Tax agent in Singapore

A tax agent files for your company only after you authorise the firm in Corppass for IRAS e-Services. Check the firm on Bizfile, and search the SCTP members' directory for accredited tax professionals.

Accountant reviewing company accounts with a calculator in Singapore

Last updated

A tax agent is a person or firm you let file with IRAS on your company's behalf. The authorisation is digital and you control it. Most of the risk sits in the scope you agree, not in the filing portal.

SingaporeCompanySetupGuide.com is an independent guide. We are not IRAS and not a tax agent. We pass quote requests to suitable providers, and some pay us a referral fee. No firm on this page is ranked.

How does a tax agent get access to IRAS?

The company does the authorising. IRAS says the client first sets up its Corppass Administrator account, then authorises the tax agent firm in Corppass to access IRAS e-Services. The firm needs the Preparer and the Approver roles if it assigns e-Services to its staff in both. The step-by-step flow:

  1. Your Corppass Administrator logs in.
  2. Choose to authorise a third party entity.
  3. Enter the firm's UEN and select the IRAS e-Services you want to share.
  4. Grant the roles you agreed in the engagement letter.
  5. The firm then assigns its own staff.

Read our Corppass guide if you have not set up an administrator yet.

Where can I find a tax agent?

IRAS pages we read did not carry a searchable list of tax agents. Two practical routes:

  • SCTP, the Singapore Chartered Tax Professionals Limited, keeps a searchable Members' Directory of accredited tax professionals.
  • Accounting firms that file as part of an annual package. See our accounting firms page.

Whichever route you take, search the firm's UEN on Bizfile and match the name to the engagement letter.

What should I ask a tax agent?

Question Why it matters
Which returns are covered? Form C-S, estimated chargeable income, GST and withholding tax are different jobs
Who prepares and who approves? The Preparer and Approver roles are distinct in Corppass
What deadlines will you set? You need dates before the IRAS dates
Who deals with IRAS queries? A notice can arrive months after the filing
What is the fee for a query or objection? Many fixed fees exclude them
How do I end the arrangement? You remove the Corppass authorisation yourself

For the filings themselves, see corporate tax, Form C-S, estimated chargeable income and GST registration.

Which firms with tax services have facts we could verify?

The list is partial and not a ranking. Facts read in from each firm's site and the ACRA entity data.

Firm Tax services it lists Price shown
Paul Wan & Co Corporate and personal tax None
TNPL Corporate tax, GST registration and filing None for tax; audit from S$1,500
Piloto Asia Tax and accounting Incorporation plans only
HeySara Corporate tax, GST, tax clearance and more None
Office M Corporate tax filing None

Prices, where shown, are as published by the firm on its own page and are not quotes.

What are the common mistakes?

  • Granting access before the scope is signed.
  • Leaving the former firm's authorisation active after a switch.
  • Assuming that a firm filing your return also files GST, or the reverse.
  • Treating a filing deadline as the date the agent starts work.

Want a few quotes side by side? Use the form on this page and tell us your company type and year-end.

What if I only need a one-off filing?

You can file some returns yourself through the IRAS portal using Corppass. A one-off agent engagement makes sense if you are late on a Form C-S, have a notice you do not understand or have just taken over a company with messy books. Ask for a fixed fee for that single task, and set a date by which the firm removes its access.

Sources

Good to know

Questions people ask

How do I appoint a tax agent for my company in Singapore?

Your company sets up a Corppass Administrator account, then authorises the tax agent firm in Corppass to access IRAS e-Services. IRAS describes Preparer and Approver roles. Agree the scope in writing before you grant access.

Is there a government list of tax agents?

On the IRAS pages we read there was no directory of tax agents. Accredited tax professionals can be searched in the Members' Directory of SCTP, the Singapore Chartered Tax Professionals Limited. Verify the firm itself on Bizfile as well.

Can I use more than one tax agent?

IRAS says a client can authorise more than one tax agent firm per tax type, subject to validation rules and checks. In practice, keep one firm per task so that two firms do not file the same return.

What is the difference between a tax agent and an accountant?

The words overlap. An accountant keeps the books and prepares accounts. A tax agent files returns for you with IRAS, and many accounting firms do both. Ask who prepares, who approves and who answers IRAS queries.

What does a tax agent cost?

IRAS sets no fee. Firms price by scope. One firm, TNPL, lists audit from S$1,500, but we found no tax filing price. Request a written quote that says whether the Form C-S and estimated chargeable income filing are included.

How do I stop a tax agent's access?

The company administrator manages the authorisation in Corppass and can remove the firm. Do this when you change firms, and tell the new firm to take over only after the old filings are done.

Want firms to compare?

Use the quote form and we pass your request to suitable firms.