Singapore Corporate Tax Filing – Is Your Business Ready for 30 November Deadline?

Corporate Tax Filing Season in Singapore

The clock is ticking. All Singapore-incorporated companies are required to file their annual Corporate Income Tax Returns with IRAS by 30 November 2025.

For many businesses, tax filing is typically treated as a routine ‘tick-the-box’ compliance exercise. However, with a structured and proactive approach, it can become an opportunity to optimise your company’s financial position, enhance governance practices, and strengthen resilience against regulatory scrutiny.

Key Corporate Tax Deadlines in Singapore

To stay compliant, companies must track these important deadlines:

Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI): Due within three months from the end of the company’s financial year.
Corporate Tax Return (Form C / Form C-S / Form C-S (Lite)): Due by 30 November each year, covering the company’s income, expenses, deductions, and adjustments for the preceding financial year.

Why timely filing matters: Failure to meet deadlines can trigger late filing penalties, enforcement actions, or assessments based on IRAS’s own estimates, which may not accurately reflect your company’s true tax position.

In serious cases, directors may be held personally accountable for persistent non-compliance, highlighting the importance of accurate and timely submissions.

Tax Checklist for Companies – A Structured Approach to Compliance

To reduce risk and uncover opportunities, companies should establish a structured internal process that integrates financial reporting, tax compliance, and documentation review. This ensures that tax filings are accurate, complete and fully supported.

Before submitting the corporate tax return, companies should review the following systematically:

Financial Statements

Ensure statements for the relevant year are complete, accurate, and reflect true financial performance—whether audited or unaudited. Inaccuracies can delay filing, trigger queries from IRAS or result in penalties.

Income Verification

Confirm that all income streams, including foreign-sourced income taxable in Singapore, are accurately captured. Properly disclose dividends, interest, and other business-related income.

Tax Adjustments

Review all deductions and adjustments, including non-deductible expenses, capital allowances, investment allowances, and double tax relief claims. Misclaimed or missing deductions can directly affect taxable income.

Group Relief and Losses

Apply available group relief, carry-forward losses, or unutilised capital allowances. Ensure compliance with continuity of ownership and business tests to preserve these tax benefits.

Transfer Pricing Compliance

For companies with related-party transactions, prepare and maintain contemporaneous transfer pricing documentation per IRAS guidelines. Proper documentation reduces audit risk and potential penalties.

Supporting Documentation

Maintain detailed schedules, calculations, and working papers to substantiate positions taken in the return. Being audit-ready mitigates disputes with IRAS.

Why it matters:

By adopting a structured approach to corporate tax compliance, your company can do more than just meet regulatory requirements. You’ll reduce the risk of errors, avoid penalties, and be better prepared for audits. More importantly, this process can uncover opportunities to optimise your tax position and support stronger financial governance, turning tax filing into a strategic advantage rather than a routine task.

Need help navigating the year-end tax season?

Don’t leave compliance or potential savings to chance. Our experienced tax team is ready to support your business with tailored advice, accurate filings, and strategic insights to help you stay compliant and optimise your tax position.