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The commercial registration is the start, not the end, of a new company’s paperwork. In its first year the company must register for tax, set up books it can keep for ten years, pay staff through the Wage Protection System, appoint an auditor and prepare for its first year end, audit and tax return.
None of these steps is hard on its own. Problems come from doing them late or in the wrong order: a missed 60-day registration, a payroll paid in cash, or an auditor found in the month the accounts are due.
This checklist puts the first twelve to sixteen months in order for a mainland limited liability company (LLC), with the rule and article for each step and a link to the guide that explains it in detail.
- Tax registration
- Within 60 days
- Records kept
- 10 years
- First return
- 4 months after period end
- Law checked
- 16 October 2026
The short answer
In short
- Before trading: the company must be entered in the commercial register (Commercial Companies Law Article 233).
- Within 60 days: register with the General Tax Authority (GTA) and get a tax card (Executive Regulations Article 25), and from the first payroll pay wages through WPS (Labour Law Article 66).
- From day one: keep books you can produce for ten years (Executive Regulations Article 36), and agree an independent auditor early in the year (Commercial Companies Law Article 260).
- After the first period ends: the accounts, the audit, the general assembly and the tax return, all within four months (Articles 250 and 251; Executive Regulations Article 29).
This checklist assumes a mainland LLC. QFC and free zone companies follow their own rules; see LLC, branch, QFC or free zone obligations. For the taxes that apply, see taxes in Qatar for companies.
Before you trade: capital and the CR
An LLC’s capital is fully paid at incorporation. Cash capital is deposited with an approved bank in Qatar and released to the managers only on proof of commercial registration (Commercial Companies Law Articles 232 and 235). The company may not start business before it is entered in the commercial register (Article 233).
The establishment card is issued by the Ministry of Interior through Metrash once the CR and licence are active. For the operating bank account, your bank will tell you what it needs. The setup steps are in how to set up a company in Qatar.
Months 1 to 2: register, set up the books, run the first payroll
- 1
Register on Dhareeba within 60 days
Register with the GTA and apply for a tax card within 60 days of the licence, the CR or the first income, whichever comes first, even if your income is exempt (Executive Regulations Article 25). Registration through the Single Window starts the profile, but you log in and complete it. Late registration carries a QAR 20,000 penalty (Income Tax Law Article 24(3)). See Dhareeba registration and the tax card.
- 2
Set up the ownership registers
Keep registers of the company’s basic information, beneficial owners and partners, and name at least one person resident in Qatar who is responsible for them. Record changes to basic information in the commercial register within 30 days (Law No. 20 of 2019, Article 45; MOCI Decision No. 2 of 2022). A beneficial owner declaration goes with each commercial registration application or renewal (Law No. 1 of 2020, Article 4).
- 3
Confirm the financial year
The tax year is the calendar year; another financial year needs the GTA’s approval (Income Tax Law Articles 1 and 5).
- 4
Set up the accounting system
Books must follow Qatari law and international accounting standards. Computerised books need a secure system, and the auditor confirms in its report that the system meets security and accuracy standards (Executive Regulations Articles 35 and 36). Our accounting system setup service helps with the chart of accounts and controls.
- 5
Keep the required books
A company keeps a daily journal, a general ledger and an inventory book (Commercial Law Articles 21 and 22), for ten years for tax (Executive Regulations Article 36). See bookkeeping for SMEs in Qatar.
- 6
Pay the first payroll through WPS
Wages are paid in Qatari riyals at least monthly, by transfer to each worker’s account at a financial institution in Qatar (Labour Law Article 66). A breach can lead to prison of up to one year, a fine of QAR 2,000 to 10,000, or both (Article 145 bis).
- 7
Check payments abroad
Royalties, interest, commissions and service fees paid to non-residents without a permanent establishment carry 5% withholding tax, remitted before the 16th of the following month (Income Tax Law Article 9; Executive Regulations Articles 21 and 24). Contracts may also need notifying to the GTA. See withholding tax in Qatar.
Months 2 to 6: build the monthly routine
- Close each month: record every invoice, reconcile the bank and payroll accounts, and review the result. The routine is set out in bookkeeping for SMEs in Qatar.
- Keep a withholding diary: note every payment abroad and the remittance date that follows it.
- Plan cash: prepare a simple budget and a cash-flow forecast, and compare them with the actual figures each month. Our budgeting and forecasting service helps set this up.
- Decide who keeps the books: in-house, or an outside firm. Outsourced accounting in Qatar compares the options.
- Report changes: notify the GTA within 30 days of changes that affect tax, such as ownership, activity, branches or address (Executive Regulations Article 27).
- Watch for e-invoicing: the Cabinet approved a draft e-invoicing law on 6 May 2026, but no law has been issued and no start date set. See e-invoicing in Qatar.
Keep the company’s money separate from the owners’ from the start. It makes the first audit simpler.
Months 6 to 9: agree your first auditor
Every LLC appoints one or more auditors every year, with no exemption for size or for the first year (Commercial Companies Law Article 260). Agree the engagement well before the year end, so the auditor can plan stock counts and confirmations and raise any questions about your accounting policies while there is still time to fix them. See is an audit mandatory in Qatar for the company-law and tax tests.
