AI bookkeeper · UAE & Saudi Arabia
ZeroFin Mr. Accountant: an AI bookkeeper for the UAE and Saudi Arabia
ZeroFin Mr. Accountant is an AI bookkeeper: you send it a message, a photo of a receipt, a PDF bill or a voice note, and it drafts the journal entry, bill or invoice for you to review and approve. UAE and Saudi businesses use it with books in AED or SAR; you set up the 5% or 15% VAT rate yourself and check the VAT on each draft before you approve it.
Last checked · Zerofin LLC
How does an AI bookkeeper work?
It does the typing and the first pass of the accounting; you make the decisions. Each item you send becomes a draft, and nothing is final until you approve it.
- 1
Send it what you have
Type a sentence, attach a receipt photo or a PDF bill, or record a voice note in the ZeroFin chat.
- 2
It drafts the record
ZeroFin Mr. Accountant picks the record type (journal entry, bill or invoice), the date, the amount, the customer or supplier and the accounts.
- 3
You review it
Check the accounts and the amount, and add your VAT rate to the line if the item carries VAT.
- 4
You approve it
The entry goes into your double-entry books, and your reports and ZeroFin Mr. CFO's answers update.
What can I send to ZeroFin Mr. Accountant?
| You send | Example | It drafts |
|---|---|---|
| A typed message | "Paid AED 12,000 office rent for November from the main bank account" | Journal entry |
| A photo of a receipt | A fuel or taxi receipt from your phone | Bill or expense entry |
| A PDF | A supplier's bill or a customer invoice you issued elsewhere | Bill or invoice |
| A voice note | "Customer Al Noor paid SAR 23,000 today by bank transfer" | Journal entry |
Check every draft before you approve it, especially amounts read from photos and documents. ZeroFin's interface is in English.
Worked example in AED (UAE, 5% VAT)
You type: "Bill from our design agency, AED 8,000 plus VAT, due 30 November." Mr. Accountant drafts a bill for the agency for AED 8,000, dated today and due on 30 November, coded to design services.
Mr. Accountant does not apply VAT rates itself. Before you approve, choose your 5% VAT rate on the line. ZeroFin then works out AED 400 of VAT and posts it to the recoverable VAT account, separate from the expense:
| Account | Debit (AED) | Credit (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Design services (expense) | 8,000 | |
| Recoverable input VAT | 400 | |
| Accounts payable: design agency | 8,400 |
Worked example in SAR (Saudi Arabia, 15% VAT)
You issued an invoice to a customer from your ZATCA-compliant invoicing solution: SAR 20,000 for October consulting plus 15% VAT. You attach the PDF and Mr. Accountant drafts the matching invoice in ZeroFin for SAR 20,000. You add the 15% rate on the line and approve:
| Account | Debit (SAR) | Credit (SAR) |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts receivable: customer | 23,000 | |
| Consulting revenue | 20,000 | |
| Output VAT payable | 3,000 |
Record invoices in ZeroFin; issue them elsewhere
In Saudi Arabia, invoices must come from a ZATCA-compliant e-invoicing solution, in Arabic. In the UAE, a tax invoice must show your Tax Registration Number (TRN), which ZeroFin invoices do not, and from your e-invoicing go-live date invoices must go through an accredited provider. Use ZeroFin's invoice as the record in your books, not as the document you send.
How do I set up VAT in ZeroFin?
You create the rate once and apply it to each line or item. ZeroFin has no preset UAE or Saudi rates.
VAT setup in ZeroFin
- Create a 5% rate (UAE) or a 15% rate (Saudi Arabia)
- Apply it per line or per item
- Use tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive amounts
- Output VAT and recoverable input VAT post to separate accounts
- Ask ZeroFin Mr. CFO for your VAT balance at any time
- Zero-rated, exempt and reverse-charge items: ask your accountant how to record them, as ZeroFin has no built-in categories for these yet
How many entries can it draft each month?
Each record Mr. Accountant creates counts as one AI transaction. Prices are in US dollars; AED and SAR figures are approximate.
| Plan | Price a month | AI transactions a month | All transactions a month | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lite | $8 (about AED 29 / SAR 30) | 100 | 250 | 1 |
| Growth | $25 (about AED 92 / SAR 94) | 1,000 | Unlimited | 3 |
| Scale | $50 (about AED 184 / SAR 188) | 5,000 | Unlimited | 10 |
You can add 1,000 more AI transactions a month as an add-on. To bring in months or years of history at once from bank statements and ledger exports, use the historical import on Growth and above; see catch-up bookkeeping.
AI bookkeeper or bookkeeping service?
An AI bookkeeper is cheaper and faster, but you review the work. A bookkeeping firm costs more, but a person does the work and can take on VAT returns. Pick the one that matches how much time you have.
| ZeroFin Mr. Accountant | Bookkeeping firm | |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | The AI drafts; you review and approve | A bookkeeper does it for you |
| Turnaround | Seconds per item | Usually weekly or monthly |
| Cost | From $8 a month | A monthly fee set by the firm |
| VAT returns and filings | No | Often included, or offered by the firm |
| Arabic records | No | Depends on the firm |
Choose a firm if you don't want to review anything, need returns filed, or need Arabic records. Choose ZeroFin if you want your books current every day and are happy to approve drafts. Many founders do both: ZeroFin day to day, and an accountant at quarter-end.
Is this the "Mr. Accountant" software from SPS?
No. ZeroFin Mr. Accountant is the AI bookkeeper inside ZeroFin (zerofin.io), made by Zerofin LLC. It is not connected to the Mr. Accountant accounting product sold by SPS Software, or to any other product with a similar name.
What ZeroFin does not do in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
- Mr. Accountant does not apply VAT rates itself. You add the rate before approving.
- It has no preset UAE or Saudi VAT rates, and no built-in zero-rated, exempt or reverse-charge categories.
- ZeroFin invoices do not show a TRN and are not UAE tax invoices or ZATCA e-invoices.
- It does not connect to your bank, and it does not prepare or file VAT returns.
- It has no Arabic interface. See everything that works today.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI bookkeeper?
Software that turns your messages, receipts and documents into draft accounting entries for you to review and approve. ZeroFin Mr. Accountant is one.
Does ZeroFin Mr. Accountant work in AED and SAR?
Yes. Choose AED or SAR as your base currency and it drafts entries in that currency.
Does it add VAT automatically?
No. You create the 5% or 15% rate once, then add it to the line on each draft before you approve.
Can I send it a photo of a receipt or a voice note?
Yes. It accepts typed messages, photos, PDFs and voice notes.
Can I send ZeroFin invoices to my customers in Saudi Arabia?
No. Saudi invoices must come from a ZATCA-compliant e-invoicing solution in Arabic. Record those invoices in ZeroFin for your books.
Is ZeroFin Mr. Accountant related to SPS Mr. Accountant?
No. It is the AI bookkeeper inside ZeroFin and is unrelated to SPS Software's product.
Sources
- UAE VAT Executive Regulation (Article 59, tax invoice particulars), Federal Tax Authority
- Federal Tax Authority: VAT (5% rate)
- ZATCA: guideline on the 15% VAT rate from 1 July 2020 (Arabic)
- ZATCA: VAT Implementing Regulations (Article 66, records in Arabic)
- ZATCA: E-Invoicing Implementation Resolution
- UAE Ministry of Finance: e-invoicing programme
Send your first receipt to Mr. Accountant
Every new organization gets one free month of the Lite plan, with 100 AI transactions. Prices are in US dollars.