Singapore

We set up Singapore companies for Indian founders and groups, keep their books, and prepare their corporate tax returns and ACRA filings. We have no office in Singapore. Our team in India does the work, and licensed Singapore firms provide the company secretary, the resident director where you need one, and the audit.

Checked against the sources on 14 November 2026. Each figure links to the authority that published it.

Singapore at a glance

Corporate income tax
17% of chargeable income1
New companies
75% of the first S$100,000 and 50% of the next S$100,000 exempt, for the first three years of assessment, if the conditions are met1
GST
9%. Registration is compulsory once taxable turnover passes S$1 million2, 3
Directors
At least one ordinarily resident in Singapore4
Company secretary
Appointed within six months of incorporation4
Corporate tax return
30 November each year5
Annual return to ACRA
Within seven months of the financial year end6
Authorities
ACRA (companies), IRAS (tax), MOM (work passes)

Checked against the sources on 14 November 2026.

Talk to us about Singapore

Call or WhatsApp +91 77606 86468

connect@fidgenx.com

What we do in Singapore

  • Incorporate the company with ACRA and prepare the documents your bank asks for
  • Keep the books and prepare the annual financial statements
  • Prepare the Estimated Chargeable Income and the corporate tax return for IRAS
  • Prepare the annual return with the company secretary, who files it with ACRA
  • Prepare Employment Pass applications for founders and staff
  • Prepare the ODI and APR filings in India when the shareholder is Indian

What a Singapore company files each year

FilingWithWhen
Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI)IRASWithin three months of the financial year end. Not needed if revenue is S$5 million or less and the ECI is nil.7
Corporate income tax return (Form C-S, C-S (Lite) or C)IRASBy 30 November each year, for the financial year that ended in the previous calendar year.5
Annual general meetingMembersWithin six months of the financial year end. A private company need not hold one if it sends the financial statements to its members within five months.8
Annual returnACRAWithin seven months of the financial year end. Dormant companies file too.6

If the shareholder is in India

An Indian company or resident who invests in a Singapore company is making an overseas direct investment under FEMA. Three duties follow.

  1. Before the money leaves India, Form FC goes to your bank, which obtains a Unique Identification Number (UIN) from the RBI. The bank cannot remit until the UIN is issued.9
  2. The share certificate, or other proof of the investment, must reach the bank within six months of the remittance.10
  3. Every year by 31 December, you file an Annual Performance Report (APR) for the Singapore company.10

The APR has to be based on the Singapore company’s audited financial statements. Unaudited statements are accepted only where the Indian investor does not control the company and Singapore law does not require an audit.10 A wholly owned subsidiary is controlled by its Indian parent, so it needs an audit for the APR even when it is exempt from audit in Singapore.

The Singapore exemption is also narrower than it looks. It covers a private company that meets at least two of three limits (revenue of S$10 million or less, total assets of S$10 million or less, 50 or fewer employees). Where the company has a parent, the whole group has to meet them as well, on consolidated figures.11

If an APR is late, you cannot put more money into that company or transfer your shares in it until the delay is regularised. That can be done by paying a late submission fee within three years of the due date.10

Working in Singapore yourself

Founders and staff who will work in Singapore usually need an Employment Pass. The applicant must earn at least the qualifying salary, which starts at S$5,600 a month (S$6,200 in financial services) and rises with age to S$10,700 at 45 and above. For new applications from 1 January 2027 the starting figures are S$6,000 and S$6,600. Most applicants must also score 40 points under COMPASS, the Ministry of Manpower’s points framework.12

Questions we are asked

Can an Indian resident be the only director?

No. At least one director must be ordinarily resident in Singapore.4 Founders who live in India usually appoint a resident director through a Singapore corporate services firm, and replace that person once one of them holds a pass that allows it.

Is 17% what a new company pays?

Usually less in its first three years. A company that qualifies for the start-up exemption pays tax on S$75,000 of its first S$200,000 of chargeable income, which comes to S$12,750. Investment holding companies and property developers do not qualify.1

Does a dormant company still have to file?

Yes. ACRA expects an annual return from every live company, and IRAS expects a tax return unless it has waived filing.6

Sources

  1. IRAS, Corporate Income Tax Rate, Rebates and Tax Exemption Schemes. Page updated 7 August 2026.
  2. IRAS, Prevailing GST rate. Page updated 30 September 2026.
  3. IRAS, Do I need to register for GST. Page updated 5 November 2026.
  4. ACRA, Choosing company directors and other key officers. Page updated 29 January 2026.
  5. IRAS, Basic Guide to Corporate Income Tax for Companies. Page updated 20 October 2026.
  6. ACRA, Deadline and requirements for annual returns. Page updated 14 May 2026.
  7. IRAS, Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) Filing. Page updated 10 August 2026.
  8. ACRA, Due dates and requirements for annual general meetings. Page updated 11 February 2026.
  9. Reserve Bank of India, Foreign Exchange Management (Overseas Investment) Directions, 2022. A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 12, 22 August 2022.
  10. Reserve Bank of India, Foreign Exchange Management (Overseas Investment) Regulations, 2022. Notification No. FEMA 400/2022-RB, 22 August 2022.
  11. ACRA, Audit exemptions: small company concept. Page updated 3 February 2026.
  12. Ministry of Manpower, Eligibility for Employment Pass.