Overdue Company Filings in Singapore: How to Catch Up When You Haven't Filed for Years
To clear overdue company filings in Singapore, first list everything outstanding with ACRA, IRAS and CPF Board, then deal with any notice that carries a date, such as a summons, composition offer or estimated assessment. After that, rebuild the accounts one financial year at a time, oldest first, and file each year's annual return and tax return as soon as that year is done.
This guide is for owners and directors whose company has not filed its accounts, annual returns or tax returns for a year or more. Penalties grow the longer filings stay outstanding, so the order of work matters. Amounts are in Singapore dollars (SGD), and the rules are as at November 2026.
Key takeaways
- ACRA's late lodgement penalty is $300 per annual return filed within three months of the due date and $600 after that (for returns due from 14 January 2022).
- Two or more years of unfiled tax returns can lead to a court-ordered penalty of twice the tax assessed, plus a fine of up to $5,000 per offence.
- Pay an estimated Notice of Assessment within 1 month; to revise it, object within 2 months with the return, accounts and tax computation.
- YA 2026 returns are due by 30 November 2026; filing on time stops the backlog growing.
Table of Contents
- How to Catch Up on Overdue Company Filings in 6 Steps
- Which Year Should You File First?
- Documents Checklist for a Backlog Clean-Up
- How to Reconstruct Accounts From Bank Statements
- What Penalties Does an Overdue Company Face?
- How Long Does Backlog Accounting Take and What Does It Cost?
- Should You Strike Off the Company Instead?
- Common Mistakes That Make a Backlog Worse
- When to Get Professional Help
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Official Sources
How to Catch Up on Overdue Company Filings in 6 Steps
Work through the backlog in this order.
Step 1: List everything that is overdue
- ACRA: Bizfile (log in through Corppass) shows pop-up alerts for overdue filings, and a paid business profile shows what ACRA has on record. Every financial year since the last annual return needs its own return, and Bizfile makes you file the overdue ones before the latest year.
- IRAS: in myTax Portal, View Corporate Tax Filing Status, View Corporate Tax Notices/ Letters, View Late Filing Fee/ Summons and View Account Summary show what is unfiled, assessed and owed.
- GST and payroll: note missing F5 returns, unpaid CPF months for Singapore Citizen or PR staff, and years without IR8A.
Our filing deadlines calendar shows when each falls due.
Step 2: Deal with dated notices first
Any summons, composition offer, section 65B(3) notice, striking-off letter or recent estimated assessment outranks the backlog; the table below sets the order, and our guide to ACRA composition fines and court summonses covers the ACRA notices.
Step 3: Collect the records
Use the checklist below. Check that the company can still grant Corppass access, and authorise your accountant for Corporate Tax (Filing and Applications): an Approver can submit returns, while a Preparer can only prepare them.
Step 4: Rebuild the books, oldest year first
Start with the earliest year without accounts. Reconcile it to the bank, make the year-end adjustments, then prepare the financial statements and tax computation before moving on. Closing balances, unused tax losses and capital allowances carry into the next year (losses and allowances generally only if the shareholding test is met).
Step 5: File each year in the right order
For each financial year, the directors approve the accounts, the company holds its AGM, and it files the annual return on Bizfile with the financial statements in XBRL (a solvent exempt private company only declares its solvency). The AGM exemption applies only where the financial statements were sent to all members within five months after the year end, so a late year normally needs an actual AGM, unless the company is otherwise exempt (for example, all members have resolved under section 175A of the Companies Act 1967 to dispense with AGMs).
To catch up on corporate tax filing, e-file one return for each Year of Assessment: Form C-S (Lite) if revenue was $200,000 or less, Form C-S if it was up to $5 million (both subject to IRAS's other conditions), or otherwise Form C. Form C-S needs no accounts attached, but they must be prepared and kept. A late ECI is accepted only until IRAS issues an assessment for that YA, so for older years go straight to the return. Our corporate tax filing guide explains each form.
File overdue GST F5s quarter by quarter as each quarter is reconciled, without waiting for the annual accounts, because the penalty grows monthly. Pay CPF arrears through CPF EZPay (interest applies) and fix missing IR8A forms; Auto-Inclusion Scheme employers can submit employment income for up to four back years.
Step 6: Settle up and stop it happening again
Pay the tax and penalties or ask for a payment plan, disclose any errors found in earlier returns, then keep a calendar. For a 31 December year end:
- ECI by 31 March, unless revenue is $5 million or below and ECI is nil
- Accounts to members by 31 May for the AGM exemption, or the AGM by 30 June
- Annual return by 31 July, and Form C-S or Form C by 30 November
- GST one month after each period, CPF by each month end, and IR8A by 1 March
Which Year Should You File First?
