stock, group structure and whether it is a first audit.
- The company’s shareholders appoint the auditor and approve the fee at the general assembly.
Why there is no standard audit fee
Law No. 8 of 2020, which regulates the auditing profession, does not set fees, minimum fees or a fee approval process. The only reference to fees allows an auditor to be owed its own fees by a client, while barring other debts between them (Article 26(6)).
The Code of Conduct and Ethics for auditors, issued by the Auditors Affairs Committee in Resolution No. 1 of 2023, sets the principle instead. Rule 9 requires fees to be proportionate to the time and effort spent on the work, and prohibits fees that depend in any way on the result. Rule 10 prohibits competing for another auditor’s work by offering noticeably lower fees without reasonable cause.
In other words, the fee follows the work. Auditors work under International Standards on Auditing (ISA), which set what has to be done on every audit: planning, understanding the business and its risks, setting materiality and testing enough to support an opinion. How many hours that takes depends on the company.
The factors that drive audit effort
| Factor | Why it affects the work | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Size and nature of the business | A larger or more complex business needs a larger audit plan and team | ISA 300 |
| Risk and internal controls | Weak controls or complex IT systems raise the assessed risk, so more testing is needed | ISA 315, ISA 330 |
| Number of transactions and locations | More transactions and sites mean larger samples and possible site visits | ISA 330, ISA 530 |
| Materiality | Materiality sets how precise the work must be; a lower level means more testing | ISA 320 |
| Group structure | Subsidiaries and branches add work on each component and on the consolidation | ISA 600 |
| Stock | Material stock means attending the count, more so with several locations | ISA 501 |
| First audit or new auditor | Opening balances and prior-year accounting policies must also be audited | ISA 510 |
| Estimates | Provisions such as end of service benefits and expected credit losses need their method and assumptions tested | ISA 540 |
| Related parties | Transactions with owners and group companies need specific procedures | ISA 550 |
| State of the records | Missing support and unreconciled balances add testing, or lead to a modified opinion | ISA 500, ISA 705 |
| Deadline | A short timetable affects how the work is staffed and scheduled | Practice |
Extra work some companies need
Some companies have requirements beyond the audit opinion itself, and each one adds work. Where audited accounts go with the corporate income tax return, Article 34 of the Executive Regulations requires schedules such as depreciation, tax withheld at source, related party transactions and a reconciliation to taxable income, and it also sets what the auditor’s report must confirm.
QFC companies must use an auditor approved by the QFC Authority and file their audited accounts with the Companies Registration Office. Listed companies, for their part, need an auditor on the Qatar Financial Markets Authority’s list and a separate report on compliance with the governance code. ICV certification is different again: it is a separate engagement, based on the audited statements and carried out by a certifier listed by Tawteen. See ICV certificate in Qatar.
One cost cannot be combined with the audit: the auditor may not prepare the accounts it audits (Executive Regulations Article 34; Law No. 8 of 2020, Article 27). A company that needs help with its accounts uses a different firm for that work.
How to reduce the time an audit needs
The standards cannot be lowered, but the work they require can be made quicker. Most of the following steps are within the company’s control:
- 1
Keep the books closed monthly
A reviewed trial balance and draft financial statements ready before the auditor starts mean fewer adjustments (ISA 500).
- 2
Reconcile balances in advance
Agree bank, customer, supplier and intercompany balances, and sign confirmation authorities early so replies arrive on time (ISA 505).
- 3
Plan the stock count
Agree the count date and written instructions with the auditor before the year end (ISA 501).
- 4
Prepare estimates with workings
Support the end of service provision and other estimates with calculations the auditor can follow (ISA 540).
- 5
Document related parties
Keep a list of related parties and approved transactions with them (ISA 550).
- 6
Make controls work
Controls that are documented and operate in practice lower the assessed risk (ISA 315, ISA 330).
- 7
Give prompt, full access
Article 22 of Law No. 8 of 2020 already gives the auditor access to all records; delays add hours.
Our audit preparation checklist lists the documents auditors normally ask for.
How to get a quote you can compare
Quotes can only be compared if every firm prices the same scope. Send each firm the same information:
- The last audited financial statements, or a note that this is the first audit
- The latest trial balance, with the number of bank accounts and approximate transaction volumes
- The company’s legal form and any subsidiaries or branches
- Whether the company holds material stock, and where
- What the audited accounts are needed for: the tax return, a bank, a tender, ICV or the QFC
- The date by which the audit report is needed
Ask each firm what its quote assumes and what would change it. Under Interpretation 1/13 of the Code of Conduct, an auditor may not give a quote suggesting a fee it knows will be higher. A fee that depends on the outcome, such as a clean opinion or a successful loan application, is not allowed under Rule 9.
Under the Commercial Companies Law, the general assembly appoints the auditor and fixes the fee: Article 253(5) for limited liability companies and Article 141 for joint stock companies.
What to do next
Gather the information in the list above and ask for written proposals on the same scope. If you are not sure whether your company needs an audit at all, see is an audit mandatory in Qatar?.
Our external audit page explains how we work, and you can request a proposal for the year ahead.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an audit cost in Qatar?
There is no official fee scale. Qatar’s Code of Conduct for auditors requires fees to be proportionate to the time and effort spent, so the fee depends on the size of the business, its transactions, records, stock, group structure and whether it is a first audit.
Who decides the auditor’s fee in a Qatar company?
The shareholders, at the general assembly. Article 253(5) of the Commercial Companies Law covers limited liability companies and Article 141 covers joint stock companies.
Why does a first audit take more work?
The auditor must also obtain evidence on the opening balances and the accounting policies used in the previous year (ISA 510). That work is larger when the prior year was not audited or was audited by another firm.
Does stock make an audit more expensive?
It adds work. When stock is material, the auditor attends the physical count (ISA 501), and Article 22 of Law No. 8 of 2020 allows the auditor to count stock at a time it chooses.
Can an auditor charge a fee based on results?
No. Rule 9 of the Auditors’ Code of Conduct prohibits fees that depend in any way on the result of the work, such as a clean opinion.
How can a company reduce its audit fee?
By reducing the work the audit needs: monthly closed books, reconciled balances, a planned stock count, supported estimates, documented related parties and prompt access to records. The standards themselves cannot be reduced.
Sources
Law and professional rules
Auditing standards
This article is general information, not a quote or professional advice for your company. It gives no fees because no official scale exists and every audit differs. The laws and rules cited were checked on 16 October 2026; English descriptions of Arabic texts are our own.