No Kuwaiti law requires an ERP. The rules require accurate, reviewable records: a beneficial owner register for almost every company, and detailed books for groups under the DMTT. If you collect these by hand from several programs or Excel, the issue is how your data is organised.
No Kuwaiti law says a company must buy an ERP. But regulation increasingly relies on organised financial and operational data that can be reviewed: the DMTT has applied since 1 January 2025 to large multinational groups, and its executive regulations list the books, records and documents to keep; every company registered with the Ministry of Commerce must keep its beneficial owner register up to date; and tax services and information exchange are moving online. For most companies, the practical benefit of an ERP is that sales, stock, purchasing, accounting, approvals and documents work from one source of data that can be traced and reported on easily. [1, 2, 3, 4, 7]
Which rules apply to your company?
Most of the new rules apply to specific groups of companies. Start by finding yours:
| Rule (in force) | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficial owner register: keep it and update it within 15 days of learning of a change | Legal persons licensed or registered in Kuwait — almost every company | [4] [5] |
| Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax (DMTT), 15% minimum | Multinational groups with global revenue of at least EUR 750 million in two of the previous four years | [1] [12] |
| Corporate income tax, 15% | Foreign companies doing business in Kuwait, and the foreign-owned share of Kuwaiti or GCC companies | [6] [9] |
| Zakat, 1% of net profit | Kuwaiti public and closed shareholding companies | [8] |
| National Labour Support Tax, 2.5% of net profit | Kuwaiti companies listed on the stock exchange | [10] |
General information, checked on 24 September 2026 — not legal or tax advice. Confirm your position with your auditor or tax adviser.
What has actually changed in Kuwait?
The DMTT — in force for a specific group. Decree-Law No. 157 of 2024 introduced a domestic minimum top-up tax on multinational groups for financial years starting on or after 1 January 2025. It applies when a group’s global revenue reaches EUR 750 million in two of the previous four years; it does not mean a new tax on every small or mid-size local company. Its executive regulations were issued by Ministerial Resolution No. 55 of 2025 in June 2025. [1] [12]
Record keeping is spelled out. Article 94 of the DMTT executive regulations requires the taxpayer to keep the books, records, documents and information needed to prepare the financial statements and determine taxable income for at least 10 years from the end of the tax period. It is a useful example of what a regulator can ask for, even for companies outside the DMTT. [2]
Electronic accounts are not a new idea. Kuwait’s published income tax rules allow bodies corporate to keep their accounts on electronic systems, provided the required accounting data is covered and a copy of the system’s entries for the tax period is given to the tax administration on request. [6]
Beneficial owners: accurate and kept up to date. Ministerial Resolution No. 4 of 2023 requires every legal person to keep a register of its beneficial owners and update it within 15 days of learning of any change; Ministerial Resolution No. 37 of 2026 amended some of its provisions. [4] [5]
Tax services and information exchange are going digital. The Ministry of Finance’s electronic tax services cover tax registration and its changes, DMTT registration and tax certificate requests, and the ministry runs automatic exchange of information under FATCA and CRS. [3] [7]
| Named in the regulations | In a modern business system |
|---|---|
| Balance sheet, profit and loss, statement of equity | General ledger and financial statements |
| General journal | Posted accounting entries with an audit trail |
| Fixed assets records | Fixed assets register |
| Payroll and wages records | Payroll and payroll accounting |
| Inventory book and stock records | Inventory ledger and stock movements |
| Invoices, contracts, licences and correspondence | Documents attached to the transaction |
| Supporting documents for entries and returns | Source documents linked to each transaction |
Source for every row: Article 94 of the DMTT executive regulations. [2]
What this guide does not say
- It does not say that every company in Kuwait now pays 15% tax. The DMTT covers qualifying multinational groups; a wider Business Profits Tax is still a draft. [1] [9] [11]
- It does not say that the law requires you to buy an ERP. The rules speak about records, data, documents, accuracy, updates, retention and returns — not about a product. An ERP is one practical way to organise them. [2] [4] [6]
Where does an ERP fit in?
An ERP is an operational and control benefit, not a legal claim. When sales, purchasing, stock, assets, payroll, accounting, approvals and documents sit on one connected platform, it is easier to prepare reports, see where a figure came from, track changes and pull out documents than in an environment of separate programs, Excel files and manual reconciliations.
The figure exists, but reaching its source means searching by hand — and no one can say who changed it.
One click at a time from the figure to the original document, with an audit trail of who changed what and when.
| Disconnected setup | Connected ERP |
|---|---|
| Separate POS, then export and combine | Sales post directly within the same data model |
| Stock separate from the accounts | Every stock movement is linked to its document and cost |
| Approvals by email or WhatsApp | Workflows, permissions and an approval log |
| Reports built in Excel | Live reports from the source data |
| Documents in separate folders | Attachments linked to the entry, invoice or supplier |
| Hard to know who changed a figure | Audit trail and user permissions |
Does your company run on Excel or separate systems? Tell us how you manage sales, stock, purchasing, accounting and documents today.
Check how ready your company’s data is
Is your data ready if someone asks for it tomorrow?
For each question, say how you would get the answer today.
- Can you produce the general ledger, balance sheet and profit and loss for any period quickly?
- Can you trace every entry to an invoice, contract or source document?
- Does your stock record show movements, cost and quantity by location?
- Are fixed assets, payroll and obligations kept in organised records?
- Are there user permissions, approvals and a change log you can review — who changed what, and when?
- Company records (not an ERP task): are your company and beneficial owner details updated when they change?
- Can you keep data and documents for the period required for your category?
- Can you export what a regulator or auditor asks for without rebuilding the figures by hand?
Answer the questions (0 of 8) to see your result.
A self-check to prepare, not legal or tax advice.
What about the wider Business Profits Tax?
Professional firms have published analyses of a draft Business Profits Tax law that would widen business taxation in the future, with registration, returns and financial statement requirements. It is a draft, not current law: its final text, start date and scope can change. [9] [11]
What to ask an ERP provider
- Show us how we get from a figure in a financial report to the original document that created it.
- Is there a clear audit trail for changes, cancellations and approvals?
- Can we close accounting periods and block changes after closing, except with special permission?
- How does the system keep attachments, contracts and invoices linked to transactions?
- Does it support several companies, branches, stores and cost centres without Excel in between?
- Can we export data and reports in open formats for an audit or if we change system?
- What is the backup, retention and recovery policy?
- How are permissions and separation of duties managed between users?
Sources
Prices and facts checked on 24 September 2026. Prices change often. Always ask for a written quote.
- [1] Ministry of Finance — DMTT: scope, effective date, EUR 750 million threshold
- [2] Ministry of Finance — DMTT executive regulations (Ministerial Resolution 55/2025), Article 94
- [3] Ministry of Finance — electronic tax services
- [4] Ministry of Commerce and Industry — beneficial owner register (Resolution 4/2023)
- [5] Ministry of Commerce and Industry — Ministerial Resolution 37/2026 amending Resolution 4/2023
- [6] Ministry of Finance — income tax rules (Decree 3/1955): electronic accounting systems
- [7] Ministry of Finance — exchange of information (FATCA and CRS)
- [8] Ministry of Finance — zakat rules (Law 46/2006)
- [9] PwC Tax Summaries — Kuwait corporate income tax and DMTT (reviewed 22 Jul 2026)
- [10] PwC Tax Summaries — Kuwait other taxes (National Labour Support Tax)
- [11] KPMG Kuwait — proposed Business Profits Tax law (draft, not in force)
- [12] EY — Kuwait DMTT law and executive regulations