GST Filing Singapore | Quarterly GST Return Filing Service

The $5,000 penalty notice came via registered mail. A restaurant owner in Bugs opened it during lunch rush. His GST filing in Singapore was three weeks late - third time in two years. IRAS had enough. Beyond the penalty, they flagged his account for closer monitoring. Every future filing would face extra scrutiny. All because he kept forgetting the quarterly deadline and scrambling to file at the last minute with numbers that didn't reconcile properly.

GST filing looks simple on paper. You collect GST from customers (output tax). You pay GST on purchases (input tax). File a return every quarter showing the difference. Pay IRAS or get a refund. Done.

But reality is messier. That restaurant owner? He was claiming input tax on his own meals and gifts (not allowed). His sales records didn't match his GST collected. When IRAS checked, nothing added up. That's why the penalties kept coming.

This page explains how GST filing works in Singapore, what forms you need, common mistakes that trigger IRAS penalties, and how to file correctly every quarter without stress.

What GST Filing Actually Means

If your company is GST-registered in Singapore, you must file GST returns with IRAS. This tells them how much GST you collected from customers and how much GST you paid on business purchases. The difference is what you pay IRAS (or what they refund you).

The main GST return is called Form F5. This shows:

• Standard-rated supplies: Sales where you charged 9% GST
• Zero-rated supplies: Exports and international services (0% GST but can claim input tax)
• Exempt supplies: Financial services, residential property sales (no GST, can't claim input tax)
• Input tax: GST you paid on business purchases
• Output tax: GST you collected from customers

Most companies file quarterly. High-revenue companies (over $10 million annual taxable supplies) file monthly. Some approved companies file annually.

A trading company in Jurong has been filing GST returns for twenty years. Every quarter they claimed input tax on their company car, personal meals and incorrectly claimed GST on staff salary. IRAS audited them. They had to repay $18,000 plus penalties. Input tax claims must be for genuine business use only.

GST Filing Deadlines

GST returns are due one month after the end of your accounting period.

Quarterly filing deadlines:

• Q1 (Jan-Mar): File by April 30
• Q2 (Apr-Jun): File by July 31
• Q3 (Jul-Sep): File by October 31
• Q4 (Oct-Dec): File by January 31

Monthly filers have tighter deadlines - one month after each month ends.

File late and IRAS charges 5% penalty on tax due. File late repeatedly and penalties increase to 10%. Very late filings can trigger prosecution. IRAS takes GST filing deadlines seriously because GST is government revenue - they want their money on time.

Tax Preparation Service for GST Returns

Professional GST filing means more than filling in Form F5. Here's what proper preparation involves:

Step 1: Reconcile Sales Records

Match your sales invoices to your accounting system. Make sure GST collected on invoices matches GST recorded in your books. Any differences must be investigated and fixed.

Step 2: Review Input Tax Claims

Go through all purchase invoices. Verify the supplier is GST-registered. Check that purchases are business-related. Remove any personal expenses or non-claimable items (like staff meals, entertainment).

Step 3: Classify Supplies Correctly

Separate standard-rated, zero-rated, and exempt supplies. Wrong classification is a common error. Exports are zero-rated (can claim input tax). Financial services are exempt (can't claim input tax). Get this wrong and your return is wrong.

Step 4: Calculate Adjustments

Bad debts over 12 months old? You can claim back the GST. Goods taken for personal use? You must account for deemed supply. These adjustments affect your GST payable.

Step 5: Complete and File Form F5

Enter all the numbers into Form F5. Calculate net GST payable or refundable. Submit through IRAS portal. Pay any GST due by the deadline.

Accounting Firm GST Expertise

Accounting firms that handle GST filing properly know the detailed IRAS rules. Here's what expertise looks like:

We Know What's Claimable: Input tax on medical expenses? Acceptable invoicing requirements. Overseas supplier invoices? Depends on the service type and where it's consumed. We know these rules.

We Reconcile Properly: Your GST in accounting records must match your filed returns. We reconcile monthly so quarterly filing is just a summary of already-clean data.

We Handle Special Cases: Imported services, reverse charge mechanism, customer accounting for goods. These are complex GST situations. We handle them correctly.

We Respond to IRAS Queries: IRAS questions your return? We provide supporting documents and explanations. We've dealt with hundreds of IRAS GST queries. We know what they want to see.

A logistics company's previous accountant filed GST returns with no supporting schedules. Just numbers in Form F5. IRAS queried the returns. The accountant couldn't explain the numbers properly. We took over, reconstructed the schedules, and provided proper documentation. IRAS accepted our explanation. Documentation matters.

Bookkeeping Service Quality Affects GST Accuracy

Your GST return quality depends entirely on your bookkeeping quality. Garbage in, garbage out.

Good bookkeeping for GST means:

• Every invoice recorded: Sales and purchase invoices entered when they happen, not months later
• GST coded correctly: Standard-rated expenses get SR code, zero-rated get ZR, exempt get ES, out-of-scope get OS
• Supplier verification: Check suppliers are GST-registered before claiming input tax
• Regular reconciliation: Monthly GST reconciliation catches errors early

Bad bookkeeping creates GST problems:

• Missing invoices mean unclaimed input tax (you overpay GST)
• Wrong GST codes mean wrong GST amounts in your return
• No verification means claiming input tax from non-GST suppliers (IRAS disallows this)
• No reconciliation means errors accumulate for months

A construction company in CBD kept terrible books. When we prepared their quarterly GST return, we found $15,000 in input tax claims with no supporting invoices. We couldn't claim them without proof. They overpaid GST because of poor record-keeping. Keep your receipts and invoices organized.

