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An accounting service takes the money side of a Singapore company: records, statements, tax and filings. You still own the legal duty. What you buy is the preparation, the filing and the reminder system, which matters because the deadlines come around every year.
SingaporeCompanySetupGuide.com is an independent guide. We are not ACRA or IRAS and we do not keep anyone's books. If you request quotes here, we pass the request to firms that look suitable. Some pay us a referral fee if you sign with them.
What do accounting services cover?
A firm may offer all of the following or only some:
- Bookkeeping. Recording sales, costs and bank transactions. See our bookkeeping services page.
- Financial statements. Accounts that meet the accounting standards ACRA requires and give a true and fair view of the company.
- Tax. The tax computation, the ECI estimate and Form C-S or its variants for IRAS. See corporate tax in Singapore.
- GST. Registration and returns if you cross the threshold. See GST registration.
- Payroll. Salaries and CPF. See payroll services.
- Secretarial filings. Some firms add the annual return and AGM papers, which are covered in our corporate secretary guide.
Which deadlines will my accountant work to?
Dates checked , all for a non-listed private company:
| Obligation | Deadline | Body |
|---|---|---|
| Hold the AGM | Within six months after year end | ACRA |
| File the annual return | Within 7 months after year end (8 months with share capital or overseas branch registers) | ACRA |
| Estimated Chargeable Income | Within 3 months after year end | IRAS |
| Form C-S, C-S (Lite) or Form C | 30 November every year | IRAS |
| Late annual return filing | Penalty up to S$600 | ACRA |
Your accountant needs complete records long before these dates. Our page on the annual return and AGM goes through the ACRA side in detail.
What are the legal duties around accounts?
ACRA says directors must keep proper accounting records, prepare financial statements that follow the accounting standards and give a true and fair view, and present them at the annual general meeting. Records must be kept for at least five years after the end of the financial year in which the transactions were completed.
An accountant helps you meet these duties but does not take them over. If the filings are late or wrong, ACRA and IRAS look at the company and its directors.
How much do accounting services cost?
We cannot give you a price table, and we will not invent one. Several firms advertise starting prices in search results, but the pages we read did not publish a fee, so we leave numbers out. A page from Excellence Singapore, for instance, told visitors to contact the firm for a quote.
What you can do is compare quotes the same way:
- A fixed monthly or yearly fee, in writing.
- A list of what is in scope: bookkeeping volume, GST, payroll, tax return.
- What counts as extra: catch-up work, audit support, extra bank accounts.
- The price for year two, not only year one.
- Who the named accountant is and how fast they reply.
How do I choose an accounting firm?
Ask for the written scope before the price. A cheap quote that leaves out the tax return costs more later. Check the following:
- Does the firm file the tax return as part of the fee, or sell it separately?
- Which accounting software does it use, and do you keep access to your data?
- Who handles ACRA filings? If the firm is also your company secretary, the registered CSP check on our corporate service provider page applies.
- How does the firm handle an IRAS query after the filing?
What happens to my accounts if I switch?
Ask for a full handover: the ledger, bank reconciliations, working papers and filed returns. Without those, your new accountant must rebuild the past. Put a handover clause in the contract at the start.
If you want a firm to quote on accounting, send the form on this page and mention your financial year end and how many transactions you expect each month.
Sources
- ACRA: company directors' duties: accounting records, five-year rule, financial statements and the AGM.
- ACRA: annual return deadlines: seven and eight month deadlines, penalty up to S$600.
- ACRA: AGM due dates: six months after year end.
- IRAS: guidance on filing Form C-S and Form C: ECI and 30 November deadlines.
- IRAS: do I need to register for GST: S$1 million threshold.
