Frequently asked questions

About Khan Akber & Co.

Who is Khan Akber & Co.?

Khan Akber & Co. (KAC) is a licensed chartered accountancy firm based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We’re registered with ICAB (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh). We work with foreign companies entering and operating in Bangladesh: company registration, statutory audit, tax, VAT, payroll, employment compliance, and work permits. We’ve been doing this since 2011.

Is KAC regulated by a professional body?

Yes. KAC is registered with ICAB (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh), which regulates the chartered accountancy profession in Bangladesh. ICAB registration is a legal requirement for firms conducting statutory audits. It also means our work is subject to professional standards and disciplinary oversight. You can verify our registration directly with ICAB.

What professional networks is KAC part of?

KAC is a member of Allinial Global, IR Global, and Chartered Accountants Worldwide. These memberships connect us with accounting and professional services networks across multiple countries. For foreign clients, this means we can coordinate with your home-country advisors and align our Bangladesh work with international group reporting requirements.

How long have you been working with foreign investors?

We’ve been working with foreign-invested companies in Bangladesh since 2011. Over that time, we’ve handled registrations, audits, tax filings, and compliance engagements for clients from more than 30 countries across manufacturing, services, technology, trading, and other sectors.

Where are you based and do you have other offices?

Our office is in Dhaka, Bangladesh. All professional staff are based here. We don’t route work through referral networks or outsource to third parties. Every engagement is handled directly by our team. For clients outside Dhaka, we manage everything remotely and handle all government submissions on your behalf in Dhaka.

Our services

What services does KAC provide for foreign companies in Bangladesh?

We handle company formation (private limited company, subsidiary, branch office, and liaison office), statutory audit, corporate income tax returns, VAT registration and monthly filing, payroll setup, and TDS compliance, employment contracts, BIDA work permit applications, corporate legal support, and business advisory. Most clients engage us for multiple services from the start.

Do you handle only the initial setup, or ongoing compliance too?

Both. Some clients engage us for registration only and manage compliance themselves. Most stay with us for the full ongoing picture: annual audit, corporate tax return, monthly VAT filings, payroll, TDS, and annual RJSC or BIDA renewals. The ongoing relationship works better for most clients because we already know the company’s filing history and structure.

Can you help a company that’s already registered but has compliance gaps?

Yes. We regularly take on companies registered by another firm or internally, where compliance has fallen behind. We start with a compliance review to understand the current state, then build a plan to get the company current on outstanding filings before moving to ongoing support. This is a common entry point for new clients coming to us.

Which sectors do you work in?

We work across manufacturing, trading, technology, professional services, logistics, retail, healthcare, and other sectors. We don’t restrict to specific industries. For highly regulated sectors like banking, insurance, or pharmaceuticals, we advise on sector-specific requirements upfront during the initial consultation before confirming scope.

Do you handle work permits for foreign employees?

Yes. Work permit applications are part of our HR and employment compliance service. We prepare the full application, coordinate the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the relevant sector ministry, submit through the BIDA OSS portal, and manage renewals. We review every application before submission to catch the most common rejection reasons before they cause delays.

How we work

Do we need to be in Bangladesh to work with KAC?

No. Most of our foreign clients work with us entirely remotely. We handle all government submissions and in-person interactions with RJSC, BIDA, and NBR on your behalf. You only need to physically be in Bangladesh if you choose to be. We communicate by email, video call, or WhatsApp depending on your preference.

What languages do you work in?

We work in English and Bengali. All client communication, reports, and deliverables for international clients are in English. Government submissions are in Bengali where required. Your team doesn’t need to communicate in Bengali at any point in the engagement.

Who is our main point of contact during the engagement?

Every client is assigned a dedicated engagement manager who handles day-to-day communication and coordinates across our audit, tax, and compliance teams. You won’t be passed between departments or deal with a different person for each service. One person manages the relationship throughout the engagement.

How do you keep clients informed about regulatory changes in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh tax law, BIDA requirements, and NBR rules change regularly. We track these and contact clients directly when a change affects their company. We don’t send mass newsletters. If a regulatory change affects your filing deadline, fee structure, or compliance calendar, your engagement manager reaches out with what it means and what action is needed.

Do you coordinate with our parent company’s advisors in our home country?

Yes. We’re used to working alongside home-country auditors, CFOs, and legal counsel. We provide the Bangladesh-specific work (audit reports, tax computations, compliance filings) in formats that work with international group reporting requirements. Most of our clients’ parent companies use IFRS, which aligns well with the Bangladesh Accounting Standards we report under.

Fees and engagement

How do you charge: fixed fee or hourly?

Fixed fees for defined scopes of work. Before any engagement starts, we give you a written fee proposal covering exactly what’s included. There’s no hourly billing and no surprises. If the scope changes (a new service is added or an unexpected filing comes up), we discuss and agree on the additional fee before doing the work.

Are there costs beyond your professional fee?

Yes. Government fees, stamp duties, trade license fees, and BIDA application charges are paid directly to the relevant government body. These are separate from our professional fee. We include an estimate of all government costs in the fee proposal so you have a clear total picture before committing.

Is there a cost for the initial consultation?

No. The initial consultation is free. It’s the conversation where we understand your company’s structure, sector, objectives in Bangladesh, and timeline. After that, we issue the fee proposal. You don’t pay anything and we don’t start work until you’ve agreed the scope and signed the engagement letter.

Getting started

What should we prepare before our first conversation with KAC?

It helps to have a clear answer to 3 things: what your company wants to do in Bangladesh, whether you plan to have local employees, and roughly when you want to be operational. You don’t need to have chosen a legal structure. That’s part of what we help you decide in the initial consultation based on your specific situation.

How quickly can we get started after first contact?

We respond to all enquiries within 1 business day. The initial consultation typically happens within 3-5 business days of first contact. After that, we issue the fee proposal within 2-3 business days. Most engagements are formally underway within 1-2 weeks of first contact. Contact our team here.