The auditor must be independent. A person who took part in preparing the accounts cannot audit them (Executive Regulations Article 34(4)), and an auditor may not audit a company it gives consultancy work to (Law No. 8 of 2020, Article 27(3)). If an outside firm keeps your books, appoint a different firm as auditor. How to choose an auditor in Qatar explains how to check a registration.
If you plan to bid in energy sector tenders, note that In-Country Value (ICV) certification is required to bid, but entities under two years old are exempt from mandatory ICV and may certify early on signed management accounts or audited statements. ICV counts salaries paid through WPS, so payroll discipline from month one helps. See the ICV certificate in Qatar.
Months 10 to 12: prepare for the first year end
Year-end preparation
- Plan the stock count and agree the date with the auditor.
- Prepare the fixed asset register and the list of balances to confirm with banks, customers and suppliers.
- Provide for end of service gratuity for staff reaching one full year of service (Labour Law Article 54).
- Remember the legal reserve: 10% of net profit each year until it reaches half the capital (Commercial Companies Law Article 262).
- Check the CR expiry date: renewal is applied for in the 30 days before it (Commercial Register Law Article 5).
The audit preparation checklist lists the documents the auditor will ask for.
Your first tax period may be longer than 12 months
Executive Regulations Article 3(1)(a) sets the first accounting period. If a company starts its activity after the tax year begins, the first period runs from the start date to the end of that tax year, provided it lasts at least six months. If it would be shorter, it ends at the end of the following tax year instead.
Example. A company starts its activity on 1 September 2027. The period to 31 December 2027 is only four months, which is less than six, so its first accounting period runs to 31 December 2028, and the first return is due within four months of that date.
A company that starts on 1 March 2027 has a period of ten months and files its first return within four months of 31 December 2027. Confirm how your company’s first financial year fits this rule with your auditor. See the corporate income tax return.
After year end: accounts, audit, assembly and return
- 1
Within two months
The managers prepare the balance sheet, the profit and loss account and their report (Commercial Companies Law Article 251).
- 2
The audit
The auditor examines the accounts and issues its report.
- 3
Within four months
The general assembly meets (Article 250), and the tax return is filed with the GTA (Executive Regulations Article 29). An extension can be requested at least 60 days before the deadline (Article 30).
- 4
To the Ministry and partners
Copies of the accounts and the auditor’s report go to the Ministry and to each partner within one month of the accounts being prepared (Article 251).
Every taxpayer files a return, even if exempt (Income Tax Law Article 11). Audited accounts go with it where capital exceeds QAR 200,000 or income exceeds QAR 500,000 (Executive Regulations Article 33); small companies owned by Qatari or GCC nationals may use the simplified return under GTA Circular No. 2 of 2021. The dates for the year ahead are in the Qatar compliance calendar 2027.
What to do next
Print this checklist, review it each quarter with whoever keeps your books, and put the four key dates in a diary: the 60-day registration, the first payroll, the year end and the four-month deadline. Our pages for start-ups and SMEs describe how we work with new companies.
Our bookkeeping service keeps the books from the first month, and our Dhareeba tax card registration service helps you prepare the registration. To discuss your needs, request a proposal.
Frequently asked questions
Does a new LLC need an audit in its first year?
Yes. Every limited liability company appoints one or more auditors every year, with no exemption for size or for the first year (Commercial Companies Law Article 260). For the tax rules, see is an audit mandatory in Qatar.
When is our first corporate income tax return due?
Within four months of the end of the first accounting period (Executive Regulations Article 29). That period may run past the first 31 December if the company started late in the year, because a first period shorter than six months is extended (Article 3(1)(a)).
We have no income yet. Do we still register and file?
Yes. Registration with the GTA is due within 60 days of the licence, the CR or the first income, whichever comes first (Executive Regulations Article 25). Every taxpayer files a return, even if exempt (Income Tax Law Article 11).
Can the accountant who keeps our books also audit them?
No. A person who took part in preparing the accounts cannot audit them (Executive Regulations Article 34(4)), and an auditor may not audit a company it gives consultancy work to (Law No. 8 of 2020, Article 27(3)). Use separate firms.
Do we need an ICV certificate in our first year?
Only if you bid in energy sector tenders that require it. Entities under two years old are exempt from mandatory ICV and may certify early on signed management accounts or audited statements, according to the Tawteen ICV FAQ and Handbook.
How long must we keep first-year records?
Ten years for tax, at the place of business (Executive Regulations Article 36). Under the Commercial Law, the books are kept for ten years from closing, and correspondence and invoices for five years (Article 28).
Sources
Laws
- Law No. 11 of 2015, Commercial Companies Law (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 27 of 2006, Commercial Law (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 25 of 2005 on the Commercial Register (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 14 of 2004, Labour Law (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 8 of 2020 regulating the auditing profession (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 20 of 2019 on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 1 of 2020 on the Unified Economic Register (Al Meezan)
- Income Tax Law and Executive Regulations, 2024 edition (General Tax Authority)
- GTA Circular No. 2 of 2021 (General Tax Authority)
Government services
This article is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice for your company. The laws and regulations cited were checked on 16 October 2026; English descriptions of Arabic legal texts are our own. The first accounting period example is illustrative: confirm your own dates with your auditor. A firm that keeps your books cannot also audit them.