Companies pay corporate income tax at 17%, reduced in practice by partial or start-up exemptions and, for year of assessment 2026, a 50% rebate. Dividends carry no withholding tax, while interest, royalties and some service fees paid abroad do. GST is 9% with registration at S$1 million of taxable turnover, and large groups are within Singapore's Pillar Two top-up taxes from 2025.
Corporate income tax and reliefs
The headline rate is 17%. Every company gets partial exemption on its first S$200,000 of chargeable income, and qualifying new companies can instead use a more generous start-up exemption for their first three years of assessment, which is not available to property development or investment holding companies.
For year of assessment 2026 the government enhanced the corporate income tax rebate to 50% of tax payable, with total benefits capped at S$40,000 and a S$2,000 cash grant for active companies that employed at least one local employee in 2025. Income from outside Singapore is generally taxed when received in Singapore, subject to exemptions.12345
Payments to non-residents
Dividends are not subject to withholding tax. Interest is subject to 15% and royalties to 10% withholding before treaty relief, and fees for services performed in Singapore by non-resident companies are subject to withholding at the corporate rate. Withholding tax must be filed and paid by the 15th of the second month after payment, so intra-group charges need to be tracked monthly.678
GST
GST is charged at 9%. Registration becomes compulsory once taxable turnover exceeds S$1 million in a calendar year or is expected to exceed it in the next 12 months. Overseas suppliers of remote services and low-value goods to Singapore consumers must register once those supplies exceed S$100,000 and their global turnover reaches S$1 million.91011
Transfer pricing, Pillar Two and compliance calendar
Contemporaneous transfer pricing documentation is mandatory where gross revenue exceeds S$10 million, must be ready by the return filing date and kept for at least five years. In-scope multinational groups are subject to the income inclusion rule and a domestic top-up tax for financial years starting on or after 1 January 2025.
Companies generally file Estimated Chargeable Income within three months of year end and the annual return by 30 November. Private companies meeting two of three small-company criteria (revenue and assets of S$10 million or less, 50 or fewer employees) are exempt from statutory audit.1213141516
| Item | Rate or threshold | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate income tax | 17% | Before exemptions and rebates |
| Partial tax exemption | 75% of first S$10,000; 50% of next S$190,000 | All companies |
| YA 2026 rebate | 50% of tax payable, total benefits capped at S$40,000 | Includes S$2,000 cash grant for eligible companies |
| Withholding tax: dividends | 0% | One-tier system |
| Withholding tax: interest / royalties | 15% / 10% | Before treaty relief |
| GST | 9% | Since 1 January 2024 |
| GST registration | S$1 million taxable turnover | Overseas vendors: S$100,000 B2C supplies and S$1 million global turnover |
| Transfer pricing documentation | Gross revenue above S$10 million | Prepared by filing due date; kept five years |
How it works, step by step
- File Estimated Chargeable Income within three months of financial year end14IRAS
- Monitor taxable turnover and register for GST once the S$1 million threshold is crossed or expected10IRAS
- Prepare transfer pricing documentation by the filing due date where revenue exceeds S$10 million12Company; IRAS on request
- File the annual corporate income tax return by 30 November15IRAS
No timings or fees are shown unless an official source states them.
Documents usually needed
- Audited or unaudited financial statements (depending on audit exemption)
- Tax computation supporting the Form C-S or Form C return
- Transfer pricing documentation where required
- Withholding tax filings and certificates of residence for treaty claims
- GST registration records and GST returns
Common mistakes
- Assuming services from an overseas group company are free of withholding tax when the work is performed in Singapore.
- Missing the 15th-of-the-second-month deadline for withholding tax on intra-group interest or royalties.
- Using the start-up exemption for an investment holding company, which is excluded.
- Leaving transfer pricing documentation until an IRAS query instead of preparing it by the filing date.
- Treating audit exemption as automatic without testing the small-group criteria for foreign-owned subsidiaries.
When the business crosses borders
- Treaty rates on interest and royalties vary widely (from 0% upwards) and require the recipient to claim treaty relief with supporting residence evidence.
- Foreign-sourced income becomes taxable when received in Singapore unless an exemption applies, which affects cash-pooling and dividend routing.
- Groups within Pillar Two may owe Singapore domestic top-up tax even where Singapore incentives reduce the local effective rate below 15%.
Questions businesses ask
Are dividends paid to a foreign parent taxed in Singapore?
No. Singapore does not levy withholding tax on dividends paid by resident companies.6
When must a company register for GST?
When taxable turnover exceeds S$1 million in a calendar year or is expected to exceed S$1 million in the next 12 months.10
Does a small subsidiary need an audit?
Not if it is a private company that, together with its group, meets two of the three small-company criteria for the past two financial years.16
What this guide does not yet confirm
These points need checking with a qualified local professional in Singapore before you rely on them.
- Most IRAS web pages render their body text dynamically and could not yet be checked automatically; partial exemption, start-up exemption, withholding rates, overseas vendor registration and the 30 November deadline rely on secondary sources.
- Singapore's Pillar Two rules were confirmed only from a secondary source; the Multinational Enterprise (Minimum Tax) Act 2024 and IRAS guidance could not yet be checked.
