Annual Compliance Calendar in Singapore: Key Dates and Deadlines You Should Know About

Annual compliance is crucial for all companies incorporated in Singapore to maintain good standing and avoid penalties, regardless of the size or structure. To help you keep track of all the dates and deadlines, a compliance calendar is necessary. It’s an indispensable tool that helps keep you aligned with Singapore’s legal and regulatory obligations as a business. 

In this article, we will cover what are the main compliance requirements and deadlines in a compliance calendar for businesses. 

Understanding What is an Annual Compliance Calendar

An annual compliance calendar is an organizational tool that can help you systematically track and manage your mandatory legal and financial obligations throughout the year. This calendar serves as a schedule of key dates and deadlines tied to statutory requirements set by Singapore’s principal regulatory bodies:

1. Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA): regulates corporate governance and administrative compliance for companies. ACRA requires you to file annual returns to update company information, changes in management, registered address, and financial statements where applicable. ACRA also mandates holding Annual General Meeting (AGM) to approve company accounts and resolutions.
2. Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS): oversees corporate tax compliance which includes filing Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI), annual corporate tax returns, filing employee earnings, GST reporting, and tax clearance for foreign employees 
3. Central Provident Fund Board (CPF): governs mandatory social security contributions for your employees in Singapore. As the legal employer, you must submit CPF contributions monthly by the 14th of the following month to ensure employees’ social security and retirement funds are adequately funded. 
4. Skills Development Levy (SDL): supports workforce upgrading programs, training grants, etc for the overall skill development of both local and foreign workforce. The levy is collected by the CPF but can be submitted separately on its own. 

What Happens if I Miss a Deadline?

Missing a critical compliance deadline in Singapore can lead to serious financial, legal, and reputational consequences. Proactive planning, and timely filings with a compliance calendar can help you avoid serious consequences and maintain operations. 

Here’s what can happen if you miss a deadline:

Obligations	Late Filing Penalties	Late Payment Penalties
Corporate Tax Return	– IRAS may issue a Notice of Assessment (NOA) based on income from the previous year. You must pay this estimated tax within 1 month. – If convicted, you may face fines up to SGD 5,000 per offence. Failure to fire returns for 2+ years may incur penalties twice the tax assessed plus a fine of up to SGD 5,000 per offence.	– A 5% late payment penalty will be imposed on the unpaid tax if full payment is not received by the due date (typically one month from the date of the NOA).  – If the tax remains unpaid 60 days after the 5% penalty is imposed, an additional penalty of 1% per month may be charged for every completed month the tax remains unpaid capped at 12%.  – If the outstanding tax is not settled, you may have restricted access to bank accounts until the tax and penalties are fully paid.
GST	– S$200 penalty is immediately imposed for filing late, with an additional SGD200 charged for every full month the return is late, capped at SGD10,000. – IRAS may issue an estimated NOA with a 5% late payment penalty on the estimated tax amount.	– A 5% late payment penalty will be imposed on the unpaid GST amount if payment is not made by the due date. – If the tax remains unpaid 60 days after the due date, an additional penalty of 2% per month will be imposed on the remaining unpaid tax (up to a maximum of 50% of the outstanding tax). – May face travel restrictions or imprisonment if found to be willfully evading GST tax.
Annual Return (ACRA)	S$300 if filed late within 3 months after the due date; S$600 if more than 3 months late, with possible further fines or prosecution for serious or repeated breaches.	NA
CPF	– The CPF Board may take enforcement actions including inspections, imposing composition fines, court fines, and imprisonment. – Employers who fail to comply may also be disqualified from government grants or face audits and corrective measures.	– Late payment interest at 1.5% per month (calculated daily) will be charged starting from the day after the due date with a SGD 5 minimum late payment interest. – Employers who deduct CPF contributions from employees but fail to pay to the CPF Board may face fines of up to SGD 10,000, imprisonment of up to 7 years, or both.

Regulatory non-compliance can erode trust among investors, customers, and partners, impacting business prospects. ACRA may initiate strike-off proceedings against companies that fail to comply; non-compliant companies may lose their good standing status, affecting their ability to enter contracts or obtain financing.

Main Compliance Requirements and Deadlines

Following Singapore’s annual compliance calendar is necessary to ensure you are following key regulatory deadlines for your company. Here are key dates and deadlines from ACRA, IRAS, and CPF that you should be aware of:

1. Annual General Meeting (AGM)

An AGM is a key governance requirement for Singapore companies, serving as a platform for shareholders to review and approve the company’s financial health and strategize for the future. An AGM must be held within 18 months after being incorporated. Subsequent AGMs must be held within 6 months from the end of the financial year. 

However, private companies may dispense with holding an AGM if all members approve a resolution to that effect. Financial statements are sent to members within five months after the financial year-end (as per Section 175A of the Companies Act). However, even if the AGM is dispensed with, shareholders or auditors can request an AGM, which the company must then hold. Dormant private companies meeting specific criteria (e.g., total assets under SGD 500,000) may also be exempt.

