Audit and accounting for startups in Qatar
Thiqa Consulting helps founders set up the finance side of a new company in Qatar: company formation, Dhareeba registration, books from the first month, a business plan and model for lenders or investors, and audit for startups in Qatar when it is needed. We agree the scope and fee in writing and explain which requirements apply.
- Set up properlyFormation, tax card and books together
- Fixed feeAgreed in writing before we start
- Books from day oneNo backlog to fix at year end
- Clear guidanceWhat a new company must do, and when
Oxygen Park in Education City, Doha, a modern walkway curving under a landscaped roof
What new companies in Qatar usually deal with
Founders are busy building the product and winning the first customers. These are the finance issues that come up most in the early years.
Choosing the right set-up
Founders are unsure whether to set up on the mainland, in the QFC or in a free zone, and what each choice means later.
Tax registration left until later
The company starts trading before it registers on Dhareeba, and the first tax return arrives as a surprise.
No books in the first months
Receipts, invoices and bank statements pile up while the founders focus on sales and the product.
Numbers for investors and lenders
An investor or a lender asks for a business plan and a financial model the founders have not built yet.
Personal and company money mixed
Founder and company spending go through the same account, which makes the first accounts hard to prepare.
Not knowing what applies
Founders are unsure which filings, audits and deadlines apply to the company in its first year.
How we help a new company
Most start-ups need the same few services, in roughly this order. Start with whichever is most urgent.
- 1Company formationForming the company, from choosing the legal form to the commercial registration.View service
- 2Dhareeba registration and tax cardDhareeba registration and the tax card, once the company is formed.View service
- 3Accounting system setupAn accounting system set up to fit the business before transactions build up.View service
- 4Accounting and bookkeepingBooks kept up to date every month from the first month of trading.View service
- 5Business plans and financial modelsA business plan and financial model when an investor or lender asks for one.View service
- 6Corporate income tax returnThe first corporate income tax return, including when the company made no profit.View service
We agree each engagement separately. If we keep your books or prepare your accounts, a different firm must audit them. Audit work also depends on the registrations required for your company.
What a new company usually needs in its first year
The first year sets the pattern for everything after it. A company that registers for tax early, keeps its books from the start and separates company money from personal money has a much easier first year end.
What the company must file, and whether its accounts must be audited, depends on how and where it is set up. Tell us what the business will do and where it is registered, and we confirm what applies to you.
- Company formed and registered
- Tax card and Dhareeba access
- An accounting system and monthly books
- The first year-end accounts and tax return
How we work with a new company
- 1
A short first call
You tell us about the business and your plans. We tell you what applies.
- 2
Fixed fee in writing
A written proposal with what we do, what we need from you and the price.
- 3
Set up the basics
Formation, tax registration and the accounting system, in the right order.
- 4
Keep it running
Monthly books and the first year-end accounts and tax return, done on time.
Get expert advice for your business
Tell us what you need. We reply with a written proposal covering the scope, the documents we need and the timeline.
Questions start-ups ask us
Short answers. Open a question to read the answer.
When does a new company need its first audit?
Usually at the end of its first financial year. A limited liability company appoints an auditor every year under the Commercial Companies Law, so the first year’s accounts are audited like any other, and the General Tax Authority’s rules require audited accounts with the tax return above set limits on capital and income. Investors often ask for audited accounts too. Keeping the books from day one makes that first audit much simpler.
When is a start-up’s first tax return due?
Within four months of the end of its first tax year, so 30 April for a company with a December year end. The return is filed on the General Tax Authority’s Dhareeba portal even when the first year shows a loss or no tax is due. Register on Dhareeba within 60 days of your licence approval, commercial registration or first income, whichever comes first.
How should money the founders put in be recorded?
Decide early whether it is share capital or a loan to the company, and put that in writing. Capital and loans appear differently in the accounts, and investors and banks look at both. Pay money in and company costs out through the company’s own bank account, not a personal one, so the first accounts are easy to prepare. We set up the records from the start.
Do I need a business plan for a Qatar Development Bank loan?
Lenders usually ask how the money will be used and how it will be repaid, and a business plan with a financial model is the usual way to show that. Requirements differ between lenders, for example a bank or Qatar Development Bank, so check what yours asks for. We prepare the plan and model. The lending decision is theirs.
What financial information do investors ask a start-up for?
Usually up-to-date accounts, a financial model with forecasts and the assumptions behind them, and a clear record of who owns the company. Before investing, many also run due diligence on the books, contracts and tax position, and gaps found then can slow the round. We prepare the accounts and the model and help you organise the documents. The investment decision is theirs.
Answers checked against the Commercial Companies Law and the General Tax Authority’s published texts on 13 October 2026. General Tax Authority
Other industries and companies we work with
Tell us what you need. We reply with a written proposal.
You get the scope, the papers we need and the time it takes.
- 1You send your details by WhatsApp or email.
- 2We read them and ask anything we need to know.
- 3You get a written proposal: scope, papers and timing.