Accounting, bookkeeping and tax compliance

What’s included

• Bookkeeping and management accounts, including Xero setup and migration
• Statutory financial statements and XBRL preparation
• Corporate tax computation and filing
• GST, VAT and SST registration and returns
• Payroll and statutory contributions
• Group consolidation and audit liaison

Accounting and tax in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the UAE at a glance (2026)

As at October 2026, company profits are taxed at 17% in Singapore, 24% in Malaysia, 8.25% and 16.5% in Hong Kong, and 0% and 9% in the UAE, each with a lower band or relief for smaller companies or profits. All but Hong Kong also levy GST, SST or VAT above a registration threshold.

Item	Singapore	Malaysia	Hong Kong	UAE
Headline corporate tax rate	17%	24%	16.5%; 8.25% on the first HK$2 million for one nominated entity per connected group	9% above AED 375,000 of taxable income; 0% up to it
Small-company relief	Start-up exemption for the first 3 YAs; partial exemption otherwise	15% on the first RM150,000 and 17% on the next RM450,000 for SMEs no more than 20% foreign-owned	The 8.25% band	Small Business Relief for revenue of AED 3 million or less, for tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029
Consumption tax	GST 9%	Service tax 8% (6% for some services); sales tax 5% or 10%	None	VAT 5%
Registration threshold	Taxable supplies above S$1 million in a calendar year, or expected above S$1 million in the next 12 months	Service tax: taxable services above RM500,000 in 12 months (higher for some sectors)	Not applicable	Taxable supplies and imports above AED 375,000 in 12 months, or expected to exceed it in the next 30 days
Annual audit	Required unless a small company or dormant	Required unless exempt; 2026 periods: two of revenue up to RM2 million, assets up to RM2 million, up to 20 employees	Every company except a dormant one	Mainland LLCs every year; for corporate tax, if revenue exceeds AED 50 million or for a Qualifying Free Zone Person
E-invoicing	InvoiceNow for new voluntary GST registrants since 1 April 2026; all GST-registered businesses by 1 April 2031	MyInvois; exempt below RM3 million turnover, subject to group conditions	No mandate	From 1 January 2027 (revenue AED 50 million or more) or 1 July 2027 (others)
Employer contributions	CPF for citizens and permanent residents: 17% employer, 20% employee (aged 55 and below)	EPF and SOCSO; EPF for non-citizens 2% employer, 2% employee	MPF 5% employer, 5% employee, capped at HK$1,500 each a month	Wages are not taxed; paid through the Wage Protection System

How is a Singapore company taxed in YA 2026?

A Singapore company pays 17% on chargeable income left after its start-up or partial tax exemption, then receives a 50% rebate of that tax for YA 2026, capped at S$40,000. YA 2026 taxes financial years ending in 2025, and the return is due by 30 November 2026.

Item	Rule for YA 2026
Corporate tax rate	17% of chargeable income
Start-up tax exemption	75% of the first S$100,000 and 50% of the next S$100,000 of normal chargeable income exempt, for each of the first 3 consecutive YAs
Start-up exemption conditions	Incorporated and tax resident in Singapore; up to 20 shareholders, all individuals or including one individual with at least 10%; not investment holding or property development
Partial tax exemption	For other companies: 75% of the first S$10,000 and 50% of the next S$190,000 of normal chargeable income exempt
Corporate income tax rebate	50% of tax payable, capped at S$40,000; at least S$2,000, paid as a cash grant, for active companies that made CPF contributions to a local employee other than a shareholder-director in 2025
Basis period	The financial year ending in the year before the YA
Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI)	Within 3 months of the year end; not required if revenue is S$5 million or less and ECI is nil
Return form and deadline	Form C-S (Lite) for revenue up to S$200,000, Form C-S up to S$5 million, Form C otherwise; all by 30 November

Budget 2026 set the rebate at 40%, with a S$1,500 minimum and S$30,000 cap; the government raised it on 7 April 2026, for YA 2026 only.

Singapore accounting and tax calendar: a step-by-step checklist

For a 31 December 2025 year end, the cycle runs from monthly CPF to the YA 2026 return on 30 November 2026. Dates tied to the year end move with it; 1 March and 30 November are fixed.

