How to Pay Corporate Tax in Singapore: Due Dates, GIRO Instalments and What to Do If Cash Is Tight

To pay corporate tax in Singapore, pay the amount on your company's Notice of Assessment (NOA) within 1 month of the date printed on it, even if you have objected. Pay through myTax Portal by GIRO, PayNow QR, AXS or internet banking; only GIRO spreads the tax into monthly instalments. Pay late and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) adds a 5% penalty.

GIRO (General Interbank Recurring Order) is a direct debit from the company's bank account. Amounts are in Singapore dollars, as at November 2026, for Year of Assessment (YA) 2026 assessments and the YA 2027 Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) cycle.

Key takeaways

• Tax is due 1 month from the NOA date. An objection does not pause it.
• Up to 10 GIRO instalments if the ECI is e-filed by the 26th of the month after year end (26 January for a 31 December year end) and GIRO is approved before the due date.
• If a GIRO deduction fails on the 6th and IRAS's retry on the 20th also fails, all the unpaid tax for the year is due immediately, not just that month's instalment.
• Late payment costs 5% of the unpaid tax. If the tax is still unpaid 60 days after the 5% is imposed, IRAS can add 1% a month, up to a further 12%.
• Cannot pay? Ask for a longer plan through Apply/ Manage GIRO Plan before the due date. IRAS decides within 15 working days.

Table of Contents

1. When Is Corporate Tax Due After the Notice of Assessment?
2. How to Pay Corporate Tax in Singapore: Payment Methods and Limits
3. How Do GIRO Instalments Work for Corporate Tax?
4. Failed GIRO Deductions: The 6th and 20th Rule
5. What If the Company Cannot Pay on Time?
6. Late Payment Penalties: 5%, Then 1% a Month
7. How Does IRAS Collect Unpaid Tax?
8. Can the Late Payment Penalty Be Waived?
9. Cash-Flow Timeline for a 31 December Year-End Company
10. Common Mistakes and When to Get Help
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Official Sources

When Is Corporate Tax Due After the Notice of Assessment?

Tax is due 1 month from the date on the Notice of Assessment (NOA), not the day it reached you. In IRAS's example, an NOA dated 2 June 2025 was due on 2 July 2025. IRAS counts a calendar month, not 30 days.

When the NOA arrives depends on what was filed:

• Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI): if the ECI shows chargeable income above zero, IRAS issues an NOA. A company need not file an ECI if its annual revenue is $5 million or below and its ECI is nil (the ECI filing waiver). If such a company still gets an NOA, it should write to IRAS through myTax Mail before the due date, and IRAS will amend the NOA.
• Form C-S, Form C-S (Lite) or Form C: for straightforward cases, IRAS issues the final NOA by 31 May of the following year. So a YA 2026 bill can fall due as late as the end of June 2027. For a complex YA 2026 return under review, IRAS may issue an estimated NOA by 28 February 2027 and the final NOA by 30 November 2028.
• Nothing filed: IRAS may issue an NOA on an estimate of income. The tax is due in full within 1 month unless IRAS approves a longer plan. See our guide to the IRAS estimated Notice of Assessment.

For YA 2026, IRAS applies the Corporate Income Tax Rebate automatically, so the tax on the NOA already has the rebate deducted.

How to Pay Corporate Tax in Singapore: Payment Methods and Limits

IRAS charges the 5% penalty if full payment is not received by the due date, so allow for the processing times below.

Paying a Notice of Assessment (NOA) in full: the quick steps

1. Add 1 month to the NOA date. That is your deadline.
2. Log in to myTax Portal through Corppass (the government login for acting for the company) with the Corporate Tax (Payment) role.
3. Open View Account Summary to confirm the balance, then Pay Taxes.
4. Keep the receipt, and check it has posted with IRAS's Corporate Tax Payment Status Checker.

