- Online secretary plans start at about S$200 to S$350 a year
- Check if the S$60 ACRA annual return fee sits inside the quote
- Share changes, stamps and strike-offs are often billed on top
- Appoint a secretary within 6 months of incorporation or risk a S$1,000 fine
CorpSec in Singapore: What It Actually Means
Corporate secretary fees in Singapore in 2026 typically run from about S$200 to S$700 a year for online providers, S$290 to S$570 for small independent practices, and S$500 to S$2,000 for accounting or corporate services firms. Sleek plans start at S$350 a year.
Here is what corporate secretary cost Singapore founders actually face in 2026: online plans start near S$200 a year, and most small companies pay between S$300 and S$900. If you would rather have it handled for you, a corporate secretary service from Sleek bundles the filings into one annual fee. Every price below carries the date we checked it, so you can compare quotes with confidence.
How much does a corporate secretary cost in Singapore?
A corporate secretary in Singapore typically costs about S$300 to S$900 per year in 2026, depending on whether you use a small independent practice, an accounting or corporate services firm, or a bundled online provider. Entry-level online plans start at S$199, and full-service tiers can pass S$1,000. The fee normally covers annual return filing with ACRA, the AGM paperwork and your statutory registers. Prices checked 4 November 2026.
So how much does a company secretary cost for a typical small Pte Ltd? Expect the lower half of that range if you have one or two shareholders and few changes.
Three things push the corporate secretary price Singapore providers quote up or down:
- Shareholding complexity: more shareholders and share movements mean a higher tier.
- Service level: faster response times and senior staff cost more.
- Extras: registered address, share transfers and strike-offs are usually billed separately.
If you are searching for the cheapest corporate secretary Singapore has to offer, read the inclusions before the headline price. A low retainer can hide extra charges that erase the saving, and the cheapest corporate secretary Singapore founders find online is rarely the cheapest after a year of changes. For a ranked shortlist, see our guide to the best corporate secretary firms in Singapore.
The 3 types of corporate secretarial costs you’re actually paying
When people search “corporate secretarial service costs,” they’re usually mixing up three separate things.
Here’s the clean breakdown.
Government fees (payable to ACRA)
These are statutory fees set by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA):
- Company name application: S$15
- Company registration: S$300
- Annual return filing fee: S$60 (for private limited companies)
These fees do not go to your service provider. They go directly to the government. If a provider doesn’t clearly separate this from their service fee, just ask for clarification.
The corporate secretarial retainer (what you pay the provider)
This is the recurring fee for having a named company secretary.
In Singapore, most providers advertise annual retainers in the range of: ~S$300 to S$900+ per year
Why such a wide range? Because what’s included varies more than most founders realise.
The add-ons (the quiet cost drivers)
This is where many budgets shift.
Common additional charges include:
- Nominee director services
- XBRL preparation
- Share transfers or allotments
- Change of directors
- Change of company name
- Strike-off applications
- Registered address (if not bundled)
If you’re a foreign founder needing nominee arrangements, your costs will typically be higher. That’s not upselling, it’s added compliance responsibility.
The most common pricing models in Singapore (and who they actually suit)
When you compare secretarial retainer fees, you’ll usually see one of three pricing structures.
On the surface, they may look similar. In practice, they suit very different types of companies.
Let’s break them down in a more realistic way.
Annual retainer (the most common and usually the most practical)
This is the structure most Singapore companies end up choosing.
You pay a fixed annual fee, and in return, the provider acts as your named company secretary and manages your ongoing compliance obligations.
At a minimum, this usually covers:
- Appointment as your named company secretary
- Maintenance of statutory registers
- Compliance reminders for key deadlines
- Preparation of routine written resolutions
This model gives you predictability. You know your baseline compliance cost for the year. But here’s where founders get caught off guard: not everything is automatically included.
