How it works

A structured review across five independent modules

The Dariba VAT Engine applies deterministic, rule-based analysis to your uploaded working files — no AI inference, no black-box scoring. Every finding is traceable to the source rows that triggered it and to the regulatory article that makes it relevant. The specific checks and their logic are proprietary.

What the engine receives

Sales Registerrequired

One row per sales invoice — the primary input for Module S and the R reconciliation bridges.

Purchases Registerrequired

One row per purchase invoice — the primary input for Module P and reverse-charge analysis.

Trial Balanceoptional

Month-end GL balances — enables the R reconciliation bridges against the register totals.

S

Module SSales & Output VAT

Validates the completeness and integrity of your sales register from first principles — invoice structure, output VAT computation, supply classification, timing of the tax point, credit note treatment, and buyer verification. The objective is to ensure that every sale is correctly declared, correctly classified, and that the output VAT position is fully defensible in an examination.

Areas reviewed in this module
  • ·Invoice completeness and structural integrity
  • ·Output VAT recomputation and footing
  • ·Supply classification (standard, zero-rated, exempt, out-of-scope)
  • ·Tax-point timing and cut-off compliance
  • ·Credit note integrity and clustering analysis
  • ·B2B buyer Tax Registration Number verification
  • ·Related-party and deemed supply identification
P

Module PPurchases & Input VAT

Validates every input VAT claim against the criteria for recoverability under the KSA VAT Law and Implementing Regulations — invoice completeness, supplier registration, blocked expense categories, reverse-charge obligations on foreign-supplier invoices, duplicate detection, and apportionment where exempt outputs exist.

Areas reviewed in this module
  • ·Invoice completeness and supplier TRN validation
  • ·Blocked expense category identification (entertainment, personal use, restricted vehicles)
  • ·Reverse-charge gap analysis on foreign-supplier payments
  • ·Exact and near-duplicate invoice detection
  • ·Cut-off and statute-window compliance
  • ·Input VAT apportionment where exempt supplies exist
  • ·Capital goods and asset classification
R

Module RGL Reconciliation

A series of reconciliation bridges that tie your sales and purchase registers to the trial balance and to your declared ZATCA return — every unexplained residual is a finding. No unresolved difference passes through.

Areas reviewed in this module
  • ·Sales register vs. revenue accounts in the trial balance
  • ·Output VAT register vs. output VAT GL balances
  • ·Input VAT register vs. GL balances and recoverable position
  • ·Register totals vs. filed ZATCA return, box by box
  • ·Net VAT payable agreement across ledger, register, and simulated return
F

Module FForensic Overlay

Statistical analysis of the full transaction population for patterns associated with data manipulation, fabrication, or systematic error. These are the signals that manual review misses and that ZATCA's data-matching systems are designed to detect.

Areas reviewed in this module
  • ·Digital distribution analysis across the transaction population
  • ·Round-number and threshold clustering
  • ·Concentration analysis — customer and supplier dependency
  • ·Temporal transaction patterns and posting anomalies
  • ·Circular trading and counterparty overlap detection
  • ·Period-end revenue and expense behaviour
Z

Module ZZATCA Compliance

Produces a simulated ZATCA VAT return from your data, compared box-by-box to what you filed. Quantifies penalty exposure under the current ZATCA penalty framework. Assesses audit-selection likelihood based on known risk indicators. Reviews FATOORA e-invoicing readiness.

Areas reviewed in this module
  • ·Simulated VAT-301 return, box-by-box comparison to filed position
  • ·Penalty exposure estimation under the ZATCA penalty framework
  • ·Audit-likelihood scoring based on known selection criteria
  • ·FATOORA e-invoicing field readiness review
  • ·Bad-debt relief opportunity identification
  • ·Period-over-period trend analysis (where prior reviews exist)

What you receive

Exception Register

Every finding with its severity rating, category, estimated SAR exposure, and a direct pointer to the source rows that triggered it.

Regulatory Citations

Each finding references the specific article of the KSA VAT Law or Implementing Regulations that makes the discrepancy material.

Simulated ZATCA Return

A completed VAT-301 replica built from your data, compared box-by-box to your filed position with unexplained deltas highlighted.

Remediation Plan

Recommended corrective actions for each finding, ordered by priority and sized by financial exposure.

Scope note: The Dariba VAT Engine is a pre-filing analytical tool. It does not constitute a formal VAT audit, legal advice, or a guarantee against ZATCA assessment. The quality of findings depends on the completeness and accuracy of the data you provide. Subscribers on the Advise plan have direct access to a senior VAT professional for complex interpretive questions.

Ready to review your VAT position?

Upload your registers and get a full findings report in under 4 minutes.