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The accounting and financial solution designed for Uganda

Manage your IFRS accounting, your URA EFRIS compliance and your July-June fiscal year from a single platform. Built for Ugandan SMEs, Kampala coffee and tea exporters and pan-African groups within the East African Community.

~48M

Population

~6%

GDP Growth

18%

Standard VAT Rate

2021

EFRIS mandatory since

Currency: Ugandan Shilling VAT: 18% Standard: IFRS / IFRS for SMEs

Regulations

IFRS and IFRS for SMEs

Uganda applies full IFRS for public interest entities (companies listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange, banks, insurers) and IFRS for SMEs for small and medium-sized enterprises. The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) oversees the application of these standards and the certification of accounting professionals. Mandatory financial statements: Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Cash Flows and Statement of Changes in Equity. The IFRS for SMEs framework is particularly suited to small Ugandan entities thanks to its simplified 35-section structure.

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URA EFRIS - Mandatory e-invoicing

Uganda mandated the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS) in 2021 for all VAT-registered taxpayers. EFRIS is a national cloud platform operated by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) which requires real-time transmission of every invoice, receipt and credit note. Each document receives a unique fiscal number (FDN - Fiscal Document Number) and a QR code allowing instant verification by buyers. Non-compliance with EFRIS triggers penalties up to UGX 6 million per offence plus increased VAT reassessment.

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Income Tax Act and VAT Act - July-June fiscal year

Ugandan tax framework governing corporate income tax (30% standard rate, 15% for the mining sector), VAT (18% standard rate, 0% on exports) and PAYE (progressive scale up to 40%). Major Ugandan specificity: the national fiscal year runs from <strong>1 July to 30 June</strong> (atypical in Africa). The VAT registration threshold is set at UGX 150 million (~EUR 38,000) of annual turnover. Updated annually through the Tax Amendment Act.

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NSSF and Local Service Tax

Mandatory social contributions: NSSF (National Social Security Fund) at 10% of gross salary on the employer side and 5% on the employee side (total 15%). Local Service Tax (LST) is levied annually by local authorities on salaries. PAYE is withheld monthly with a progressive scale from 0% (below UGX 3.36M per month) to 40% (above UGX 3.36M per month). Monthly filings via the URA Online Services portal.

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E-invoicing

URA EFRIS (Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution)

Uganda has mandated e-invoicing for all VAT-registered taxpayers since 2021 through the EFRIS (Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution) platform, operated by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). EFRIS is one of the strictest systems in East Africa: every invoice, receipt and credit note must be transmitted in real time to URA via API, ESS (EFRIS Sales Software) or USSD for small traders. Each document receives a unique FDN (Fiscal Document Number) and a QR code allowing instant verification. CassKai integrates natively with the EFRIS API and automates the entire chain: issuance, transmission, archiving and reconciliation. Native integration of MTN Mobile Money (dominant operator with ~60% market share) and Airtel Money payments reflects the reality of collections in Uganda, where over 80% of B2C transactions flow through mobile money.

Tax Specifics

Ugandan tax regime

The Ugandan tax system is governed by the Income Tax Act, the Value Added Tax Act and the Tax Procedures Code Act 2014, and administered by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). Uganda is a member of the East African Community (EAC) and COMESA. The URA Online Services portal is the single entry point for all tax filings, complemented by the EFRIS platform for mandatory e-invoicing.

Major specificity: the July-June fiscal year

Unlike most African countries that follow the calendar year (January-December), Uganda applies a national fiscal year from 1 July to 30 June. This specificity impacts tax filings, CIT returns, annual budgets and group reporting for subsidiaries of foreign companies. CassKai natively handles offset fiscal years and offers configurable periods with automatic restatement for the consolidation of foreign subsidiaries.

