The rate
The standard rate in Singapore is 9%. Some goods and services carry reduced or zero rates and others are exempt. The difference matters: zero-rated sales still let you reclaim the tax on your purchases, exempt sales do not.
Who must register
Compulsory above S$1 million taxable turnover in a calendar year, or when expected in the next 12 months; voluntary below.
How to register
Register on myTax Portal (mytax.iras.gov.sg) after deciding whether registration is compulsory or voluntary. For voluntary registration the director, sole proprietor, partner or the person preparing the GST returns must complete IRAS's "Overview of GST" e-learning course and its quiz, unless an exemption applies, such as experience with another GST-registered business or an accredited tax adviser preparing the returns.
Prepare the supporting documents as soft copies, because they are attached at the end of the online form. A voluntary registrant must also submit a GIRO application, and IRAS recommends eGIRO for a faster bank approval. IRAS processes 60% of applications within 10 working days and the rest within 30 days, and an application with incomplete information is not processed.
IRAS then notifies the effective date of registration. That is the date from which GST must be charged, and it must not be charged before. A late compulsory registration is backdated to the date the business should have registered.
A business that fails to register when required faces a fine of up to S$10,000, a penalty of 10% of the tax due for each year or part of a year, and a further S$50 for each day the offence continues.
Filing and paying
Registered and filed with Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).
Quarterly GST F5 returns due one month after the end of the accounting period, with payment by the same date; GIRO payers get extra time.