Depending on the provider, the following may be charged separately:
- Annual return filing service fee
- ACRA’s S$60 annual filing fee (government charge)
- XBRL preparation
- Corporate actions such as share allotments or director changes
That’s why the annual retainer is only part of the picture.
Who this works best for:
- Most SMEs
- Founders who want compliance handled quietly in the background
- Ops leads (like Corporate Compliance Clara) who need deadlines tracked properly
- Businesses that expect moderate activity during the year
If you value stability and not having to think about filings constantly, this model is usually the most sensible.
Incorporation + 1-year secretary bundle (Great for starting, but read the fine print)
This is extremely common.
When you incorporate a company in Singapore, many providers include the first year of corporate secretary services in the package. It makes the upfront price feel simpler and more attractive.
Psychologically, it lowers the barrier to starting.
And to be fair, for many founders, it’s convenient.
But here’s what you should clarify before signing:
- What happens in Year 2?
- Is the renewal price the same as the advertised bundle?
- Are annual return filing service fees included?
- Are government filing fees included or billed separately?
Year 1 often feels smooth because everything is packaged neatly. The real comparison begins when renewal kicks in.
If anything about renewal pricing isn’t clear, ask for it in writing. That one email can prevent awkward surprises later.
Who this works best for:
- First-time founders
- Companies that want a simple “all-in” setup at the beginning
- Businesses are still figuring out their long-term structure
It’s not a bad model. It just requires clarity beyond Year 1.
Pay-per-use (sounds flexible, but can get expensive)
This is the least predictable model.
Instead of paying an annual retainer, you only pay when something needs to be filed. At first glance, this feels cost-efficient.
If your company is completely dormant and you don’t expect changes, it can work:
- Your company has near-zero activity
- You don’t anticipate shareholder or director changes
- You’re comfortable managing some administrative steps yourself
But here’s the catch.
Most businesses evolve. Small filings don’t feel expensive individually, but they accumulate quickly over a year.
This model doesn’t work well if:
- You’re scaling
- You’re fundraising
- You expect structural adjustments
- You don’t want to monitor every small compliance step
For growing companies, unpredictability usually costs more, financially and mentally.
What do corporate secretary fees look like by provider type in 2026?
Company secretary fees fall into three broad groups. The table shows what we could verify on each provider’s own page, with the date checked.
| Provider type | Annual fee (S$) | Typically included |
|---|---|---|
| Small independent practice | 328 to 568 (Leftright); 360, or 288 for the first 12 months (AcraFile) | Named secretary, registers, AGM preparation, annual return |
| Accounting or corporate services firm | 600 (Raffles); 500 to 900 standard and 900 to 2,000 full service (Abacus, estimate); 1,411 first-year transfer package (CorporateServices.com); Boardroom quote-only | Annual return, registers, AGM notices, resolutions; advisory on higher tiers |
| Online or bundled provider | 199 to 350 for entry plans; 375 to 700 for mid-tier plans | Annual return, AGM, registers or document storage |
Small practices cluster near S$330 to S$570, and firms start near S$600. The firm row mixes a published price, an estimate and a first-year transfer package, so treat it as a guide rather than a like-for-like comparison.
The next table is a company secretarial services price list for the online plans we checked. It is the comparison most founders actually need.
| Plan | Annual fee (S$) |
|---|---|
| HeySara Digital | 199, plus 200 for annual return filing |
| Osome Essential | 300 |
| Swiftly Basic | 300 |
| Counto Lite | 325 |
| Sleek Essentials+ | From 350 |
| Counto Standard | 375 |
| Sleek Professional | From 500 |
| HeySara Plus | 598 |
| Osome Unlimited | 600 |
| Swiftly higher tier | 600 |
| Counto Unlimited | 700 |
| HeySara Prime | 998 |
| Sleek Enterprise | From 1,500 |
Prices may vary with current promotions, so check the latest on each provider’s page. Read this company secretarial services price list alongside the extras section below.
What should a corporate secretary fee include?
