GST — Goods and Services Tax — is a broad-based consumption tax levied at 9% on most goods and services supplied in Singapore. If your business is registered for GST, you charge it on your sales (output tax), claim it back on your business purchases (input tax), and pay the net amount to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS). If your business is not registered, you cannot charge GST to customers — nor can you recover input tax on what you buy.

Whether or not to register for GST is one of the most practically significant compliance decisions for any Singapore business owner. This guide explains the rules for 2026, the registration process, new InvoiceNow requirements for new registrants, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Compulsory GST Registration: The S$1 Million Threshold

You are legally required to register for GST if your taxable turnover exceeds — or is expected to exceed — S$1 million in a 12-month period. There are two tests:

Retrospective Basis (Looking Back)

At the end of any calendar year, if your taxable turnover for the preceding 12 months exceeded S$1 million, you must apply to register for GST within 30 days of the end of that calendar year. Your registration will be effective from 1 March of the following year, or an earlier date agreed with IRAS.

Prospective Basis (Looking Forward)

At any time during the year, if you have reasonable grounds to expect your taxable turnover to exceed S$1 million in the next 12 months (for example, you have signed a large contract), you must apply to register within 30 days. Registration takes effect from the date you became liable.

Failure to register on time is an offence and may result in IRAS backdating your registration — meaning you are liable for GST on sales you made before registering, even if you did not charge your customers GST at the time.

What Counts as Taxable Turnover?

Taxable turnover includes the total value of:

  • Standard-rated supplies (taxable at 9%)
  • Zero-rated supplies (taxable at 0%, such as international services and exports)

It does not include exempt supplies (such as most financial services and residential property), out-of-scope supplies, or the sale of business assets on a one-off basis (e.g., selling a piece of equipment).

For companies with mixed supply types, computing taxable turnover carefully is important. IRAS guidance on what constitutes taxable turnover is available on the IRAS website.

Voluntary GST Registration

Even if your turnover is below S$1 million, you may choose to register for GST voluntarily. Voluntary registration is beneficial if:

  • Your customers are mostly GST-registered businesses (who can claim the GST you charge as input tax — so GST is cost-neutral to them)
  • You have significant business purchases and want to claim input tax credits
  • You are in a capital-intensive startup phase with high upfront costs
  • You want to appear more established or credible to larger corporate clients

Voluntary registration comes with obligations. IRAS requires voluntarily-registered businesses to remain registered for at least two years and to meet the input tax recovery conditions. There are also additional compliance conditions for voluntary registrants, including an annual income reporting requirement for certain categories of business.

The decision to register voluntarily involves careful financial planning. Consider sound business investment planning alongside your GST compliance strategy.

The GST Rate in 2026: 9%

Singapore’s GST rate has been 9% since 1 January 2024, following the two-step rate increase from 7% (which began in 2023). In 2026, the rate remains at 9%. There are no announced plans to change the rate.

For context, Singapore’s corporate income tax rate is 17% (with substantial start-up and partial exemptions). GST and corporate tax are administered separately — GST is a transaction-based tax collected on behalf of the government, not a tax on profit.

How to Register for GST

GST registration is done online via the IRAS myTax Portal. The process:

  1. Log in to myTax Portal using Singpass
  2. Select “GST” and then “Apply for GST Registration”
  3. Complete the GST F1 form (for new registrations), including information about your business activities, estimated taxable turnover, and banking details
  4. Submit supporting documents if requested (typically business financials or contracts supporting turnover projections)
  5. IRAS will process the application and issue a GST registration number

Processing typically takes 10 working days for straightforward applications. Once registered, your GST registration number appears on the IRAS GST register and must be quoted on all tax invoices you issue.

InvoiceNow Requirements for New GST Registrants (From May 2025)

A significant change affects all new GST registrants from May 2025 onwards. IRAS now requires all new voluntary GST registrants (and, progressively, compulsory registrants) to issue GST invoices via InvoiceNow — Singapore’s national e-invoicing network based on the PEPPOL standard.

InvoiceNow transmits structured invoice data directly from your accounting or billing software to your customer’s system, and to IRAS for GST purposes. The key practical requirements are:

  • You must use accounting or invoicing software that supports InvoiceNow (many cloud-based packages such as Xero, QuickBooks, and IRAS-approved solutions already support this)
  • All invoices for GST-registered B2B transactions must be transmitted via the InvoiceNow network
  • The Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) provides co-funding for accounting software adoption, which can offset the cost of upgrading

Businesses that register for GST from May 2025 onwards should ensure their invoicing infrastructure supports InvoiceNow before their registration is effective.

Filing GST Returns

Once registered, you must file GST returns (Form F5 or F8) regularly — most businesses file quarterly. The return summarises:

  • Total value of standard-rated and zero-rated supplies (Box 1–4)
  • Output tax collected (Box 6)
  • Input tax claimed (Box 7)
  • Net GST payable or reclaimable (Box 9)

Returns and payment are due by the last day of the month following the end of each accounting period (e.g., for Q1 ending 31 March, the return and payment are due by 30 April). Late filing and payment attract penalties and interest.

For upcoming GST and other compliance deadlines, refer to our Singapore Company Compliance Calendar 2026.

Claiming Input Tax

As a GST-registered business, you can claim input tax on goods and services purchased for your business — as long as the supply was for a taxable purpose, you hold a valid tax invoice from the supplier, and the claim is made within 5 years. Certain categories of expenditure are blocked from input tax recovery (for example, club memberships, motor vehicles, and certain entertainment expenses).

Deregistration

You must deregister if your taxable turnover falls or is expected to fall below S$1 million per year and you no longer wish to remain registered. Voluntary deregistration is available, subject to IRAS conditions. Note the two-year lock-in period for voluntary registrants.

For the latest Singapore business compliance updates, business owners can find useful resources on regulatory developments.

How Raffles Corporate Services Can Help

Raffles Corporate Services can assist with GST registration, ongoing GST compliance, and return preparation. We work with businesses across all stages — from first-time registrants navigating the InvoiceNow requirements to established companies managing complex input tax apportionment. Our team also handles broader compliance requirements including corporate tax, payroll, and annual filings.

To speak with the team at Raffles Corporate Services, you can email [email protected] or call, SMS, or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133. We are happy to assist with any queries.

— The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services