For foreign companies in Singapore, an AGM can be held anywhere globally. This includes both physical or virtual meetings.

2. Annual Return Filing with ACRA

Annual Return Filing is a compulsory annual obligation for all Singapore-incorporated companies to keep their corporate information current and compliant with legal standards. All companies in Singapore must file their annual return with ACRA within 7 months from their financial year-end.

This deadline is different from the AGM deadline and reflects the legal timeline set by ACRA to update company records. If your company is publicly-listed, deadlines are much shorter (AGMs held within 4 months after financial year-end, and annual returns within 5 months). 

When submitting your annual return, you must include the following key information regarding your company’s status:

• Company particulars (company registration number, company type, etc.)
• Details of shareholders including shareholdings and share classes
• Information about directors and company secretaries
• Registered address and principal business activities
• Financial summaries as per audited or unaudited financial statements

Larger or public companies are required to file financial statements in the XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) format.

3. Financial Statements and Audit Requirements

All companies incorporated in Singapore must prepare annual financial statements that comply with the Singapore Financial Reporting Standards (SFRS). Financial statements must be submitted alongside the Annual Return to ACRA within 7 months after the company’s financial year-end for non-listed companies (publicly-listed companies have shorter deadlines). 

Private companies typically must have their financial statements audited by a qualified public accountant annually. Auditors must be approved by ACRA and appointed within 3 months of incorporation, holding office until the next AGM.

Under the Companies Amendment Act 2014, you can be exempt from these audit requirements if you qualify as a “small company”. To be eligible, you must meet at least two of these criteria for the immediate past two consecutive financial years: 

• Annual revenue of not more than S$10 million
• Total assets of not more than S$10 million
• No more than 50 employees

This rule also applies collectively to groups of companies (parent and subsidiaries) if, on a consolidated basis, they meet the criteria. Dormant companies may also be exempted and can submit simplified declarations providing their total assets do not exceed SGD 500,000. 

4. Corporate Tax Filing

Timely filing of both ECI and the correct Corporate Income Tax Return is mandatory regardless of whether your company made a profit or was dormant within the year. Even with a tax agent, directors are responsible for ensuring compliance with the required corporate tax filing.

Corporate Tax Filing	Due Date / Deadline	Details
Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI)	Within 3 months after Financial Year End	– Exempt if annual revenue ≤ S$5 million and ECI is nil for YA- Early filing allows more GIRO installments (up to 10)
Corporate Income Tax Return
Form C	30 November annually for Year of Assessment	For larger companies or those not eligible to file the simplified return.
Form C-S		For companies with revenue ≤ S$5 million
Form C-S Lite		For companies ≤ S$200,000 revenue and simple tax profile

5. Goods and Services Tax (GST) 

Whether you registered voluntarily or have an annual taxable income exceeding SGD 1 million, you must file for GST Returns quarterly within 1 month after an accounting period. For example, if your accounting period ends on June 30, the GST return is due by July 31.

You must report your output tax (GST collected on sales) and input tax (GST paid on purchases) to calculate the GST payable or refundable. Details required include sales and purchase invoices, taxable supplies, zero-rated supplies, exempt supplies, and other GST-related adjustments.

6. Employment-RelatedFilings

As the employer, you are responsible for calculating and submitting employee-related filings for your employees. Whether they are Singaporean citizens, permanent residents who are full-time, or part-time, you need to file and remit CPF contributions, SDL, IR8A & Annual Information Sheet (AIS), and IR21 (for foreign staff). 

Here’s an overview of employee-related filings you should know about: 

Employee-related Filing	Due Date / Deadline	Details
CPF contributions	14th of the following month	If the due date falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline shifts to the next working day. Employers must also obtain a CPF Submission Number (CSN) to facilitate electronic declaration and payment.
Skills Development Levy (SDL)	14th of the following month (can be filed together with the CPF or as its own)	SDL is 0.25% of your employee’s total monthly wages with SGD2 minimum for employees earning less than SGD800 per month and SGD11.25 for those earning >SGD4,500 per month
IR8A & Annual Information Sheet (AIS)	Companies <5 employees: before 1 Mar for the preceding calendar year.	Employment income reporting for individual income tax assessments. This ensures IRAS has complete information for individual tax assessments.
	Companies >5 employees:  1. Register AIS by the end of December for that calendar year. e.g. 2025 AIS submission, a company must register AIS before 31 Dec 2025.  2. File AIS before 1 Mar the  following calendar year. e.g. 2025 filing must be done before 1 Mar 2026.
IR21 (Departure Form for employees)	Upon employee departure	Employee income tax clearance upon leaving Singapore

Stay compliant with deadlines from  IRAS, ACRA, and CPF with Emerhub’s corporate services aided by our wide network of local experts, legal and accounting professionals. We can help you manage all the necessary submissions on time such as annual return filings, submitting financial statements, CPF contribution submissions and the annual employee income declarations. 

Stay compliant with Singapore’s regulatory and compliance requirements for businesses. Fill out the form and talk to our local experts about how we can help you manage your tax and accounting!