How to choose an accountant in Sharm El Sheikh comes down less to finding someone who can fill in a return and more to finding someone who knows the rules that apply here. Every business in the Sharm El Sheikh area that sells to consumers has had to issue e-receipts since 1 November 2022. From tax period 2028, every business in Egypt must keep regular books. In between sit monthly VAT returns, quarterly payroll returns and the annual deadlines. The questions below, checked as of October 2026, help you see quickly whether an accountant is ready for all of that.
We are a chartered accountant's office in Sharm El Sheikh, so read this with that in mind. The questions work for any accountant you are considering, including us. If you want to see what our accounting and bookkeeping service covers, the answers are on that page.
How to choose an accountant in Sharm El Sheikh: start with your business
Before you meet anyone, write down four things: your legal form (sole proprietor, LLC, one-person company or branch), roughly how many sales and purchase invoices you have each month, how many employees you have, and whether you are registered for VAT or have joined the simplified regime. An accountant cannot give you a real answer without these, and a good one will ask for them.
1. How will you handle the Sharm e-receipt mandate?
ETA Decision 484/2022 obliges all income-tax and VAT taxpayers in the geographic area of Sharm El Sheikh to issue e-receipts for sales to consumers, from 1 November 2022. It is not a list of named companies. If you run a restaurant, shop, dive centre or any business that sells to the public in Sharm, it covers you.
Ask how the accountant checks that your point-of-sale system sends receipts to the Egyptian Tax Authority (ETA), and how they reconcile those receipts with your returns. Costs without an e-invoice or e-receipt are not recognised for tax, so this also affects what you can deduct.
2. VAT or the simplified regime: which applies to me?
VAT registration is compulsory once sales reach EGP 500,000, and VAT returns are monthly. Businesses with turnover up to EGP 20 million may instead join the simplified regime of Law 6/2025, in force since 1 March 2025: tax at 0.4% to 1.5% of turnover, quarterly VAT returns and no inspection for 5 years, but a 5-year lock-in once you join.
A good accountant explains both routes against your numbers before recommending one. Our free simplified regime checker gives you a first answer before the meeting.
3. Who files what, and by when?
Ask for a written list of the returns they will file for you and the dates. For a business with a December year-end, the main ones are:
| Return | Deadline (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| VAT return | Monthly (quarterly in the simplified regime) |
| Payroll return (Form 4) | Quarterly: January, April, July and October |
| Individual income tax return | 1 January to 31 March |
| Corporate income tax return | By 30 April |
If the answer is vague, that is your answer. Our tax returns service starts from exactly this list, and our tax calendar lists the next dates from today.
4. Are you ready for compulsory books in 2028?
Law 151/2026 ends estimated assessment: the old rules apply up to tax period 2027, and from 2028 the tax office assesses on the basis of books, which every business must keep regardless of turnover. If you have never kept proper books, 2027 is the year to start. Ask how the accountant will build books from your sales, purchases and bank statements, and what they need from you each month.
5. Does my company need an auditor, and will you work with them?
LLCs, one-person companies and joint stock companies must appoint an auditor under Law 159/1981. The accountant who keeps your books and the auditor who reviews them have different roles. Ask who prepares your financial statements and how they work with the auditor. In our case, we prepare the statements and work alongside your external auditor.
6. Who will I actually deal with, and in which language?
Tax letters, returns and contracts are in Arabic. If you are a foreign owner, you need someone who can explain them in your language before you sign. Ask who handles your file day to day, how they reach you, and how quickly they answer when the tax office writes. We work in Arabic, English, Italian and Russian and reply the same day during office hours, 09:00 to 23:00 every day.
7. What exactly is included in the fee?
Ask for the scope in writing: which returns, how many invoices, payroll, e-receipt checks, financial statements, letters from the tax office, and what costs extra. Fixed prices quoted without seeing your business usually leave something out. We do not publish prices; we confirm the scope and the fee in a written quote.
8. What happens when the tax office writes?
Sooner or later an inspection notice or a letter about an old year arrives. Ask whether the accountant answers the tax office for you and follows an objection through the committee stages, or whether you will need someone else. Our tax inspection and disputes service covers that stage.
Book a free consultation before you decide
Bring your legal form, your last returns and any letters from the tax office to a free consultation, at our office or by phone. We tell you which of the questions above matter most for your business and what we would do first. Meet two or three accountants if you like; the questions are the same.
