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Quick answer
During corporate tax deregistration the FTA asks for either full financial statements (balance sheet and P&L) for the relevant tax period, or a signed and stamped declaration of no assets, no liabilities and no revenues. If your company traded, you need audited financial statements for each full tax year in the relevant period, plus final-period financials up to the exact cessation date. A liquidation report isn't a required CT-deregistration document, but because it holds audited final-period figures it can cover that last period — as long as it runs to the exact cessation date shown on your cancellation certificate.
When the FTA reviews a corporate tax deregistration, it wants to see the company's financial position for the period it was registered — and its request usually reads something like "full financial statements (balance sheet, profit & loss) for the relevant tax period, or a signed/stamped declaration of no assets, liabilities and revenues." The wording is simple; the trap is in two words: relevant tax period. Get the periods and the dates right and it clears. Get them wrong and it bounces back.
The fork
Financial statements, or a declaration — which applies to you?
- If the company traded — you provide financial statements for the relevant tax period (the focus of this article).
- If the company was dormant — you provide a declaration of no assets, no liabilities and no revenues, signed and stamped, instead of statements. We cover that route in detail here.
The key word
The “relevant tax period” can be more than one year
This is where most people underestimate the request. The FTA wants financials covering from the start of your corporate tax obligation — your first tax period — through to your date of cessation. If that span crosses more than one financial year, one set of statements isn't enough. You need:
- Audited financial statements for each full tax year within the relevant period, and
- Final-period financials covering the start of the final financial year up to the cessation date (a part-year, or “stub,” period).
Example
Say your financial year runs June to May, your first tax period was FY2023–24, and the company ceased in, say, September 2025. The FTA's “relevant period” runs across FY2023–24, FY2024–25, and a final stub from 1 June 2025 to the cessation date. That's two full-year audited sets plus the final-period figures — not just “the last one.” (Dates here are illustrative.)
The nuance everyone gets wrong
Is the liquidation report enough on its own?
Short answer: not by itself — and it's worth being precise about why. The liquidation report is not a required corporate tax deregistration document. Corporate tax deregistration is a separate FTA process; the liquidation report belongs to your free-zone licence cancellation, and we explain that distinction fully in this guide.
However — and this is the useful part — a liquidation report contains audited financials for the final period, up to the company's cancellation date. So in practice it can satisfy the FTA's request for that final period's financials. If you already submitted the liquidation report with your application, you may only need to add the earlier full-year audited statements to complete the relevant period.
Don't assume the liquidation report covers everything
It covers the final period only. If your registration spanned earlier years too, those full-year audited statements are still needed. The liquidation report fills the last slot — not the whole picture.
The date trap
The final figures must run to the exact cessation date
Here's the mismatch that sends applications back: the FTA states a specific cessation date — the one on your company cancellation certificate — and the final financials or liquidation report must run to that exact date. If your liquidation report ends a couple of weeks short of the cessation date the FTA is using, the periods don't tie out, and the application stalls.
The rule
Always date your final financial statements (and, where used, the liquidation report) to the exact cessation date the FTA and the cancellation certificate show. If there's a gap, re-date the final period to close it — for a dormant tail the balances barely move, so it's a quick, low-risk correction, and it prevents a send-back.
What to submit
Your checklist for a clean deregistration
- Audited financial statements for each full tax year in the relevant period
- Final-period financials to the exact cessation date — or the liquidation report, if it already runs to that exact date
- Everything signed and stamped
- Dates that tie out: financials end date = cessation date = cancellation certificate date
Get those four right and the FTA has what it needs. And remember — the company isn't deregistered until the FTA issues the certificate, which typically takes a month or two after the financials are accepted.
Not sure which periods the FTA needs for your deregistration?
We work out the exact relevant tax period, prepare or align the audited financial statements to your cessation date, and submit them to the FTA so your corporate tax deregistration clears without a send-back.
Related reading
Is a liquidation report required for corporate tax deregistration? →FTA asked for financials but my company is dormant — the declaration route →Why the FTA rejects your deregistration financial statements →Related Fastlane services
FAQ
What does the FTA ask for during corporate tax deregistration?
The FTA asks for either full financial statements (balance sheet and profit & loss) for the relevant tax period, or a signed and stamped declaration of no assets, no liabilities and no revenues. Companies that traded provide financial statements; genuinely dormant companies can provide the declaration instead.
What is the 'relevant tax period' for deregistration financial statements?
It runs from the start of your corporate tax obligation — your first tax period — through to your date of cessation. If that span crosses more than one financial year, the FTA expects audited financial statements for each full tax year in the period, plus final-period (part-year) financials up to the cessation date.
Do I need financial statements for every year, or just the last one?
For every full tax year within the relevant period, plus a final stub period to the cessation date. A common mistake is submitting only the last year's statements; if your registration spanned earlier years, those audited statements are needed too. Only genuinely dormant companies can substitute a declaration for the statements.
Is a liquidation report enough for corporate tax deregistration?
Not on its own. The liquidation report is not a required corporate tax deregistration document — it belongs to your free-zone licence cancellation. But because it contains audited financials for the final period up to the cancellation date, it can satisfy the FTA's request for that final period, provided it runs to the exact cessation date. You still need audited statements for any earlier full years in the relevant period.
Why must the financial statements match the cessation date exactly?
Because the FTA works to a specific cessation date — the one on your company cancellation certificate — and the final financials or liquidation report must run to that exact date for the periods to tie out. If the report ends short of the cessation date, the application is sent back. The fix is to re-date the final period to the exact cessation date; for a dormant tail the balances barely change.
This article is general guidance on UAE corporate tax deregistration, current as of July 2026, and is not legal or tax advice. FTA requirements, tax-period rules and procedures may change, and examples are illustrative. Confirm your specific position with a qualified tax adviser or the FTA before acting.