- Set up your Register of Registrable Controllers on the day your company is registered.
- Appoint an auditor within three months of registration unless your company qualifies for an audit exemption.
- Appoint a company secretary within six months to manage statutory filings and ongoing compliance.
- Open a separate business bank account to keep company finances organised; it is strongly encouraged but not legally required.
After registering a company in Singapore, you need to set up your company registers, appoint an auditor within three months (unless exempt), appoint a company secretary within six months, and prepare for your first tax and annual filing deadlines. You should also arrange your business banking, bookkeeping, CPF setup if you plan to hire, and data protection obligations.
This guide explains what to do after company registration in Singapore, in the order you need to do it, with the legal deadlines, regulatory requirements and practical steps for your first 90 days.
What should you do after registering a company in Singapore?
After registering a Singapore company, set up the Register of Registrable Controllers on the same day, update registers within 14 days of any change, and plan for three dated steps: an auditor within three months unless exempt, a company secretary within six months, and the ECI generally within three months of your financial year-end. A business bank account is strongly encouraged but not a legal requirement.
Founders who search “after incorporating a company Singapore” or “new company checklist Singapore” usually want one list, in order. This guide is that list, split into four time bands: week 1, days 8 to 30, days 31 to 90, and the deadlines that land soon after day 90. It starts where our guide on how to register a business in Singapore ends, so it covers only what happens once registration is done.
| Step | When | Regulator | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set up the Register of Registrable Controllers | Same day the company is registered | ACRA | Legal requirement |
| Download your free Business Profile | Within 60 days of registration | ACRA | Time-limited free copy |
| Update electronic registers | Within 14 days of any change | ACRA | Legal requirement |
| Appoint an auditor, unless exempt | Within 3 months of registration | ACRA | Legal deadline |
| Appoint a company secretary | Within 6 months of registration | ACRA | Legal deadline |
| File Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) | Generally within 3 months of your financial year-end | IRAS | Legal deadline |
| Register for GST | When taxable turnover passes S$1 million at calendar year-end, or you expect it to in the next 12 months | IRAS | Legal requirement above the threshold |
| Appoint a Data Protection Officer | No fixed date stated | PDPA 2012 | Legal requirement |
| Open a business bank account | No deadline | ACRA | Good practice, not required |
The post-incorporation requirements Singapore regulators set fall into three kinds: fixed legal deadlines, legal duties with no stated date, and good practice that protects you but is not compulsory. Every date runs from your own registration date or financial year-end, so count from your dates rather than from the calendar month. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
What should you set up in week 1?
Week 1 sits at the top of any new company checklist Singapore founders follow: access, records and one free download. Do these in order, because the later steps depend on the first.
- Corppass and Bizfile access. Set up Corppass so you can act for the company on government systems and manage your records in Bizfile.
- Your Business Profile. ACRA gives you a free copy if you download it within 60 days of registration, so save it now while it costs nothing.
- The register of registrable controllers. ACRA says it must be set up on the same day the company is registered, so if nobody has done it yet, do it first. Our guide to the register of registrable controllers explains who counts as a controller and what to record.
- Register updates. Update the register within seven days of a controller confirming a change, then file the update centrally within two business days.
- Your electronic registers. Update any change within 14 days, because ACRA flags late updates as a penalty risk.
If a corporate secretary handled your incorporation, ask whether the registers were set up on registration day rather than assuming they were.
Do you need a business bank account straight away?
No law says you must open one in your first week. ACRA lists a corporate bank account as strongly encouraged, not as an obligation, so treat it as good practice rather than a deadline.
It is still a sensible early step. A separate account keeps business money apart from your personal money, and mixing the two means someone has to untangle them at year-end.
Sleek’s business account is a digital account, not a bank, run under a MAS Major Payment Institution licence with customer funds held in a segregated account at DBS Bank. Because it is not a bank, balances are not covered by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation scheme, so decide whether that trade-off suits you before relying on it as your only account. Directors and shareholders can apply online with video verification, so you do not need to visit Singapore.
What should you sort out between days 8 and 30?
Days 8 to 30 are about habits and one legal duty: how you will keep your books, when your financial year ends, and, if you plan to hire, getting set up for CPF.
- Pick a bookkeeping method and keep every receipt. Decide now whether you will use software, a bookkeeper or a firm, because catching up on a year of receipts is slower than filing as you go. If you want help, Sleek can set up bookkeeping and accounting from the start.
- Understand your financial year-end. Your financial year-end sets the clock for your ECI, annual return and AGM, so know the date before you need it.
- Get a CPF submission number if you will hire. Employers apply for one to make monthly CPF payments. If you have no staff yet, note it for the day you hire.
- Appoint a Data Protection Officer. ACRA says all organisations must appoint one under the PDPA 2012, and you can register your DPO on the PDPC website. No date is stated, so treat the first month as a sensible target.
What do you need to handle between days 31 and 90?
The second and third months carry the first hard legal deadline for most companies, the auditor, followed by a decision on GST.
