UAE-based fractional CFO and financial advisory firm CompassPoint Consulting has partnered with Tax Star, a pre-approved Accredited Service Provider (ASP) for e-invoicing, to help businesses prepare for the country’s mandatory e-invoicing regime.
The partnership brings together CompassPoint’s finance and implementation expertise with Tax Star’s Federal Tax Authority (FTA)-aligned technology. As a result, businesses can prepare for the new system through a single provider instead of coordinating multiple advisers and software vendors.
The move comes as the UAE prepares to introduce mandatory e-invoicing for in-scope business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) transactions. The first phase begins from the end of October 2026, making it one of the country’s biggest tax compliance reforms since VAT launched in 2018.
Partnership targets smoother compliance
Under the collaboration, CompassPoint will guide businesses through readiness assessments, process reviews and implementation planning. The firm will also help finance teams redesign workflows, prepare staff and manage the transition.
Meanwhile, Tax Star will provide the regulated technology platform. Its solution supports invoice validation, secure exchange through the Peppol network and near real-time reporting to the FTA.
Instead of treating e-invoicing as a software upgrade, the partners say businesses should prepare for broader operational changes. The mandate will affect accounting systems, invoicing processes, customer and supplier data, audit readiness and employee training.
CEOs stress early preparation
Zaid Aboobaker, Co-Founder and CEO of CompassPoint Consulting, said many businesses continue to underestimate the scale of the transition.
“E-invoicing is the biggest compliance shift since VAT, and too many businesses are treating it as a problem for next year. It is not. Our job is to make it simple. We understand how our clients operate, while Tax Star provides the approved technology. Together, we help companies prepare well before the deadline.”
Rayhan Aleem, Co-Founder and CEO of Tax Star, said technology delivers the best results when it aligns with business operations.
“Compliance technology only works when it fits the business behind it. Partnering with CompassPoint means clients receive both an FTA-ready platform and the finance expertise needed to implement it from day one.”
Key deadlines for UAE businesses
Businesses with annual revenue above AED 50 million must appoint an accredited service provider by 30 October 2026 and begin using the system from 1 January 2027.
Companies below that threshold must appoint a provider by 31 March 2027 and go live by 1 July 2027.
According to the companies, businesses that fail to prepare risk operational disruption as well as financial penalties. Non-compliance can attract fines of AED 100 per missed e-invoice, capped at AED 5,000 per month. Businesses may also face a AED 5,000 monthly penalty for failing to appoint an accredited service provider on time.
Readiness programme includes implementation support
The partners have introduced a structured readiness programme for businesses preparing for the mandate. The process begins by identifying the applicable compliance date based on company revenue. Businesses then appoint an accredited provider, connect the platform with their accounting software, complete testing and staff training, and finally transition to live operations.
The service starts with one-time onboarding from AED 1,000 per entity. Annual platform and support services begin at AED 2,000, while CompassPoint’s readiness advisory starts from AED 2,000 per entity. Additional one-time fees may apply for more complex ERP integrations, including systems such as Odoo and NetSuite.
CompassPoint said existing clients can integrate e-invoicing readiness into their ongoing finance advisory engagement. New clients can also access the service as a standalone implementation project. In addition, businesses can schedule a complimentary 30-minute readiness review to understand their compliance timeline and implementation requirements.
