Run your company in Singapore.The year, and what it costs.
Once the company exists, the year has a shape: CPF every month, estimated income three months after year end, the annual return at seven, the tax return by 30 November. This page is that calendar, what it costs to have someone run it in 2026, and how to switch if your current provider is the problem.
Already here and unhappy with your provider? The assessment has a route for that.
- Corporate tax
- 17%
- Start-up exemption, first 3 years
- 75% off first S$100,000
- GST
- 9%, register above S$1m
- Estimated chargeable income due
- 3 months after year end
- Annual return due
- 7 months after year end
- Accounting, small company
- S$900 to 3,000 a year
Rates and deadlines from IRAS, ACRA and the CPF Board. Fees are public list prices from the self-serve platforms and managed firms we compare, checked September 2026.
Six things that happen every year, whoever does them.
Most of this is routine when someone is watching the calendar. All of it is expensive when nobody is.
Bookkeeping and management accounts
Every transaction recorded, bank reconciled, and a set of accounts at year end. A small company with a few dozen transactions a month pays S$900 to 3,000 a year for this together with the tax filings. Records must be kept for five years. Self-serve platforms do this for about S$100 a month while the company is simple; a firm takes over when it is not.
- Monthly or quarterly bookkeeping, depending on volume
- Unaudited financial statements at year end for most small companies
- Xero is the default ledger; most providers work in it
Corporate tax
The headline rate is 17% on chargeable income. For the first three years a new company with at least one individual shareholder holding 10% or more pays tax on only 25% of its first S$100,000 and 50% of the next S$100,000. After that the partial exemption applies. There is no capital gains tax and dividends are paid without further tax. Estimated chargeable income is filed within three months of year end, the return (Form C-S) by 30 November.
- Effective rate in year one is often under 6% for a small profitable company
- Losses carry forward without limit as long as ownership stays broadly the same
- Tax residence for treaty purposes needs control and management in Singapore, which means board decisions taken here
GST
GST is 9%. Registration is compulsory once taxable turnover passes S$1 million in the last twelve months or is expected to in the next twelve. Voluntary registration is possible earlier, and it makes sense only if most of your customers are GST-registered businesses who reclaim it, because you commit for two years and add a quarterly return at S$150 to 400 per filing.
- Exports and most services to overseas customers are zero-rated, so a foreign-facing company often reclaims more than it pays
- Late registration is back-dated and fined
The annual return and the secretary
Each year the company holds an AGM within six months of year end (private companies can dispense with it by resolution) and files the annual return with ACRA within seven months. Director, shareholder and address changes are filed within 14 days. The corporate secretary does this for S$500 to 1,500 a year. A late annual return costs S$300, then S$600 after three months, and directors of companies that keep lapsing can be barred.
Payroll filings
CPF and the Skills Development Levy are paid by the 14th of the following month. Each employee receives an IR8A income statement by 1 March, and a foreign employee who leaves needs tax clearance filed at least a month before their last day. Software does most of this; the tax clearance is where people get caught.
Payroll and CPF in detailSwitching provider
Most engagements run to the end of the financial year with a month of notice. The new firm files the change of secretary with ACRA, takes over the ledger, and asks the old one for the records, which it must hand over. Switching at year end costs the least, because a mid-year switch means two firms reconcile the same year and you pay both. If your provider takes a week to answer an email, that is the reason to switch, and it is the reason most people give us.
Keeping the company running.
Annual costs for a small company. The audit line applies to almost nobody on this site; it is here so you can see when a quote includes one that you do not need.
| Item | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring | ||
| Outsourced payroll, per employee per month | S$15 to 50 | Software at the low end, a provider running it for you at the top. Usually a minimum monthly fee. |
| Ongoing | ||
| Accounting and tax, small company, per year | S$900 to 3,000 | Transaction volume and whether payroll and GST are included. |
| Corporate secretary and address, per year | S$500 to 1,500 | Mandatory. The cheapest tier is fine for a simple company. |
| GST filing, per quarter | S$150 to 400 | Only once you register. Mandatory above S$1 million in taxable turnover. |
| Audit, if required | S$3,000 to 8,000 | Exempt if you meet two of: revenue under S$10 million, assets under S$10 million, fewer than 50 employees. |
Hiring
- Outsourced payroll, per employee per monthS$15 to 50
Software at the low end, a provider running it for you at the top. Usually a minimum monthly fee.