Scam check: from August 2026, IRAS no longer publishes its bank account details, and it never sends PayNow QR codes by letter, email, SMS or WhatsApp. Generate any PayNow QR code yourself in myTax Portal or the IRAS chatbot, and quote only one tax reference per payment.

Update for December 2026 to January 2027

IRAS is moving to an enhanced myTax Portal. Until 4 January 2027:

• myTax Portal is down from 22 December 2026 to 8am on 29 December 2026. Pay through AXS or SingPost. Payments made after 18 December 2026 may show only after 29 December 2026, but IRAS records the actual payment date. Keep the receipt.
• GIRO sign-ups and plan changes are unavailable from 11pm on 17 December 2026 to 10am on 4 January 2027. Existing plans carry on, and new GIRO starts deducting from February 2027. If an NOA falls due around the holidays, set up GIRO or ask for a longer plan before 17 December.
• ECI: for companies with a 30 September, 31 October or 30 November year end, the 26 December 2026 cut-off for GIRO instalments falls inside the downtime, so e-file the YA 2027 ECI by 21 December 2026. If you file after 28 December instead:
  • 30 November year end: 8 instalments instead of 10.
  • 31 October year end: 6 instead of 8.
  • 30 September year end: no instalments, and the ECI is still due by 31 December 2026.

How Do GIRO Instalments Work for Corporate Tax?

GIRO can take corporate tax as a one-time yearly deduction or in up to 10 monthly instalments on the 6th. The number depends on when the company e-files its first Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) for the year: by the 26th of the first, second or third month after year end gives 10, 8 or 6.

Deductions due on a weekend or public holiday move to the next working day: in 2027, the February deduction moves to Tuesday 9 February (6 February is a Saturday and 8 February a Chinese New Year public holiday). Our ECI filing guide covers the estimate itself.

The conditions that catch companies out:

• Only companies registered in Singapore can pay by GIRO instalments.
• Not for back-year tax or estimated assessments. The company can still ask IRAS for a longer plan (steps below).
• Approval in time. IRAS must approve the company's GIRO before the payment due date on the Notice of Assessment (NOA). If it has not, the company must pay the full tax on that NOA within 1 month of the NOA date. IRAS says to sign up at least 3 weeks before filing the ECI.
• Set-up time: eGIRO (applying online, approved in corporate internet banking) works with DBS/POSB, OCBC, UOB, Bank of China, Maybank, MariBank, ICBC and CIMB. The company's bank approver (the person authorised to approve requests in corporate internet banking) must approve it within 48 hours, or the application lapses. Hardcopy forms take up to 21 working days.
• Applications received after the 20th: deductions start a month later. An application IRAS receives on 22 March starts on 6 May, not 6 April.
• Account and amount: a Singapore dollar savings or current account with a Singapore GIRO bank; minimum deduction $50 a month. If you file a revised ECI, IRAS may change the instalment plan; check View GIRO Plan.

When the final NOA shows more tax. If the taxable income on the Form C-S, Form C-S (Lite) or Form C is higher than the ECI, the additional tax is due 1 month from the date of the new NOA. Check View GIRO Plan to see how GIRO will deduct it. If no deduction is shown for it, pay it through Pay Taxes by the due date.

Changing the plan length. For a simple change, edit the plan duration in myTax Portal or switch between monthly and one-time deduction; the edited plan replaces the old one. For a longer plan than the standard one, cancel and immediately re-activate GIRO with a proposal (steps below).

Failed GIRO Deductions: The 6th and 20th Rule

If the deduction on the 6th fails, IRAS tries again on the 20th. If both fail, the GIRO arrangement is cancelled and the whole unpaid balance becomes due immediately, not just the missed instalment.

Example (hypothetical): on a 10-instalment plan of $1,200 a month ending 6 November 2027, deductions fail on 6 and 20 July 2027.

• Instalments still unpaid: July to November, 5 x $1,200
• Total payable now: $6,000

To avoid the 5% penalty, pay it in full through Pay Taxes, or re-activate GIRO through Apply/ Manage GIRO Plan (effective by the next working day). Usual causes are insufficient funds and a GIRO limit (the most the bank lets IRAS deduct) below the instalment. If GIRO deductions fail repeatedly, IRAS may reject the company's future plan requests.

