Key takeaways
- Treat Certinia as a finance and delivery transformation, not only a software installation.
- Design the chart of accounts, entities, currencies and tax codes before build.
- UAE planning points include 5% VAT, corporate tax record-keeping and phased mandatory e-invoicing from 1 January 2027.
- Plan opening balances, open items and project data migration carefully, and run parallel checks before cutover.
What a Certinia implementation covers
A Certinia implementation configures PSA, Financial Management or both on your Salesforce org, migrates data and trains your teams. Because it touches finance, delivery and sales at the same time, success depends on agreeing processes across all three before configuration starts.
Phase 1: Discovery and design
- Map your quote-to-cash process: how work is sold, staffed, delivered, billed and accounted for.
- List legal entities, branches and free-zone companies, and how they are consolidated.
- Define billing models: time and materials, fixed fee, milestones, retainers or subscriptions.
- Document revenue recognition policies with your finance team and auditors.
- Agree reports and dashboards for leadership, finance and delivery.
Phase 2: UAE finance and tax setup
Chart of accounts and entities
Design a chart of accounts that supports management reporting and statutory needs. Set up each legal entity with its own books, currencies and intercompany relationships. Many UAE groups operate a mainland company alongside one or more free-zone entities, and each may have different reporting needs.
VAT
The UAE applies VAT at a standard rate of 5%, with zero-rated and exempt categories. Configure tax codes and rates for each type of supply, and make sure customer and supplier Tax Registration Numbers are captured on accounts. Agree with your tax adviser how VAT returns will be prepared from Certinia data.
Corporate tax
UAE corporate tax applies at 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000 for financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023, with reliefs and special regimes for some businesses. The ERP will not calculate your corporate tax return on its own, but it must keep complete, well-structured accounting records that support it.
E-invoicing
The Ministry of Finance has published a phased timeline for mandatory e-invoicing through Accredited Service Providers:
| Who | Appoint an ASP by | Mandatory from |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more | 30 October 2026 | 1 January 2027 |
| Businesses with revenue below AED 50 million | 31 March 2027 | 1 July 2027 |
| Government entities | 31 March 2027 | 1 October 2027 |
For a Certinia project, this means planning how invoices and credit notes created in Certinia reach your chosen Accredited Service Provider in the required structured format, and making sure every mandatory data field is captured at source. Certinia has released e-invoicing for some countries, such as Malaysia in its Winter 2026 release, so confirm the current UAE approach with Certinia and your service provider during design.
Phase 3: Build and configure
- Configure PSA: resource roles, skills, rate cards, project templates, timecard rules and billing rules.
- Configure Financial Management: accounting periods, tax codes, bank accounts, payment methods and invoice templates.
- Build approvals, automation and dashboards in Salesforce.
- Set up integrations, for example to banks, payroll or e-invoicing providers.
Phase 4: Data migration
- Opening balances by account and entity at the cutover date
- Open receivables and payables at invoice level
- Active projects with budgets, actuals and remaining billing
- Resources, skills and rate cards
- Customers and suppliers with complete tax details
Reconcile every migrated balance against the legacy system and get finance sign-off before go-live.
Phase 5: Testing, parallel run and go-live
Test full scenarios, from a won opportunity through staffing, time entry, billing and posting to the ledger. For finance, a parallel run of at least one period-end close in both systems is a strong safety net. Go live at the start of an accounting period where possible.
Common risks
- Starting configuration before finance policies are agreed
- Underestimating data cleansing for customers, suppliers and open items
- Leaving e-invoicing and tax reporting design until after go-live
- Training only finance users, not the consultants who submit time and expenses
How we can help
Our Certinia implementation services cover design, configuration, migration and go-live support, and our Certinia services include ongoing administration. For an example, see the Certinia financial implementation case study. This article is general guidance, not tax advice; confirm tax and e-invoicing obligations with a qualified adviser.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Certinia implementation take?
Core financial or PSA modules often take two to four months. Multi-entity rollouts with integrations, migration and e-invoicing design usually take longer and are delivered in phases.
Does Certinia support UAE VAT?
Certinia Financial Management supports configurable tax codes and rates. Confirm the specific UAE VAT reporting approach with Certinia and your tax adviser during design.
Will Certinia handle UAE e-invoicing?
E-invoices must be exchanged through an Accredited Service Provider. Confirm with Certinia and your chosen provider how invoices will be transmitted, and plan the integration in your project.
Can Certinia handle free-zone and mainland entities together?
Certinia supports multiple companies, currencies and consolidation. Each entity’s tax and reporting requirements should be designed with your finance team and advisers.
Planning a Certinia rollout in the UAE?
We can help you design entities, tax setup and e-invoicing readiness before build begins.
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