In brief: On Saturday 8 November 2026, Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) announced its “Business Consult” e-service (مستشار الأعمال). A taxpayer enters details of their commercial activity and the system instantly shows the zakat, tax and customs obligations that apply, together with guidance. The service is available on ZATCA’s website free of charge, in Arabic and English.
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According to ZATCA’s announcement, the service lets taxpayers identify the zakat, tax and customs obligations linked to their commercial activities on a self-service basis. The user enters a set of data about the business activity; the system analyses it and immediately displays the applicable obligations, along with guidance to help the user understand compliance requirements.
The service card on ZATCA’s e-services portal describes Business Consult as a service that lets the taxpayer know which taxes they are and are not subject to based on their commercial activity. It lists the execution time as “instant”, the fee as “no fees”, and the channels as the website and live chat. (The same card shows a service issue date of 3 August 2025, while ZATCA’s announcement was published on 8 November 2026.)
Who is it for?
ZATCA says the service targets business owners who are taxpayers, importers, exporters and customs brokers; the service card lists the target group as all taxpayers, citizens and residents. The stated aim is to raise compliance from the early stages of a business or when it expands. It is especially useful when you:
- Set up a new company or add a new commercial activity.
- Start importing or exporting for the first time.
- Expand into branches or activities that may change your tax or zakat obligations.
How to use Business Consult (official steps)
- Go to ZATCA’s website, zatca.gov.sa.
- Choose “e-Services”, then “Zakat, Tax and Customs Services”.
- Choose “Tax Services”, then the “Business Consult” service.
- Fill in the required activity data and click “Inquiry”.
The system then shows the zakat, tax and customs obligations that apply to the activity. For questions, ZATCA lists its contact number 19993.
After you know your obligations
Knowing the obligation is step one; applying it every day in invoices, journal entries and returns is step two. If the service shows your activity is subject to VAT, for example, you are in scope for e-invoicing and periodic returns. See our guide to ZATCA Phase 2 e-invoicing software, our article on e-invoicing penalties in Saudi Arabia, and our news on Saudi withholding tax for October 2026 if you pay non-residents.
What does this mean for your system?
Business Consult tells you what your obligations are; your accounting system is what carries them out each day. In RivDesktop by Riv-ERP:
- ZATCA Phase 2 e-invoicing: CSID, digital signature, QR code, XML, and both Clearance and Reporting flows.
- VAT return: the 16-box VAT return report built from posted entries and invoices.
- Cost centres, branches and analytical dimensions: to separate the figures of each activity or branch as you expand.
- Field-level permissions and an audit log: to see who changed which document and when.
Adding a new activity and want to check your system is ready? Request a quote or contact us.
Note: this news item is general information, not tax advice. The final reference is ZATCA and the result of the service itself.
Sources
- ZATCA: ZATCA launches the “Business Consult” e-service (Arabic) — 8 November 2026
- ZATCA: Business Consult Service — service card
- Arabian Business: Saudi Arabia launches new online tax and customs advisor for businesses — 10 Nov 2026
- Sabq (Arabic): ZATCA launches the Business Consult service — 9 Nov 2026
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