If you are running a business in Singapore, you need to report your income to the Internal Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) by filing your tax return forms C-S or C.
These forms help declare the annual income of companies and must be duly completed and submitted within the specified due dates. It’s crucial to emphasise that even if a company is experiencing losses, there is still an obligation to submit a corporate tax return.
What is Form C-S/Form C-S (Lite)?
Form C-S and Form C-S (Lite) were specially introduced by the Singapore government to make filing tax forms cost-effective in terms of time and money and to make the process more simplified. They will help small companies report their annual income to IRAS. They can be submitted via e-filing, which is easier.
Necessary Documents for Filing of Form C-S
The documents that need to be submitted along with Form C-S are a declaration statement showing the eligibility of the company and other essential tax and financial information only. The due date for filing Form C-S is 30 November 2024, but companies or tax agents using the Seamless Filing from Software (SFFS) system have an extended deadline of 15 December 2024. Even then, documents like tax adjustments, tax computations and financial accounts are to be prepared and kept just in case the IRAS makes a request to submit them.
What is Form C?
Form C, on the other hand, includes 7 pages along with financial statements and tax computations along with others. If the company is not eligible to file form C-S, it should file Form C along with the aforementioned documents and other tax-relevant papers. Paper Form C should be submitted by 30 November 2024, while e-filing is due by 30 November, with an extension to 15 December for those using the Seamless Filing from Software (SFFS) system.
e-Filing of Tax Form C-S
E-filing of tax Form C-S is convenient as it helps in the auto-computation of payable tax and includes the option of saving a draft until the form is ready to be submitted.
You also receive instant acknowledgement once the tax is successfully filed.
Criteria for filing Form C-S
- The company should be incorporated in Singapore
- To file Form C-S, the company must have an annual revenue of $5 million or less. For even simpler filing, companies with revenue of $200,000 or below can opt to file Form C-S (Lite).
- Income derived taxable at 17%
You are not eligible to file tax returns if you claim:
- Carry back of current year capital allowance/losses
- Group relief
- Investment allowance
- Foreign tax credit or tax deducted at source
Tips for e-Filing Form C-S
Before e-filing form C-S, you should ensure that the company has an Access Code and that you’ve been authorised by the concerned company as an ‘Approver’ for ‘Corporate Tax Matters’ via Corppass. The SingPass system remains the authentication method, but the IRAS PIN is now replaced by Corppass for company-related approvals. It is mandatory to be authorized via Corppass
You can use InCorp’s free Corporate Tax Calculator to compute your taxes in preparation for e-filing.
To begin e-Filing:
- Go to mytax.iras.gov.sg
- Select Organisation/Business Tax Matters and login using SingPass or IRAS PIN
- Key in Organisation Tax Ref. No.
- Click on Corporate Tax and select File C-S/C
- Select the year of assessment (YA) for the year you are filing and continue to Form C-S
- Go on to save the confirmation page and after saving, click submit.
If you leave the filing page idle for more than 20 minutes, it’ll logout and you’ll have to login from the start. If you are unable to complete it at one go, save the current session and continue later. The draft will remain in the portal up to 15 Dec, which is the last date for e-Filing.
Now, you can confidently file your Income Tax Returns via Form C-S. You can also take the help of corporate tax consultants who will make the job easier for you by preparing corporate tax computation, director’s reports, and getting ready corporate tax forms.