- The number of comprehensive tax treaties and individual treaty rates were not confirmed.
- Accounting standards (SFRS and SFRS(I)) and XBRL financial statement filing with ACRA were not confirmed in this part.
- Conditions for foreign-sourced income exemptions and ECI filing waivers were not confirmed.
Sources and review status
Each statement is numbered to the source it was checked against. We use official sources where we can, and each statement says whether it was checked against an official or a secondary source. Sources last checked on 19 October 2026. None of it has been professionally reviewed yet: it is research checked against official and secondary sources by WONE Global, not legal or tax advice.
Singapore's corporate income tax rate is 17%. Flat rate on chargeable income, before partial exemption, start-up exemption, rebates and incentives.
The IRAS page body did not render for automated reading; the rate is stated in the page summary. Confirmed by PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries (last reviewed 2 July 2026).
Under partial tax exemption, 75% of the first S$10,000 and 50% of the next S$190,000 of a company's chargeable income is exempt. Maximum exempt amount S$102,500 a year. Not available in the same year as the start-up exemption.
Secondary source used because the IRAS page body could not yet be checked automatically.
Qualifying new companies receive a start-up exemption for their first three years of assessment: 75% of the first S$100,000 and 50% of the next S$100,000 of chargeable income is exempt. Not available to property development and investment holding companies.
Secondary source used because the IRAS page body could not yet be checked automatically. Shareholding conditions apply and were not confirmed.
For year of assessment 2026 companies receive a corporate income tax rebate of 50% of tax payable, with total benefits of rebate and cash grant capped at S$40,000, and a S$2,000 cash grant for active companies that employed at least one local employee in 2025. YA 2026 only (generally financial years ending in 2025). Enhanced from 40% and S$30,000 by a ministerial statement on 7 April 2026.
Law-firm summary; consistent with PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries. The IRAS rebate page body could not yet be checked automatically.
Companies are taxed on Singapore-sourced income as it arises and on foreign-sourced income when it is received in Singapore. Exemptions for certain foreign-sourced dividends, branch profits and service income are subject to conditions not covered here.
No official page stating this was opened.
Singapore does not levy withholding tax on dividends paid by Singapore-resident companies, which operate a one-tier system under which dividends are tax-exempt in shareholders' hands.
No official page stating this was opened.
Interest paid to non-residents is subject to 15% withholding tax and royalties to 10%, before any treaty reduction or exemption. Fees for services performed in Singapore by non-resident companies are subject to withholding at the prevailing corporate rate (not a final tax). Treaty rates vary by country.
The IRAS 'Types of payment and withholding tax rates' page body could not yet be checked automatically, so a secondary source is cited.
The payer must file and pay withholding tax by the 15th of the second month after the date of payment to the non-resident.
The standard GST rate has been 9% since 1 January 2024. Exports and international services can be zero-rated; certain financial services and residential property are exempt.
A business must register for GST when its taxable turnover for a calendar year exceeds S$1 million (or is expected to exceed S$1 million in the next 12 months). Voluntary registration is possible below the threshold, subject to conditions.
The IRAS leaflet is dated 1 December 2018 and shows the old 7% rate; the S$1 million threshold is confirmed as current by PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries (last reviewed 2 July 2026).
Overseas suppliers must register for GST once their business-to-consumer supplies of remote services and imported low-value goods to Singapore exceed S$100,000 in 12 months and their global turnover is at least S$1 million. Overseas vendor registration regime; applies to supplies to non-GST-registered customers in Singapore.
The IRAS overseas businesses page body could not yet be checked automatically.
Transfer pricing documentation is mandatory where gross revenue for the basis period exceeds S$10 million (or documentation was required for the previous period); it must be prepared by the tax return filing due date and kept for at least five years. Exemptions apply below related-party transaction thresholds set out in the guidelines (for example S$1 million for services received from a related party).
Under the Multinational Enterprise (Minimum Tax) Act 2024, Singapore applies an income inclusion rule and a domestic top-up tax at a 15% minimum effective rate for financial years starting on or after 1 January 2025, and has not adopted the undertaxed profits rule. Applies to in-scope multinational groups under the OECD GloBE rules; the revenue threshold was not confirmed on a Singapore source.
IRAS has a Pillar 2 Top-up Taxes section but its body text could not yet be checked automatically.
Companies generally must file Estimated Chargeable Income within three months of the end of their financial year. Some companies are exempt from ECI filing; the conditions were not confirmed here.
Companies must file their annual corporate income tax return by 30 November of the year of assessment. The tax basis period generally follows the company's accounting period. Assessed tax is payable within one month of the notice of assessment.
The IRAS filing pages render their body text dynamically and could not yet be checked automatically.
A private company is exempt from statutory audit as a small company if it meets at least two of three criteria for the past two consecutive financial years: revenue of S$10 million or less, total assets of S$10 million or less, and 50 employees or fewer. If the company is part of a group, the group must also qualify as a small group on a consolidated basis. New companies are assessed on the current year.
Questions on this topic
16 statements on tax, accounting and statutory reporting in Singapore