What If the Company Cannot Pay on Time?

Ask IRAS before the due date, through Apply/ Manage GIRO Plan. Section 85(2) of the Income Tax Act 1947 lets the Comptroller of Income Tax (the head of IRAS's income tax function) give the company more time to pay, on conditions that may include interest. IRAS describes its standard GIRO instalments as interest-free.

IRAS considers slow collections, reduced sales, higher overheads, creditor lawsuits or closure, and may ask for evidence. It does not publish how long a plan it grants, so propose a schedule the company can meet.

How to ask IRAS for a longer corporate tax payment plan

1. Before the due date on the Notice of Assessment (NOA), check the balance under View Account Summary, logged in with the Corporate Tax (Payment) role.
2. No GIRO yet: apply for eGIRO under Account > Apply/ Manage GIRO Plan and get the bank approver to approve it within 48 hours. For banks without eGIRO, send the hardcopy Corporate Tax GIRO form and submit your payment proposal online on the same day.
3. Already on GIRO: cancel the current plan (Account > View GIRO Plan > Cancel GIRO Plan), then re-activate GIRO straight away under Apply/ Manage GIRO Plan and propose the longer plan. If the company is left without a GIRO plan, it will have to pay the full unpaid tax.
4. State the reason and have documents ready: aged debtors list, management accounts, bank statements.
5. Check the Acknowledgement page. "Approved" means the plan is live; otherwise IRAS replies within 15 working days. Answer any request for information quickly.

Late Payment Penalties: 5%, Then 1% a Month

If the Notice of Assessment (NOA) is not paid in full by the due date, IRAS imposes a 5% late payment penalty on the unpaid tax and serves a late payment penalty notice, payable within one month (section 87(1) of the Income Tax Act 1947).

If the tax is still unpaid 60 days after the 5% is imposed, IRAS may add a further 1% of the unpaid tax for each completed month, up to 12%.

Worked example (hypothetical): Company A's NOA shows $20,000 and it pays nothing.

• Tax on the NOA: $20,000
• 5% late payment penalty: $1,000 (penalty notice total: $21,000)
• 1% for each completed month, from 60 days after the 5%: $200 a month
• The 1% charges can add at most: 12 x $200 = $2,400
• Maximum total payable: $20,000 + $1,000 + $2,400 = $23,400

On timing: in IRAS's example, the 5% was imposed with the penalty notice dated 1 July 2025. The 60 days ran to 30 August, and the first 1% followed on 1 October 2025, after one completed month. Paying on 15 November 2025 cost $700 in penalties on $10,000 of tax.

Objecting without paying. In another IRAS example, a company objected to a $10,000 estimated NOA and paid nothing by the due date, so IRAS imposed a $500 late payment penalty.

• Paid on 30 September 2025: $10,500 (tax $10,000 + penalty $500)
• Revised tax: $1,300; revised penalty: $65; total owed: $1,365
• Refund: $10,500 - $1,365 = $9,135

The penalty was smaller but still charged, so pay first, then object.

How Does IRAS Collect Unpaid Tax?

Beyond penalties, IRAS can take these actions, among others:

• Agent appointment (section 57 of the Income Tax Act 1947). IRAS can appoint the company's bank, a tenant, or a lawyer handling a property sale as its agent. The agent can be required to pay IRAS out of any money it holds for, or owes, the company on the date it receives the notice or at any time in the 90 days after.
• Bank access. With the bank appointed, the company may be unable to use its accounts until the tax and penalties are paid in full. IRAS processes release requests on working days, and a request made after 12pm is processed the next working day. If payroll is due, pay in full and send the release request before 12pm.
• Legal action. IRAS can take legal action to recover the overdue tax.

Directors stay responsible even if the company's own tax adviser fails to act on time.