1. Monthly: pay CPF for citizen and permanent resident staff, and the Skills Development Levy for all staff, by the 14th of the following month (CPF is due at month end).
2. Quarterly, if GST-registered: file and pay GST within one month after the quarter (31 October 2026 for July to September).
3. By 1 March 2026: submit employees’ 2025 employment income (Form IR8A) to IRAS.
4. By 31 March 2026: file ECI for YA 2026, unless revenue is S$5 million or less and ECI is nil.
5. After the year end: prepare the financial statements and have them audited unless the company is small or dormant.
6. By 30 June 2026: hold the AGM, unless the statements went to members within 5 months or members have dispensed with AGMs.
7. By 31 July 2026: file the annual return with ACRA, with XBRL financial statements unless exempt.
8. By 30 November 2026: file Form C-S (Lite), C-S or C for YA 2026.
9. Each 31 December: apply the GST calendar-year test, and apply to register within 30 days if taxable supplies exceeded S$1 million.

Singapore GST, XBRL and audit thresholds in 2026

Three thresholds drive most Singapore compliance: S$1 million of taxable supplies for GST, S$500,000 of revenue and assets for simplified XBRL, and S$10 million for audit exemption.

Test	Threshold or rule	What follows
GST, calendar-year test	Taxable supplies in Singapore above S$1 million in a calendar year	Apply to register within 30 days of the year end
GST, forward-looking test	Reasonable grounds to expect taxable supplies above S$1 million in the next 12 months	Liable to register from that point
GST returns	9% since 1 January 2024; accounting periods normally 3 months	Return and payment within one month after each period
GST InvoiceNow	New voluntary registrants since 1 April 2026; new compulsory registrants and businesses with supplies up to S$200,000 from 1 April 2028	Invoice data sent to IRAS; all GST-registered businesses by 1 April 2031
Audit exemption	At least 2 of 3 in each of the past 2 financial years: revenue up to S$10 million, assets up to S$10 million, up to 50 employees	No audit; a subsidiary’s group must also qualify
Simplified XBRL	Revenue and total assets each up to S$500,000, and not publicly accountable	Simplified XBRL plus a PDF copy
Full XBRL	Every other company that files financial statements, including insolvent exempt private companies	Full XBRL
No filing of financial statements	Solvent exempt private companies; dormant relevant companies under section 201A of the Companies Act	Annual return without financial statements

A subsidiary of a foreign company has a corporate shareholder, so it is not an exempt private company and must file financial statements. Companies limited by guarantee file in PDF.

Tax filing deadlines and payroll obligations by market

Corporate tax returns are due 7 months after the year end in Malaysia, 9 months after it in the UAE, on 30 November in Singapore, and one month after issue in Hong Kong unless extended.

Obligation	Singapore	Malaysia	Hong Kong	UAE
Corporate tax return	By 30 November	Form e-C within 7 months of year end	BIR51 within 1 month of issue (normally 1 April); 2025/26 block extensions to 17 August or 16 November 2026	Within 9 months of the tax period end
Estimates and advance tax	ECI within 3 months of year end	CP204 estimate; monthly instalments by the 15th	Provisional tax based on the last assessed profits	None; tax paid with the return
Consumption tax returns	Quarterly GST return within 1 month	SST-02 every 2 months, by the end of the following month	None	VAT return within 28 days of each period
Accounts	Annual return within 7 months of year end, with XBRL statements unless exempt	Circulated within 6 months; lodged with SSM within 30 days	Not filed with the annual return; audited accounts go with BIR51	Prepared for each tax period; kept for 7 years
Monthly payroll	CPF and SDL by the 14th	PCB and EPF by the 15th	MPF, generally by the 10th	Salaries through the Wage Protection System
Annual employer return	Form IR8A by 1 March	Form EA by end of February; Form E by 31 March	BIR56A and IR56B within 1 month of issue	None, as wages are not taxed

How much tax on 500,000 of profit? A four-market worked example

On 500,000 of taxable profit in local currency, a new qualifying company pays S$63,750 in Singapore before the YA 2026 rebate, RM82,000 in Malaysia, HK$41,250 in Hong Kong and AED 11,250 in the UAE. The second line per market shows what changes the result.