Prepare the accounts in date order, but file whatever a notice puts a deadline on first.
| If you have... | Do this | Why it comes first |
|---|---|---|
| IRAS Notice to Attend Court | File what it covers and pay the composition by its deadline | Avoids attending court; no extension once a summons is issued |
| ACRA summons | Attend court (a director, or a representative with a letter of authority) and file the overdue returns | Attendance is required even during an appeal; a director who fails to attend faces a warrant of arrest |
| IRAS composition offer or section 65B(3) notice | Pay the composition and file the return by the offer's due date; answer a 65B(3) notice by its stated date | Avoids prosecution; a director convicted of ignoring a 65B(3) notice faces a fine of up to $10,000, up to 12 months' jail, or both |
| ACRA striking-off letter | Object within 15 days (30 if dated before 20 October 2026) and file the overdue annual returns | ACRA says prompt filing may help the objection |
| Estimated NOA under 2 months old | Pay within 1 month; object within 2 months with the return, accounts and tax computation | After 2 months it is final |
| Missing GST returns or unpaid CPF | File every F5, oldest first, and pay CPF arrears | GST penalties and CPF interest grow every month |
| YA 2026 return | File by 30 November 2026 | One fewer late year |
| No notices | Start with the oldest year without accounts | It sets the next year's opening balances |
For YA 2026, a qualifying company filing Form C-S through accounting software (IRAS's #SFFS arrangement) automatically has until 15 December 2026, and a current-YA extension can be requested after 30 November. IRAS gives no extensions for earlier years, and ACRA's online extension cannot be sought once a deadline has passed.
Documents Checklist for a Backlog Clean-Up
Every missing document means another estimate.
| Document | Source | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Bank statements for every account and month, including closed and foreign-currency accounts | Bank | The backbone of the books |
| Sales invoices and point-of-sale reports | Billing or POS system | Revenue and debtors |
| Marketplace and payment-gateway settlement reports | Seller centre or gateway | Gross sales and fees inside net payouts |
| Supplier invoices and statements | Email, suppliers | Expenses, creditors, GST input tax |
| Payroll, CPF and IR8A records | Payroll system, CPF EZPay | Staff costs and employer filings |
| Loan, hire purchase and lease agreements | Lender | Interest and liabilities |
| Equipment, vehicle and renovation invoices | Suppliers | Capital allowances |
| Last filed accounts, tax computation, NOAs and GST returns | Previous accountant, myTax Portal | Opening balances and past assessments |
| Business profile, register of members, minutes | Bizfile, company secretary | AGMs and annual returns |
| Company costs directors paid personally | Directors' own statements | Amounts owed to directors |
How to Reconstruct Accounts From Bank Statements
The bank holds a dated record of every dollar in and out. The job is to explain each line.
- Check completeness. Each month's closing balance must equal the next month's opening balance.
- Explain every deposit. Match receipts to invoices or settlement reports, and separate capital injections, director loans, transfers and refunds. Treat an unexplained deposit as possible revenue until evidence says otherwise.
- Gross up platform payouts. Marketplaces and gateways pay out net of fees, so record gross sales and fees separately.
- Match every payment to an invoice, flagging private spending, director payments and asset purchases.
- Add what the bank misses: year-end debtors and creditors, accruals, prepayments, stock, depreciation and costs directors paid personally.
- Reconcile and roll forward. Agree the year-end balance to the bank statement, and the GST and CPF records to what was filed, then close the year.
What if receipts and invoices are missing?
Recover what you can first. Suppliers can resend invoices, and utilities, telcos and software providers keep billing histories online. Where a document is truly gone, record the payment from the bank statement with who was paid and why, and keep a directors-approved schedule showing how each estimate was made.
Tax is less forgiving. Without records, IRAS can disallow expenses, capital allowances and GST input tax, estimate revenue using its best judgement, and impose penalties of up to $5,000. Claim only what you can support.
What Penalties Does an Overdue Company Face?
Penalties stack: one forgotten year can touch ACRA, IRAS, GST and CPF at once.
| Filing | What happens | Amounts |
|---|---|---|
| ACRA annual return | Late lodgement penalty on filing | $300 within 3 months of the due date, $600 after (returns due from 14 January 2022; a flat $300 before that) |
| ACRA AGM and annual return breaches | Composition or prosecution | Composition from $500 per breach; on conviction, a fine per charge plus a possible default penalty |
| IRAS Form C-S/C | Estimated NOA, composition, summons | Composition up to $5,000 per offence; for 2 or more years unfiled, twice the tax assessed plus up to $5,000 per offence on conviction |
| Corporate tax paid late | Late payment penalty | 5%; if still unpaid 60 days later, 1% more per completed month, up to a maximum of 12% of the unpaid tax |
| GST F5 | Late submission penalty, plus an estimated NOA with a 5% penalty | $200, then $200 per completed month, up to $10,000 per return |
| GST paid late | Late payment penalty | 5%; if still unpaid 60 days later, 2% more for each month it stays unpaid, up to 50% of the unpaid tax |
| CPF | Late payment interest | 1.5% a month (minimum $5) |
| IR8A | Prosecution | Fine of up to $5,000 on conviction |
When multiple years' annual returns are overdue, each carries its own penalty. ACRA's late annual return enforcement page explains the court process, and our annual return penalty service handles the ACRA side. Enforcement is active: in its guide to the 2025 filing season, IRAS said it had issued over 4,500 Notices to Attend Court since January 2025 to companies with unfiled returns for YA 2024 and earlier, and in ACRA's published court cases from January 2025 to July 2026, directors convicted on late AGM and annual return charges were typically fined about $1,200 to $1,300 per charge and disqualified for five years.