Chartered Accountant Knowledge of GST Rules

GST rules in Singapore are detailed and specific. Chartered accountants study these rules and stay updated on changes.

Complex GST situations we handle:

Imported Services: When you buy services from overseas suppliers, you might need to reverse charge GST. We determine when this applies and account for it correctly.

Partial Exemption: If you make both taxable and exempt supplies, you can't claim all input tax. We calculate the recoverable percentage correctly.

Bad Debt Relief: Write off customer debts after 12 months? You can claim back the GST. We identify eligible bad debts and make proper claims.

Change of Use: Buy something for business then use it personally? You must account for deemed supply. We track these and report correctly.

One client bought equipment, claimed input tax, then gifted the equipment to their subsidiary. They didn't know this is deemed supply - they should have accounted for output tax. IRAS found this during audit and assessed additional GST. We now advise them before any asset transfers.

Tax Advisor Input on GST Planning

Tax advisors help you minimize GST cash flow impact and optimize claims within IRAS rules.

GST planning strategies:

Timing of Purchases: Large equipment purchase coming? Time it so you can claim input tax this quarter if you're expecting a refund position. Improves cash flow.

Registration Threshold Management: Approaching $1 million taxable supplies? Plan whether to register voluntarily or wait until mandatory. Each has pros and cons.

Input Tax Recovery: If you make some exempt supplies, structure your business to maximize input tax recovery. Sometimes separating businesses into different entities helps.

Export Documentation: Claiming zero-rating on exports? Proper documentation is required. We make sure you have everything IRAS needs to support your claim.

A trading company was about to pay $30,000 GST on equipment purchase. We advised timing the purchase for next quarter when they'd be in refund position anyway. They got the input tax back as refund instead of offsetting future output tax. Better cash flow.

Common GST Filing Mistakes

Errors we see regularly:

Claiming Input Tax on Non-Business Expenses: Private car expenses, family meals, personal items. These aren't claimable. IRAS will disallow them.

Wrong Supply Classification: Treating exempt supplies as zero-rated (or vice versa). This affects input tax claims. Get it wrong and your return is wrong.

Missing Tourist Refund Scheme Sales: If you sell to tourists who claim GST refund, you need to account for this in your return. Many businesses forget.

Not Charging GST on Taxable Supplies: You're GST-registered but forget to charge GST on some sales. You still owe IRAS the output tax even if you didn't collect it from customers.

Late Filing Repeatedly: One late filing will get 5% penalty. Repeat offenders might even go to Court. Don't develop a pattern of late filing.

A retail shop in Toa Payoh forgot to charge GST on cash sales for six months. When they filed GST return, they only reported card sales (where GST was charged). IRAS spotted the revenue mismatch during audit. Shop had to pay output tax on cash sales plus penalties. Always charge GST on all taxable supplies.

F5, F7, F8 - Different GST Forms

Most companies file Form F5 (standard GST return). But there are other forms:

Form F5: Standard quarterly or monthly GST return. Shows all your supplies and purchases for the period.

Form F7: Application to cancel GST registration. File this when you're closing business or falling below registration threshold.

Form F8: Application to change accounting period. File this if you want to change your GST filing frequency or alignment.

Most ongoing businesses only deal with Form F5. The others are for specific situations.

What GST Filing Actually Costs

• Quarterly GST Filing: $250-$800 per quarter
• Monthly Bookkeeping + GST Filing: from $500 per month

Price depends on:

• Transaction volume (more invoices = more work)
• Bookkeeping quality (clean books = faster filing)
• Business complexity (simple retail vs complex trading)
• Number of GST codes used
• Whether you have done the bookkeeping already

If you're already doing monthly bookkeeping with us, GST filing is straightforward and costs less. If you come quarterly with no bookkeeping done, we need to sort through everything first - costs more.

Some businesses try to save money by filing GST themselves. Then they make errors that cost them thousands in penalties or missed input tax claims. Professional GST filing pays for itself.

Getting Your GST Filed

Here's what we need from you:

• All sales invoices for the quarter
• All purchase invoices and receipts
• Bank statements
• Credit card statements
• Export documentation (if applicable)
• Any other GST-related documents

We'll reconcile everything, calculate your GST payable or refundable, complete Form F5, and submit to IRAS before the deadline.

For monthly bookkeeping clients, we already have everything. GST filing is just the final step each quarter.

Why Companies Choose Us for GST Filing

"You found $6,000 in unclaimed input tax my previous accountant missed. First GST refund we've ever gotten."

"No more late filing penalties since you took over. You send reminders and file early every quarter."

"IRAS queried our GST return. You handled everything with proper documentation. Query closed in two weeks."

"You explained GST rules in plain English. First accountant who actually taught me something."

We're ACCA and SQP top graduates, ex-Big 4 audit managers, and Singapore Chartered Accountants. We've filed thousands of GST returns. We know IRAS procedures. We respond within 1 hour. We never miss deadlines.