Market and case	Calculation	Tax	Effective rate
Singapore, new company owned by individuals	Exempt 75% × S$100,000 + 50% × S$100,000 = S$125,000; 17% × S$375,000	S$63,750; S$31,875 after the 50% rebate	12.75%; 6.38% after rebate
Singapore, subsidiary of a foreign company	Exempt 75% × S$10,000 + 50% × S$190,000 = S$102,500; 17% × S$397,500	S$67,575; S$33,787.50 after the rebate	13.52%; 6.76% after rebate
Malaysia, SME no more than 20% foreign-owned	15% × RM150,000 + 17% × RM350,000	RM82,000	16.4%
Malaysia, more than 20% foreign-owned	24% × RM500,000	RM120,000	24%
Hong Kong, nominated entity	8.25% × HK$500,000	HK$41,250; HK$38,250 after the 2025/26 reduction	8.25%
Hong Kong, connected entity not nominated	16.5% × HK$500,000	HK$82,500	16.5%
UAE, revenue above AED 3 million	9% × (AED 500,000 less AED 375,000)	AED 11,250	2.25%
UAE, revenue AED 3 million or less, Small Business Relief elected	Treated as having no taxable income	AED 0	0%

Assumptions: 500,000 is taxable profit in each local currency, so the amounts differ in value; compare effective rates. No incentives, losses or foreign income. Singapore’s S$2,000 cash grant is part of the rebate; Hong Kong’s 2025/26 reduction is capped at HK$3,000.

How to work out which reliefs and filings apply to your company

The headline rate is rarely the deciding figure: these five points decide which reliefs apply and what each group company files.

• Ownership: Singapore’s start-up exemption needs an individual shareholder with at least 10%, and Malaysia’s SME rates are lost above 20% foreign ownership, so a subsidiary wholly owned by a foreign company usually gets neither.
• Revenue: it sets the Singapore return form and ECI waiver (S$200,000 and S$5 million), UAE Small Business Relief (AED 3 million) and UAE audited accounts (above AED 50 million).
• Group: in Hong Kong only one connected entity takes the 8.25% band each year, and a Singapore subsidiary is audit-exempt only if its group is also small.
• Customers and staff: GST, SST and VAT turn on local taxable supplies, and Hong Kong has none; CPF covers only Singapore citizens and permanent residents, but SDL covers everyone.
• Substance: the Singapore start-up exemption needs tax residence, UAE 0% free zone treatment needs adequate substance and qualifying income, and Hong Kong offshore claims depend on where the profit-producing work is done.

Common cross-border accounting and tax mistakes

Costly errors come from carrying one market’s rule into another, or reading a threshold loosely.

• Testing Singapore GST on a rolling 12 months only: the compulsory test is applied at each calendar year end, alongside a forward-looking 12-month test.
• Skipping ECI because the company is small: the waiver needs both revenue of S$5 million or less and nil ECI.
• Assuming a foreign-owned Singapore subsidiary need not file accounts: with a corporate shareholder it is not an exempt private company.
• Paying CPF for Employment Pass holders, or leaving them out of SDL: CPF covers citizens and permanent residents only; SDL covers every employee.
• Treating UAE Small Business Relief as automatic: it must be elected in each return, and a Qualifying Free Zone Person cannot elect it.
• Assuming a UAE company needs no accounts: every taxable person must prepare financial statements.

Accounting and tax terms used across the four markets

These terms appear on IRAS, ACRA, LHDN, IRD and FTA returns and notices.

• Year of assessment (YA): the year in which income is assessed; Singapore’s YA 2026 taxes financial years ending in 2025.
• Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI): a Singapore company’s estimate of chargeable income for a YA.
• Exempt private company (EPC): a Singapore private company with no corporate shareholders and a limited number of members; if solvent, it need not file financial statements.
• Small company: a Singapore private company within 2 of 3 size limits for 2 years, and so exempt from audit.
• InvoiceNow: Singapore’s e-invoicing network for sending invoice data to IRAS.
• SST: Malaysia’s Sales and Service Tax on specified goods and services.
• Small Business Relief: a UAE election that treats a resident person with revenue of AED 3 million or less as having no taxable income.