Do you need an auditor in your first year?
ACRA says to appoint an auditor within three months of registration unless your company is exempt from audit. The exemption is the first thing to check, because it decides whether you need an auditor at all.
A private company is exempt if it meets at least two of three tests: revenue of S$10 million or less, total assets of S$10 million or less, and 50 full-time employees or fewer. A company under two years old, including in its first financial year, is tested on the current financial year. Our guide on audit exemption for small companies covers what you still have to file if you qualify.
When do you need to register for GST?
GST registration is compulsory when your taxable turnover exceeds S$1 million at the end of any calendar year, or when you reasonably expect it to exceed S$1 million in the next 12 months. Below that line, registering is a choice that depends on your customers and costs, and our guide to GST registration sets out both sides.
What falls due soon after day 90?
Two items land just beyond the 90-day window, and both are worth planning for now. The company secretary appointment deadline Singapore law sets is six months from registration, and your first ECI filing follows the financial year-end you choose.
- Company secretary (ACRA). Appoint a qualified company secretary within six months of registration. The secretary handles ACRA compliance such as AGM documents and the annual return, so choose one before your first filings come due.
- ECI (IRAS). Estimated Chargeable Income is generally due within three months from the end of your financial year. If your first financial year is short, that date can fall inside your first 90 days, so check your year-end now rather than counting from the calendar.
- AGM and annual return. Both also follow your financial year-end, and the dates depend on your own year-end and incorporation date. Our guide to the AGM and annual return explains how they work.
First year compliance Singapore Pte Ltd owners face is manageable once the dates are visible, which is why the table near the top is worth saving.
How do you do all of this from overseas?
The rules that apply after incorporating a company Singapore regulators enforce are the same whether you live in Singapore or abroad, but nearly every step can be done online. Business Profile downloads, register updates and filings with ACRA and IRAS run through government portals, and documents can be e-signed.
If you are a foreign founder, three things matter most:
- Sort out Corppass access first, since the other portal steps depend on it.
- Open your business account remotely, using the online application and video verification described above.
- Hand deadline tracking to someone in Singapore, because the dates do not move when you travel.
What can go wrong if you miss these steps?
Missing a statutory deadline can lead to financial penalties from ACRA or IRAS, and in some cases directors can face court summons or disqualification. The post-incorporation requirements Singapore sets carry a different risk at each step.
- Registers: missing or late updates can attract ACRA penalties.
- Auditor: missing the three-month window leaves you out of line with ACRA’s requirement unless you are exempt.
- Company secretary: missing the company secretary appointment deadline Singapore sets, six months from registration, breaches the Companies Act.
- ECI and tax: late filing can bring IRAS penalties.
- GST: registering late after you cross the threshold can also bring IRAS penalties.
None of these is hard to avoid once you know the date, but each one is easy to miss if nobody has told you it exists.
How Sleek helps with your first 90 days after registering
Sleek covers the three services a new company needs next: a corporate secretary for registers, filings and deadlines, accounting for your books and tax, and a business account to keep the money separate.
Our corporate secretary plans start from S$350 a year for a company with one shareholder, including AGM preparation and annual return filing. Our accounting services start with Annual Filing and Bookkeeping from S$75 a month, billed annually, and the business account is free when you incorporate, switch corporate secretary or subscribe to accounting with Sleek.
You do not need all three on day one, because first year compliance Singapore Pte Ltd owners face is spread across months, not days. The account and bookkeeping matter most in the first weeks, and a company secretary matters most before month six, so add them in that order if you are watching cost.
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FAQs on what to do after registering a company in singapore
What is the difference between ACRA and IRAS filings?
ACRA filings deal with company statutory matters such as your annual return, while IRAS filings deal with corporate income tax, such as ECI and Form C-S or Form C. They are separate filings with separate deadlines, so completing one does not satisfy the other.
What records should I keep after registering a company?
Companies must keep proper records and accounts of business transactions for at least five years, according to IRAS. That means invoices, receipts, bank statements, contracts and payroll records. Keeping them in one place from day one makes bookkeeping and tax filing faster.
Do I still have to file if my company has no income yet?
Yes. A company is dormant only if it has no accounting transactions during a financial period, and even dormant companies must file an annual return with ACRA and a simplified tax return with IRAS unless a specific waiver is granted. A company with transactions but no revenue is not dormant, so it files in the normal way. Ask your corporate secretary or accountant before assuming a waiver applies.
Do I need a physical office after registering a company?
No. Every company needs a registered office address in Singapore to receive official government correspondence, but you do not need brick-and-mortar office space to qualify for a business bank account. Your registered address and your working location can be different.
What is a UEN and where do I use it?
A UEN, or Unique Entity Number, is the identification number ACRA issues to your company when it registers. You use it when dealing with government agencies such as ACRA, IRAS and the CPF Board, and it appears on your Business Profile. Keep it to hand, because most of the filings in this guide ask for it.