A fair fee covers the filings your company must make every year. Ask each provider to confirm these in writing:
- AGM support: preparing the AGM documents and resolutions.
- Annual return filing with ACRA: the filing itself and whether the government fee sits inside the price.
- Statutory registers: the registers of controllers, nominees and directors.
- Director and shareholder changes: routine updates to officer and shareholder particulars.
- Registered address: often bundled with incorporation packages, otherwise an add-on.
Standard and extra items differ by plan. Sleek Essentials+ includes AGM preparation, annual return filing and officer changes, while share allotments and transfers start at the Professional plan. Counto Standard includes unlimited routine changes, but its Lite plan charges for them, and Osome keeps routine updates for its Unlimited plan.
If AGM or filing support is the part you need most, you can also look at Sleek’s AGM service and annual return filing service on their own pages.
5 factors that change your corporate secretarial costs in Singapore
Not all companies cost the same to maintain, even if they’re all private limited companies in Singapore.
Two businesses might both pay a similar annual retainer on paper, yet their total service fees look very different by year-end. Why?
Because compliance isn’t just about filing one annual return. It’s about how your company evolves during the year.
Here are the real factors that move the number.
1. How complicated your shareholding structure is
A simple startup with one or two shareholders is easy to maintain.
But once you introduce new investors, corporate shareholders, or layered ownership structures, the paperwork increases. Every change requires proper board resolutions, documentation, and filings with ACRA.
The more complex your ownership structure, the more administrative work sits behind the scenes, and that directly affects compliance costs in Singapore.
2. Whether the company is foreign-owned
For foreign founders expanding into Singapore, the structure often looks slightly different.
If you’re not ordinarily resident in Singapore, you may need a nominee director. This adds cost due to increased oversight, documentation, and regulatory risk.
Foreign-owned companies also tend to require more coordination and guidance, which is why their corporate secretarial retainer fees are usually higher.
3. How often does your company change during the year
Some companies stay stable. Others evolve constantly.
Issuing shares, transferring shares, appointing directors, or restructuring ownership all require filings via Bizfile with ACRA, which typically come with service fees.
ACRA requires companies to lodge such changes via Bizfile. And each one usually comes with a service fee. Stable companies cost less to maintain. Active companies cost more.
4. Whether you need to file financial statements in XBRL
Some Singapore companies must file financial statements in XBRL format with ACRA.
XBRL isn’t just uploading a PDF. It requires structured financial data formatted according to ACRA’s taxonomy, which takes additional preparation.
Many providers charge separately for XBRL filing, making this a recurring cost factor for eligible companies.
5. The level of service and technology behind the scenes
Not all providers operate the same way.
Some rely on manual processes and email reminders. Others offer online dashboards, compliance tracking, and digital document portals.
When comparing corporate secretarial services fees, you’re not just paying for filings; you’re also paying for systems, organisation, and reduced compliance stress.
Which extras and hidden costs should you watch for?
Extras are where a cheap quote turns expensive. These are the ones we saw in sourced provider pricing, all checked 4 November 2026:
- Officer or profile changes: S$75 per change on Counto Lite, before ACRA fees.
- Resolutions: S$50 to S$200 at Swiftly Basic, from S$100 at Counto, and S$100 to S$200 at Raffles.
- Share transfers and allotments: S$100 per shareholder on Counto Lite, and S$350 to S$500 at Raffles.
- Account and stamp add-ons: Osome charges S$100 for CorpPass registration and S$60 for a company stamp.
- Strike-off: S$400 at Osome, plus a S$500 termination charge if you cancel it, and from S$300 at Raffles.
- Annual return filing: S$200 on HeySara Digital, against S$60 on its Plus and Prime plans.
- Registered address: S$200 to S$245 a year at Raffles, Leftright and Counto.
- XBRL preparation: S$400 on Counto Unlimited.
