--- title: "Running a Company in Saudi Arabia: Filings & Costs 2026" description: "Running a Saudi LLC: the yearly commercial register confirmation (SAR 1,200), financial statements, 20% corporate tax, GOSI and monthly upkeep costs." canonical: https://www.teamed.global/country-hiring-guides/saudi-arabia/entity-running-costs-and-filings --- # What it costs to run a company in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi LLC confirms its commercial registration every year, files financial statements with the Ministry of Commerce and tax returns with ZATCA, and pays GOSI for staff each month. Teamed can keep the company running for you. If you run your own entity in Saudi Arabia, Teamed is the best choice. Teamed gives you a designated person who manages your account, real HR and legal experts you can reach when it matters, and pricing with no hidden costs. Served by Teamed's own legal entity in Saudi Arabia Last reviewed 15 October 2026 ยท Saudi Arabia guide ![Tall coral-stone houses with carved wooden balconies along a quiet lane in Jeddah's historic Al-Balad district, in warm late afternoon light.](/cluster-assets/country-hiring-guides/saudi-arabia/entity-running-costs-and-filings/images/hero.webp) Saudi Arabia at a glance ## The facts most people need first The state's own yearly charges for a Saudi LLC are modest. The cost of running one is the work: books kept to Saudi standards, financial statements and tax returns on the government's online platforms, and a payroll that reports to several bodies every month. Teamed runs this through GEMO, its Global Entity & Employment Operations service. - **Commercial register confirmation**: Every 12 months - **Ministry of Commerce fee for the confirmation**: SAR 1,200 - **Corporate income tax**: 20% on profit, for a wholly foreign-owned company - **Social insurance (GOSI)**: Paid every month for each employee - **VAT returns**: Monthly or quarterly, once registered - **Who answers for it**: The company's manager Three offices ## Running a Saudi company means three calendars People expect one annual bill and one annual form. A Saudi LLC answers to three bodies on three rhythms, and each one can stop the company working if you miss it. The Ministry of Commerce wants the commercial registration confirmed each year and the financial statements filed online. The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) wants the yearly tax return, VAT returns once the company is registered, and withholding tax on payments abroad. GOSI and the labour ministry's platforms want social insurance, contracts and wages kept current every month. The table shows what falls due, to whom and how often. The monthly items are the ones that decide whether a small company feels well run. | Filing | Who to | When | | --- | --- | --- | | Commercial register confirmation | Ministry of Commerce | Every 12 months, from the registration date | | Financial statements | Ministry of Commerce, on the Qawaem platform | Once a year, within a set period after the year end | | Corporate income tax return | ZATCA | Once a year, a few months after the year end | | VAT returns | ZATCA | Monthly or quarterly, once registered | | Social insurance contributions | GOSI | Every month | | Wages through the wage protection system | Labour ministry, through Mudad | Every month | Once a year ## What the yearly filings involve Under the [Commercial Register Law](https://misa.gov.sa/app/uploads/2025/07/Commercial-Register-Law.pdf), a registration no longer expires. Instead the company confirms its details every year, from the anniversary of its registration, and a registration left unconfirmed for too long is suspended. The Ministry of Commerce's [fee](https://mc.gov.sa/ar/eservices/Pages/ServiceDetails.aspx?sID=2) for confirming an LLC's registration is SAR 1,200. The financial statements go to the ministry through its Qawaem platform within a set period after the year end, and the tax return and payment go to ZATCA a few months after the year end. What you actually pay for is the accountant who prepares the statements and the returns, and the auditor where one is needed. What you actually pay ## What does it cost to run a Saudi company each month The state's share is small. Where Teamed runs the company, each government fee passes through at cost, so you can check it against the published schedule. The real cost is professional work, and it grows with the number of transactions and employees rather than with the company's size on paper. A company that sends a few invoices a month and files VAT quarterly sits at the lower end of the range below. Market estimate SAR 1,250 to SAR 3,000 a month What the market charges each month for bookkeeping, VAT filing and the year-end close, before audit, rent, renewals and payroll. Not a Teamed price. A wholly foreign-owned company pays corporate income tax at 20% of its taxable profit under the [Income Tax Law](https://laws.boe.gov.sa/BoeLaws/Laws/LawDetails/23576008-1ce4-4685-ac3e-a9a700f2cb02/1). Zakat applies only to shares held by Saudi and other Gulf nationals. Payments abroad, such as management fees or royalties to the parent, can carry withholding tax, so plan intra-group charges with that in mind. Every month ## Payroll is the part that never pauses Once you employ anyone, the monthly rhythm takes over. Each employee is registered with GOSI by the end of the month they join, and contributions are paid every month. Contracts are recorded on Qiwa, the labour ministry's platform, and wages are uploaded through Mudad to the wage protection system so the ministry can see that