An FTA VAT audit notice is not a routine formality — it is a detailed review of your VAT records and filing history that can result in additional assessments, penalties and interest if issues are found. Our VAT Audit Support service represents your business from the moment a notice arrives, preparing your records, managing communication with the auditor, and working to reach the best possible outcome throughout the process.
What's Included
We review the audit notice and scope, organise and prepare the records the FTA has requested, act as the point of contact with the auditor so you are not fielding technical questions directly, and review any preliminary findings before they are finalised, challenging anything we believe is incorrect.
Throughout the audit, we keep you informed in plain language of what is being reviewed, what has been found, and what the likely outcome and financial exposure looks like — so there are no surprises at the conclusion.
Why Representation Matters During an Audit
FTA auditors review records methodically and are familiar with common error patterns, so unrepresented businesses often struggle to respond to technical queries effectively or to know which explanations genuinely address the auditor’s concern. Having experienced representation changes how the audit is managed from both a technical and a communication standpoint.
How preliminary findings are challenged also matters — a factually incorrect or overstated finding left unchallenged becomes the final assessment, while the same finding, properly disputed with supporting evidence, is often reduced or reversed before it is finalised.
Who Needs This Service
Any business that has received an FTA VAT audit notice, and businesses that want audit-readiness support in place proactively, before a notice ever arrives, so their records are already structured to withstand scrutiny.
What We'll Need From You
A copy of the audit notice, access to your VAT records and filing history for the periods under review, and authorisation to act as your representative in communication with the FTA.
Our Process
We review the notice and scope, gather and organise the requested records, manage all communication with the auditor, review preliminary findings and challenge anything incorrect, and support you through to the audit’s conclusion and any resulting assessment.
Getting Started
Contact us as soon as you receive an audit notice — response deadlines are often short, and early preparation significantly improves how the audit unfolds. We can begin reviewing your notice and records within a day of engagement.
Preparing Records Before an Audit Arrives
Businesses that engage us for audit-readiness support before any notice arrives benefit from having records, documentation and reconciliations already organised in the format an auditor expects — considerably reducing both the stress and the time pressure if a notice does eventually come.
What Happens After the Audit Concludes
Communicating With Your Team During an Audit
Where an audit touches on operational details only your internal team can explain — how a specific product is priced, why a particular contract was structured a certain way — we coordinate directly with the relevant person on your side, translating technical FTA questions into plain requests and their answers back into the language an auditor expects.
Audits Triggered by a Refund Claim
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Talk to an FTA-approved tax consultant today. Free consultation, no obligation — we’ll tell you exactly what your business needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Audits can be triggered by data inconsistencies, industry-wide reviews, random selection, or specific risk indicators the FTA identifies from filed returns — there is not always a single obvious cause.
This varies considerably based on scope and the complexity of records under review, ranging from a few weeks for a narrow review to several months for a comprehensive audit.
This depends on your risk appetite and how long you have been registered — many clients start with the most recent one to two years, since the FTA’s typical review window covers this period.
You can, but professional representation typically results in more effective communication with the auditor and a better-managed process, particularly for technical VAT questions.
The FTA issues an assessment for any additional VAT due, typically with penalties and interest — we work to challenge incorrect findings before they are finalised into this assessment.