Fleet costs, cross-border VAT & freight documentation
Accounting Services for Logistics & Freight in Dubai
Logistics accounting involves fleet and fuel cost tracking, cross-border VAT on freight movements, and documentation-heavy transactions that need to reconcile against customs and shipping records, not just invoices.
What's different about logistics & freight accounting
Most businesses in this sector rely on the same core services: bookkeeping, VAT return filing, the annual corporate tax return and the statutory audit.
Accounting services built for logistics & freight
Accounting for logistics, freight and shipping companies
Logistics margins are thin and cash moves fast: freight is paid to carriers before customers settle, fuel and fleet costs swing monthly, and a single shipment can involve several currencies, customs duties and disbursements. Accounting for freight forwarders, transporters and warehousing companies has to separate revenue from pass-through costs and show job-level profitability, or the business cannot see which lanes and customers actually make money.
| Job costing | Revenue and costs matched per shipment or job, so each lane and customer shows a real margin |
| Disbursements | Customs duties and third-party costs paid on behalf of customers tracked as recoverables, not revenue |
| Fleet and assets | Fixed asset register, depreciation and physical verification for trucks, equipment and warehouses |
| Multi-currency | Carrier and customer balances revalued and reconciled monthly |
| Receivables | Ageing, credit control and collection support to protect cash flow |
| Year-end | IFRS financial statements and audit, corporate tax and transfer pricing for group lanes |
VAT and corporate tax for logistics companies
International transport of goods, and many services directly connected to it, can be zero-rated for VAT — but only with the right evidence of export and of the international leg. Domestic transport is standard-rated. Disbursements paid as the customer's agent are outside the scope of VAT when the conditions are met, and wrongly treating them as your own supplies inflates both revenue and VAT.
Logistics companies in designated zones such as JAFZA or DAFZA must also apply designated zone rules to goods movements. For corporate tax, free zone logistics companies should test whether their income qualifies, since logistics services can be a qualifying activity while local customer income may not be.
Related services for logistics companies
Related guides from our team
Practical explanations of the rules behind this service, written by our chartered accountants.
Questions from logistics & freight owners
Is international freight zero-rated for VAT?+
International transport of goods is generally zero-rated, but the specifics depend on the exact service and route — worth confirming per transaction type rather than assuming blanket treatment.
How do you handle fuel cost allocation across multiple vehicles?+
We set up per-vehicle cost tracking so fuel, maintenance and depreciation can be allocated to specific routes or clients, not absorbed as one undifferentiated fleet expense.
Can you reconcile our accounts against customs records?+
Yes — this is a standard part of logistics-sector bookkeeping we build in, given how often discrepancies here create downstream compliance issues.
Is freight forwarding zero-rated for VAT in the UAE?+
International transport and connected services can be zero-rated if conditions are met and evidence is kept. Domestic legs are standard-rated.
How should customs duties paid for customers be recorded?+
As disbursements recoverable from the customer, not as your revenue or cost, where you act as their agent.
Can you produce profitability by lane or customer?+
Yes — we set up job costing in your accounting software and report margins monthly.
Do you audit logistics companies?+
Yes, including fleet and inventory verification. See stock audit and fixed asset verification.
First review is free, within 24 hours.
Running a logistics & freight business and tired of generic bookkeeping?
Tell us your current setup and where the reporting breaks down — we'll scope a fixed monthly fee built around how your business actually earns revenue.