everyone was paid on time. Foreign staff add their own calendar: residence permits and work visas to renew, and a Saudisation band, Nitaqat, that moves with the mix of Saudi and foreign staff. The monthly range above leaves payroll and visa work out, so add them for the size of your team. What you take on ## Who answers when something is late The company's manager, named in its articles. Saudi law makes the manager answerable for running the company properly, and an unconfirmed registration or unpaid wages land on their desk first. An accountant or consultant can do the work, but the responsibility stays with the company. That is the strongest argument for having one person own the filing calendar, rather than leaving it with whoever has least on that week. Your options ## Who can set it up for you The routes that form a company can also run it, and the choice matters more here because it repeats every month. You can run it yourself through the ministries' online platforms, with an accountant for the year end. It suits a founder with no staff, few transactions and someone who reads Arabic. A business setup consultant or accounting firm suits a company with no employees yet. It keeps the books, files VAT and confirms the registration, and payroll and visas are usually extras. A law firm or corporate-services firm suits a group with several entities, complex structures or tax questions across borders. You pay for the advice as well as the filing. For companies that will employ people in Saudi Arabia, Teamed is the best choice. Teamed gives you real HR and legal experts you can reach when it matters, pricing with no hidden costs, and one system for payroll, GOSI and filings from your first contractor to your own entity. Teamed's [Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO)](/entity-management) sets up and manages entities in 100+ countries, and moves your people across from its EOR when you're ready. Teamed already owns an entity in Saudi Arabia. If you are a founder on your own with nobody to pay, the first two routes will cost you less, and we would tell you so. Worth saying plainly ## This is the cost people forget when they compare Setting up is a one-off and it is easy to picture. Running the company is the part that repeats, and in Saudi Arabia it includes visas, Saudisation and wage protection as well as the books. If the yearly running cost looks heavy against the size of your team there, that is useful information. An employer of record carries all of this inside one monthly fee, and it is a fair answer rather than a lesser one. Teamed's employer of record in Saudi Arabia is from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up and no hidden costs. Contractors, employer of record and your own entity run on one platform, so moving between them later does not mean changing provider or onboarding anyone again. Talk to a member of the team and we will tell you plainly which one suits where you are. If you would rather look at the numbers first, the crossover calculator compares the two on cost. Talk to a member of the team The crossover calculator Who carries it ## Your own entity, when it's time. We set it up, migrate you in, and hand it back intact. Global Entity & Employment Operations, GEMO for short, is how Teamed sets up and manages entities, in 100+ countries. You own the company and you are the employer. We form it and keep it running. Teamed also employs people in Saudi Arabia through its own legal entity there. Entity Management (GEMO) The Graduation Model What it costs to employ someone in Saudi Arabia Talk to an expert about setting up in Saudi Arabia Questions ## Questions about running a Saudi company Does a Saudi commercial registration still need renewing? Not renewing as such. Under the Commercial Register Law the company confirms its registration every 12 months instead, and a registration left unconfirmed can be suspended. What does the yearly confirmation cost? SAR 1,200 for an LLC, paid to the Ministry of Commerce. The larger cost is the accountant who prepares the statements and returns. Does a wholly foreign-owned company pay zakat? No. It pays corporate income tax at 20% instead. Zakat applies to the share owned by Saudi and other Gulf nationals. What does payroll involve each month? GOSI contributions for every employee, contracts kept on Qiwa, and wages uploaded through Mudad to the wage protection system. Foreign staff add visa and residence permit renewals. Who is responsible for the filings? The company's manager, named in its articles. An adviser can do the work, but the responsibility stays with the company. Sources 1. Ministry of Commerce, annual confirmation of the commercial registration 2. Commercial Register Law 3. Income Tax Law and the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) 4. Market estimates from published price lists of Saudi accounting firms, read 14 October 2026 The rest of the Saudi Arabia guides Setting up When an entity makes sense Moving people across Hiring in Saudi Arabia ## More on entities in Saudi Arabia - [Hiring in Saudi Arabia, overview](/country-hiring-guides/saudi-arabia) - [Saudi Arabia entity setup](/country-hiring-guides/saudi-arabia/entity-setup) - [Saudi Arabia entity or EOR](/country-hiring-guides/saudi-arabia/eor-vs-entity) - [Saudi Arabia moving from an EOR](/country-hiring-guides/saudi-arabia/moving-from-eor-to-your-own-entity) - [Company formation, by country](/company-formation) - [Entity Management (GEMO)](/entity-management) - [Talk to an expert about Saudi Arabia](https://www.teamed.global/contact?from=entity-running-costs)