Ongoing
- Accounting and tax, small company, per yearS$900 to 3,000
Transaction volume and whether payroll and GST are included.
- Corporate secretary and address, per yearS$500 to 1,500
Mandatory. The cheapest tier is fine for a simple company.
- GST filing, per quarterS$150 to 400
Only once you register. Mandatory above S$1 million in taxable turnover.
- Audit, if requiredS$3,000 to 8,000
Exempt if you meet two of: revenue under S$10 million, assets under S$10 million, fewer than 50 employees.
Public list prices from the self-serve platforms and managed firms we compare, checked September 2026.
Get your exact numberWho should run it for you.
A firm with a person who answers, or a platform while the company is simple. Where we send you depends on how much is going on.
A managed corporate services firm
Accounting, tax, GST and corporate secretarial in one firm, with a named accountant who replies the same day. This is where we send companies that have outgrown a self-serve platform, have staff on passes, or want one provider for the whole year.
A self-serve accounting platform
From about S$100 a month for a simple company with low transaction volume and no employees on passes. Fine while it is simple. The moment you need someone to think about your tax position, you have outgrown it.
A monthly accountant
A dormant company or a pure holding company with a handful of transactions a year still needs a secretary and an annual return, but not monthly bookkeeping. Pay for year-end accounts and nothing else.
How we are paid. The provider you go ahead with pays us a referral fee out of their normal price, so you pay what you would pay going direct. We name the provider and the fee in your assessment reply, once we know your situation.
What we tell companies that are already here.
Choose the financial year end on day one and choose it for the tax exemption. The start-up exemption runs for three years of assessment, so a first year that is only two months long wastes a third of it. Providers rarely mention this at incorporation.
Do not register for GST voluntarily unless most of your customers are Singapore businesses who reclaim it. You lock in for two years and add four filings a year. A company selling abroad usually should register, because its sales are zero-rated and it reclaims the GST on its costs.
Audit exemption is the rule for small companies, not the exception. If a quote includes an audit and you are under S$10 million of revenue with fewer than 50 staff, ask why before you sign.
Switch at year end. The most common reason people come to us is a provider who takes a week to reply; the second is a mid-year switch that cost double because two firms reconciled the same year.
What people ask us
What is the corporate tax rate in Singapore?
17% on chargeable income. New companies pay tax on 25% of their first S$100,000 and 50% of the next S$100,000 for three years, if at least one shareholder is an individual holding 10% or more. There is no tax on capital gains or on dividends paid out.
Does my company need an audit?
Not if it meets two of three tests for the last two years: revenue under S$10 million, total assets under S$10 million, fewer than 50 employees. Almost every company on this site is exempt. A provider who quotes you an audit at S$200,000 of revenue should explain why.
When do I have to register for GST?
When taxable turnover passes S$1 million in the last twelve months, or when you can reasonably expect it to in the next twelve. Register within 30 days of crossing. Voluntary registration earlier is a two-year commitment.
What happens if I miss the annual return?
ACRA charges S$300 if the return is up to three months late and S$600 after that, per return. Companies that keep missing filings can be struck off, and directors of three struck-off companies in five years are barred from being directors.
Can I change my corporate secretary or accountant mid-year?
Yes. The new firm files the change with ACRA and the old one must hand over the records. It costs more mid-year because two firms touch the same accounts, so if you can wait for the year end, do.
What should accounting cost for a small company?
S$900 to 3,000 a year for bookkeeping, unaudited accounts and the corporate tax filings, plus S$500 to 1,500 for the secretary. Payroll and GST filings are usually extra. A dormant company pays less; a company with hundreds of transactions a month pays more.
Tell us what the company does and who runs it today. We'll tell you what it should cost.
Two minutes on the form. One reply from a person within a business day: what your year should cost, whether your current quote is out of line, and the firm we would use.