Stamp duty on share transfers is a government charge, so it sits outside every plan. Ask for renewal pricing before you sign, because first-year company secretary fees are not always repeated in year two. Leftright publishes a renewal price guarantee, for example.
When you compare any corporate secretary price Singapore providers advertise, add the extras you expect to use in the year. That total, not the headline retainer, is the real figure.
Do you have to have a corporate secretary?
Yes. Every Singapore company needs a company secretary, and ACRA says the post cannot stay empty for more than six months after registration. If it does, the director may face a fine of up to S$1,000 (ACRA, accessed 4 November 2026).
ACRA also says the secretary must be a natural person who meets local residency rules, and cannot be the same person as the sole director. For a plain-English explainer of the role itself, read what a corporate secretary does.
What does Sleek charge, and what is included?
Sleek offers three corporate secretary plans, all priced per year. These are the prices shown per year on the live Sleek page on 4 November 2026, and they match the Sleek SG pricing reference.
- Essentials+, from S$350: for one shareholder. Includes AGM preparation, annual return filing with the S$60 government fee, digital storage, unlimited SleekSign e-signatures and officer changes.
- Professional, from S$500: for up to nine shareholders. Adds share allotment, transfer and split, dividends and adoption of your own constitution.
- Enterprise, from S$1,500: for ten or more shareholders. Adds share conversion, ESOP, buybacks and funding rounds from Series A.
Essentials+ is bundled into all Sleek local incorporation packages. It does not cover drafting legal agreements such as shareholder agreements.
How can you pick without overpaying?
Anyone asking how much does a company secretary cost should first work out what they actually need. Work through three questions before you compare prices:
- Do you need a registered address? If yes, count the add-on or choose a package that bundles it.
- Do you need accounting as well? Bundling can lower the combined cost. Counto, for example, discounts its secretary plans by 10% to 20% when you add accounting.
- How many filings and changes will you make this year? Frequent share movements favour a higher tier over pay-per-change.
Our guide on how to choose a corporate secretary covers service quality and response times. If you are still budgeting your whole setup, the total cost of registering a company in Singapore shows where the secretary fee sits among the other incorporation costs.
How Sleek helps with corporate secretary cost Singapore
Knowing how much does a company secretary cost is only half the job, and Sleek keeps its corporate secretary pricing in plain view, with a clear list of what each plan covers. Our corporate secretary service from Sleek handles the annual return, AGM paperwork and registers so you do not chase deadlines.
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FAQs on corporate secretary cost singapore
Is a cheap corporate secretary good enough for a small company?
Often yes, if your company has one or two shareholders and rarely changes officers. A low-cost plan covers the annual return and AGM. Choose a higher tier once you add shareholders, issue shares or raise funding, because those tasks are usually outside entry plans.
Can I be my own company secretary in Singapore?
Possibly, but not always. ACRA says the secretary must be a natural person who meets local residency rules, and cannot be the same person as the sole director. If you are the only director, you need someone else. [Writer to verify current ACRA qualification wording before publishing.]
Do dormant companies still need to pay for a corporate secretary?
Yes. A dormant company must still file an annual return with ACRA and a simplified tax return with IRAS unless a waiver is granted. Some providers offer pay-per-use pricing that can suit dormant companies better than an annual retainer.
Is the ACRA annual return fee part of the secretary's price?
Not always. ACRA charges S$60 to file an annual return for a private company, and some providers include it while others add it on top. Ask whether the quote shows the government fee and the provider fee separately.
Why do foreign-owned companies often pay more?
Foreign ownership often requires a nominee director, which is a separate paid service starting from about S$2,000 a year at Raffles and S$2,500 at Counto. Ownership structures also tend to be more complex, which adds filings or changes outside a basic retainer.
What should I ask a provider before signing?
Ask for a written scope of services and the renewal price. Confirm which changes are included, which are billed per item, and whether the annual return government fee is inside the quote. A clear written scope prevents surprise bills later in the year.