Example (hypothetical): Company A has a 31 December year end and last filed for FY2023. It has no GST registration or staff, and made losses in FY2024 and FY2025 on revenue well under $5 million, so no ECI was due.
| Year | AGM due | Annual return due | Tax return due | At 28 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 30 June 2025 | 31 July 2025 | YA 2025: 30 November 2025 | All overdue |
| FY2025 | 30 June 2026 | 31 July 2026 | YA 2026: 30 November 2026 | AGM and annual return overdue; tax return not yet late |
Filing both annual returns in December 2026 costs $600 + $600 = $1,200 in late lodgement penalties plus $60 + $60 = $120 in filing fees: $1,320 before any ACRA composition. Filing YA 2026 by 30 November keeps Company A at one late tax year, not two.
GST example (hypothetical): an F5 due on 30 April 2025 and filed on 15 November 2026 is 18 completed months late: $200 + (18 × $200) = $3,800.
Estimated assessments already raised
An estimated NOA is IRAS's own figure, based on earlier years or other information, and it may assume your income has grown. The tax is due within one month even if you object, and the assessment becomes final unless you object within two months with the return, accounts and tax computation. Our estimated Notice of Assessment guide covers the objection. A GST estimate is revised once the actual F5 is filed, but only within five years of the end of the period.
Payment plans and penalty waivers
Back-year tax gets no normal GIRO instalments, so it is due within one month of the NOA. A company that genuinely cannot pay can ask for a longer plan through Apply/Manage GIRO Plan in myTax Portal; IRAS may ask for supporting documents and aims to decide within 15 working days. If a GIRO deduction fails, IRAS cancels the plan and the balance becomes due immediately.
Waivers are narrow. IRAS considers waiving a late-filing composition only if the returns were filed before the offer's due date and the company filed on time for the past two years, which a company years behind cannot meet. A late payment penalty waiver needs the tax paid in full by the notice's due date and no waiver in the past two calendar years, and a GST late-submission penalty waiver needs every outstanding return filed, all overdue GST paid and a year of on-time filing.
Errors found in returns you already filed
Rebuilding the books often exposes errors in returns already filed, such as missed sales. Under IRAS's Voluntary Disclosure Programme, a timely, accurate, complete and self-initiated disclosure carries no penalty within one year of the filing deadline (30 November for corporate tax), then 5% of the tax undercharged for each later year, or a flat 5% for GST. Disclosures that do not qualify can attract up to 200%. Use Revise/ Object to Assessment for corporate tax and a GST F7 for GST. Our voluntary disclosure guide explains what to include.
How Long Does Backlog Accounting Take and What Does It Cost?
Be wary of anyone who promises a finish date before seeing your records. Timing depends more on their condition than on the number of years: whether every bank statement is to hand, the number of transactions, marketplaces and currencies, whether GST, payroll or an audit is involved, whether the last filed accounts exist, and how quickly the directors sign off.
The same factors decide the fee, so we quote once we have seen the records; our backlog accounting page lists our current fees. Government charges come on top: $60 per annual return plus any penalties, tax and CPF interest.
Should You Strike Off the Company Instead?
Closing a company that has stopped trading can cost less than reviving it, but the backlog does not disappear.
A company can apply for voluntary striking off only if it has stopped trading (or never started), owns nothing and owes nothing, has no unresolved government matters, registered charges, legal proceedings or regulatory action, and all or most of its directors agree; applying without meeting these conditions can be a false declaration. The Bizfile application is free, and overdue annual returns alone do not block it if there is no court summons.
The catch is IRAS. Before you apply, the company must file every corporate tax return up to the date it ceased business and cancel any GST registration, or IRAS will object. So you still need accounts up to cessation, and the books must be kept for five years after dissolution.
Letting ACRA strike it off is no shortcut either: the overdue annual returns expose the directors to composition, prosecution and debarment, a director of three or more companies struck off by ACRA within five years is disqualified, and bringing the company back later takes a court order or an administrative restoration application. If you might reuse the company, compare striking off with keeping it dormant; a dormant company still files annual returns, and tax returns unless IRAS grants a waiver.
