Your first-year compliance map: ACRA, IRAS and CPF
Every obligation a new Singapore private company faces in year one — who it is owed to, the statutory basis, and when it falls due.
A new private company must appoint a company secretary within six months, keep statutory registers and accounting records, hold its AGM within six months of financial year end and file its annual return within seven months. With IRAS, it files estimated chargeable income within three months of year end unless waived, and the tax return by 30 November of the following year. Once it hires, CPF is due by the last day of each month and employee earnings are reported annually.
The obligations of a Singapore private company split cleanly by who they are owed to: ACRA, IRAS, and the MOM/CPF Board once you hire. Map them once against your financial year end ("FYE") and the whole year becomes predictable — or let the deadline tracker do it for you.
ACRA — the corporate housekeeping
- Appoint a company secretary within 6 months of incorporation (s171, Companies Act 1967).
- Maintain statutory registers and resolutions — members, directors, controllers — kept current as changes happen.
- Keep accounting records that explain the company's transactions and financial position, retained for at least five years (s199). See our record-keeping guide.
- Prepare annual financial statements that comply with the Accounting Standards (s201) — audited unless the company qualifies for the small company audit exemption.
- Hold the AGM within 6 months of FYE (s175) — unless exempt: a private company that sends its financial statements to members within 5 months of FYE, and receives no member request for a meeting, need not hold one (s175A). See when a private company can skip its AGM.
- File the annual return within 7 months of FYE (s197) — the 20-minute filing guide covers what BizFile asks for.
IRAS — the tax calendar
- Estimated chargeable income (ECI) within 3 months of FYE — unless waived (revenue not more than S$5 million and nil ECI).
- Corporate tax return (Form C-S or Form C) by 30 November of the Year of Assessment — the calendar year after your FYE.
- GST — not automatic. Monitor taxable turnover against the S$1 million registration threshold from day one.
- Withholding tax — triggered transaction by transaction whenever you pay interest, royalties or certain service fees to a non-resident. Check before you pay.
- Employer filings — employee earnings reported by 1 March each year (IR8A; the Auto-Inclusion Scheme applies once you have five or more employees).
The official consolidated calendar is on IRAS's due dates page.
MOM / CPF Board — once you hire
- Monthly payroll with itemised payslips.
- CPF contributions by the last day of each calendar month for citizen and PR employees — interest and enforcement follow if unpaid after the 14th of the next month. See CPF for your first hire.
A worked example — 31 December FYE
| When | Obligation | Owed to |
|---|---|---|
| Within 6 months of incorporation | Appoint company secretary | ACRA |
| 31 Mar | ECI — unless waived (revenue ≤ S$5m and nil ECI) | IRAS |
| 30 Jun | AGM — unless exempt under s175A | ACRA |
| 31 Jul | Annual return | ACRA |
| Last day monthly | CPF contributions | CPFB |
| 30 Nov (following year) | Corporate tax return | IRAS |
| 1 Mar (each year) | Employee earnings (IR8A) | IRAS |
Two habits make all of this manageable: open a separate business bank account from day one so the records stay clean, and decide early what you will outsource — the secretarial and tax items on this list are cheap to delegate and expensive to get wrong.
Frequently asked questions
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm requirements with ACRA and IRAS, or speak to your corporate secretary.