Tax and annual return completion should be tracked separately because the corporate income tax return and ACRA annual return serve different purposes. Identify the company, relevant reporting period, responsible adviser and evidence for each task. One successful submission should not be used to mark both obligations complete.
Build two task records
List the tax-return workstream and annual-return workstream under the same company but with distinct references. Ask the accountant and secretary to identify the applicable requirements and actual dates. Do not transfer a deadline from one system to the other because both tasks use financial information.
Keep the financial period and relevant year of assessment clear. A year printed on an internal folder may not tell the new administrator which return or basis period is involved. Record the meaning rather than rely on shorthand.
Share information without merging approvals
The accountant and secretary may need some of the same approved financial statements or company particulars. Use a controlled final version and identify changes that affect either workflow. An accountant approving figures does not automatically authorise every corporate filing statement.
Ask who resolves discrepancies and who can approve submission for each task. Keep outstanding questions visible even where the other workstream is already ready.
Example: the annual return is accepted first
The secretary supplies annual-return acceptance evidence while the tax computation remains under review. Close only the annual-return task and continue tracking the accountant’s questions. Do not describe the company as having completed all annual filings on the strength of that one receipt.
Retain distinct completion evidence
Keep the relevant filed version, submission acknowledgement and accepted outcome for each system. A payment receipt, working draft or upload screen may not establish the same thing. Review the evidence against the intended task before reporting completion to the director.
Review the combined calendar
After each filing, record unresolved corrections or follow-up requests separately. ACRA’s annual-return guide and IRAS’s corporate filing guidance should be checked for the actual company. This administrative comparison does not prescribe one universal filing date or assume that a company exempt from one requirement is exempt from the other.
Related practical guidance
For the surrounding records and responsibilities, see bookkeeping basics, company records to keep, bookkeeping and accounting.
Official guidance: ACRA annual-return guidance.
For the separate tax workstream, consult IRAS corporate income tax filing guidance.
Help with your company records
For accounting, bookkeeping and related compliance support, contact Raffles Corporate Services at [email protected] or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133. Tell us which records or process need attention so we can discuss the relevant next steps.
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