Main taxes and duties

Filing obligations

Accounting specifics and IFRS

Oil sector and specific tax regime

Uganda is actively developing its oil sector following discoveries in the Hoima / Lake Albert basin (first production expected 2026-2027 via the EACOP pipeline to Tanga in Tanzania). The sector is governed by the Petroleum Act 2013 and subject to a specific tax regime with Production Sharing Agreements (PSA), ad valorem royalties (5% to 12.5% depending on the field), Stamp Duty and partial local content obligations. CassKai integrates accounting templates specific to the oil sector and facilitates coupled URA / Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) filings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What accounting standard is mandatory in Uganda?

Uganda applies full IFRS for companies listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange, banks and insurance companies, and IFRS for SMEs for non-listed SMEs. ICPAU (Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda) oversees standards enforcement and the certification of accounting professionals. CassKai natively supports both frameworks and automatically generates compliant financial statements: Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Comprehensive Income, Statement of Cash Flows and Statement of Changes in Equity, in UGX with USD restatement if needed. The IFRS for SMEs framework (35 simplified sections) is particularly suited to small Ugandan entities.

What is URA EFRIS and is it mandatory?

The EFRIS (Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution) is the national e-invoicing platform operated by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). EFRIS has been mandatory since 2021 for ALL VAT-registered taxpayers, without exception. Every invoice, receipt and credit note must be transmitted in real time to URA via API, ESS (EFRIS Sales Software) or USSD for small traders. Each document receives a unique FDN (Fiscal Document Number) and a QR code. Non-compliance exposes to penalties of up to UGX 6 million per offence. CassKai integrates natively with the EFRIS API and ensures full compliance, with no manual intervention.

How does CassKai handle Uganda's specific July-June fiscal year?

Uganda is one of the few African countries to apply a national fiscal year from 1 July to 30 June, atypical in Africa. CassKai natively handles offset fiscal years with: per-company fiscal period configuration (no hardcoded 01/01-31/12), automatic closings on 30 June, N/N-1 and N-2 comparisons adjusted to Ugandan reality, budgets and forecasts aligned with July-June, provisional and final CIT returns respecting the URA calendar, and automatic restatement to calendar year for the consolidation of foreign subsidiaries. No other French-speaking SaaS accounting solution handles offset fiscal years as cleanly.

What are the VAT rates in Uganda and how are returns filed?

Uganda applies two VAT rates: 18% (standard) and 0% (exports and certain essential goods). The registration threshold is set at UGX 150 million (~EUR 38,000) of annual turnover. Monthly returns are filed via the URA Online Services portal before the 15th of the following month. Sales data is automatically pre-filled via EFRIS. CassKai computes collected and deductible VAT, prepares returns in URA format and synchronises data with URA Online Services and EFRIS with no manual re-entry.

Does CassKai handle MTN MoMo and Airtel Money in Uganda?

Yes, CassKai natively integrates the two main Ugandan mobile money operators: MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) which is the dominant operator with about 60% market share, and Airtel Money which holds ~35%. In Uganda, over 80% of B2C transactions flow through mobile money, making it a critical channel. CassKai provides: automatic reconciliation of customer collections with EFRIS invoices, tracking of transaction fees by operator, generation of accounting journals and cash dashboards consolidating cash, mobile money and bank accounts (Stanbic, Centenary, DFCU, Equity). CassKai also supports the Ugandan Shilling (UGX) and multi-currency (USD, EUR, GBP) for exporters and oil operators with Bank of Uganda exchange rates and FX gain/loss management.

Is CassKai suitable for the Ugandan oil sector and agricultural exporters?

Yes, CassKai integrates accounting templates specific to Ugandan agricultural exporters (coffee, tea, sugar, cotton) with USD operations management, FX gains/losses, withholding tax on export sales and reconciliation of international payments. For the developing oil sector (Hoima / Lake Albert), CassKai integrates Production Sharing Agreements (PSA) templates, ad valorem royalty calculation (5% to 12.5%), Stamp Duty and Local Content obligations. CassKai also facilitates the consolidation of Ugandan entities with parent companies in Europe (IFRS) or other African countries, with automatic restatement of the July-June fiscal year to calendar year, enabling the management of pan-African holdings and groups with operations in Uganda.

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