Can the Late Payment Penalty Be Waived?

Sometimes. Section 87(2) of the Income Tax Act 1947 lets the Comptroller of Income Tax waive a late payment penalty for good cause. Appeal through Appeal Penalty Waiver on myTax Portal (the user needs both the Corporate Tax (Filing and Applications) and Corporate Tax (Payment) roles in Corppass). IRAS considers it only if:

• the overdue tax was paid in full, and shows in the account, by the due date on the late payment penalty notice; and
• no waiver was granted in the past 2 calendar years.

myTax Portal shows the result as soon as you submit the appeal. If it is approved, the waiver shows in the company's tax account within 3 working days. Our penalty waiver request guide covers what to write.

Cash-Flow Timeline for a 31 December Year-End Company

A 31 December year-end company runs two Year of Assessment (YA) cycles at once: YA 2026 (financial year 2025) and YA 2027 (financial year 2026).

April to June 2027 is the pinch point: additional tax on the YA 2026 final NOA can fall due while YA 2027 instalments are running. To size both bills, try our corporate tax calculator.

Common Mistakes and When to Get Help

• Applying for GIRO after the Notice of Assessment (NOA) arrives, so it is not approved by the due date.
• Filing the ECI on 27 January (for a 31 December year end) and dropping from 10 instalments to 8.

A company with GIRO in place, an accurate ECI and cash for the deductions can manage this itself.

Get help with an estimated NOA, back-year tax, a cancelled plan, a penalty notice, a bank agent appointment, or a longer plan request. We prepare ECIs and returns through our ECI filing service and corporate tax filing service; our corporate tax filing guide covers the full cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check that IRAS has received my corporate tax payment?

Log in to myTax Portal and open View Account Summary, which shows the company's balance after the payment is credited. You can also use IRAS's Corporate Tax Payment Status Checker. Allow up to 3 working days for internet banking and fund transfers; PayNow QR and AXS payments are credited immediately.

Do I still have to pay if I have objected to the assessment?

Yes. Section 85(1) of the Income Tax Act 1947 makes the tax payable despite any objection, so pay within 1 month of the Notice of Assessment (NOA) date even though you have 2 months to object. If IRAS reduces the assessment, it refunds the excess and recalculates any penalty on the revised tax.

Can I pay IRAS corporate tax by credit card?

Not directly: IRAS does not accept credit cards, but AXS e-Station and m-Station do, up to $20,000, using the company's tax reference number and the 14-digit payment slip number. For a larger balance, use GIRO, PayNow QR (balances up to $200,000) or internet banking.

Why was my company charged 5% even though we applied for GIRO?

Because GIRO must be approved before the payment due date, 1 month from the Notice of Assessment (NOA) date; an application still pending then does not count. IRAS allows up to 3 working days for new online, internet banking or AXS applications, and up to 21 working days for a hardcopy form.

Can I get instalments for an estimated assessment or back-year tax?

Not the standard ones. The GIRO instalments based on Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) do not cover tax for an earlier year (back-year tax) or an estimated assessment. In our view the company can still ask IRAS for a longer plan through Apply/ Manage GIRO Plan, giving its reasons and supporting documents. IRAS decides within 15 working days, and approval is not guaranteed.

Can IRAS freeze my company bank account?

In effect, yes. Under section 57 of the Income Tax Act 1947, IRAS can appoint the company's bank as its agent to recover overdue tax, and the company may be unable to access its accounts until the tax and penalties are paid in full.

Official Sources

• IRAS: Late payment or non-payment of Corporate Income Tax
• IRAS: Payment modes and processing times
• IRAS: GIRO for Corporate Income Tax
• IRAS: Experiencing difficulties in paying your tax
• IRAS: Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) filing
• IRAS: After filing Form C-S, Form C-S (Lite) or Form C
• IRAS: Service downtime for myTax Portal enhancement
• Income Tax Act 1947, sections 57 to 87

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.