Common Mistakes That Make a Backlog Worse
- Starting with the newest year. Years built on guessed opening balances usually need redoing.
- Paying the estimate and stopping. The return is still outstanding, and the estimate may assume income the company never earned.
- Filing nil or dormant returns to clear the list. A company with any income, even bank interest, is not dormant for tax. Knowingly giving ACRA false or misleading information can mean a fine of up to $50,000, up to two years' jail, or both, and IRAS has four years to assess the real income, with no limit for fraud.
- Calling director withdrawals "drawings". Each payment needs a proper label (salary, director's fees, a dividend, a reimbursement, a loan repayment or a debt the director owes), and a company that is not an exempt private company is generally barred from lending to its directors under section 162 of the Companies Act 1967.
- Claiming unsupported or private costs. IRAS can disallow them, and fines and penalties, including late-filing ones, are not deductible either.
- Missing the GST threshold. If taxable turnover passed $1 million in a calendar year, the company generally had to register. Disclose the lateness when you apply and IRAS will generally waive the late-notification fine and penalties, though the GST itself is still due.
When to Get Professional Help
You may not need us. A director can file a late annual return on Bizfile once the accounts are done and the AGM held, paying $60 plus the late penalty. A company with no business and no income at all (not even bank interest) can use the two-field Form for Dormant Company, and an owner with simple books can often file the six-field Form C-S (Lite) without help.
Get help when more than one year is missing, a notice is on the table, the company has GST or staff, records are patchy or earlier returns look wrong. Our ex-Big 4 Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) rebuild the accounts, prepare the financial statements and tax computations, file every outstanding return and handle the IRAS and ACRA notices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a company does not file tax returns in Singapore?
IRAS can raise an estimated Notice of Assessment payable within one month, offer composition of up to $5,000 per offence, send a section 65B(3) notice to a director, or issue a court summons. For two or more years unfiled, a court can order a penalty of twice the tax assessed plus a fine of up to $5,000 per offence, and the returns must still be filed.
Can I file multiple years of Form C-S at once?
Yes. Each Year of Assessment has its own return, and outstanding returns are e-filed through myTax Portal, so several back years can be filed one after another once their accounts and tax computations are ready. Choose each year's form on its own figures and file in date order, because losses and capital allowances carry forward. No extensions are granted for previous years.
How far back can IRAS assess a company?
Generally four years. For YA 2008 onwards, IRAS can raise an assessment until 31 December of the fourth year after the Year of Assessment, so YA 2023 stays open until 31 December 2027. There is no time limit where fraud or wilful default is involved, and outstanding returns must still be filed.
Should I strike off my company instead of catching up?
Only if it has stopped trading, owns nothing, owes nothing and meets ACRA's other conditions, such as having no registered charges or legal cases. Striking off does not erase the tax backlog: IRAS expects every tax return up to the date business stopped to be filed, and GST cancelled, before you apply. Overdue annual returns alone do not block an application unless there is a court summons.
How much does backlog accounting cost in Singapore?
It depends on the state of the records more than the number of years: how many transactions, sales channels and currencies there are, whether GST, payroll or an audit is involved, and whether every bank statement is to hand. A reliable quote comes only after someone has seen the records, and our backlog accounting page lists our current fees. ACRA fees, tax and penalties come on top.
Can directors be personally penalised for overdue company filings?
Yes. IRAS holds directors responsible for filing and payment even when they use an agent, and a director convicted of ignoring a section 65B(3) notice faces a fine of up to $10,000, up to 12 months' jail, or both. ACRA can prosecute directors for late AGMs and annual returns, and can debar a director from new appointments when required documents stay unfiled for three months or more. Three or more filing convictions within five years bring a five-year disqualification.
Official Sources
- IRAS: Late filing of corporate tax returns
- IRAS: Late payment of corporate tax
- IRAS: Late filing of GST returns
- IRAS: Record keeping requirements
- IRAS: Voluntary Disclosure Programme e-Tax Guide (PDF)
- IRAS: Companies applying for strike off
- ACRA: Late annual return penalties and enforcement
- CPF Board: Employer enforcement and penalties
Years behind on your company filings?
Send us your last filed year and any IRAS or ACRA notices on WhatsApp, and a Singapore Chartered Accountant will tell you what needs to be filed, in what order, and our fee for your case before you commit.
About Tax Filing SG — We are a Singapore accounting practice run by ex-Big 4 Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA). We handle accounting, corporate tax, GST and company secretarial work for Singapore SMEs, including overdue and late filings.
Last updated: 9 November 2026. This article is general information based on IRAS and ACRA guidance as at November 2026, not advice for your specific situation. Rules, rates and deadlines change, so check the official sources above or speak to us before acting.