A Singaporean's Cheat Sheet: How To File and Pay Your Personal Income Tax In Singapore YA 2020
Singapore Personal Income Tax Guide 2019/2020
If you’re working in Singapore, chances are, you probably need to pay tax.
Here in Singapore, we follow a progressive personal tax rate which starts at 0% and maxes out at 22% for employment incomes above $320,000.
For 2020, the deadline for personal income tax submission is 18 April 2020 (Saturday).
Think that this is all too cheem (Hokkien: complex)?
Fret not!
This really simple and essential guide should help you figure out your personal income tax in no time!
TL;DR: How to File Your Income Tax in 2020
Paying your taxes is mandatory as it helps to fund Government spending on common resources (eg. infrastructure like roads, and security like the Singapore Armed Forces and the Singapore Police Force).
It’s pretty straightforward as you can do it online via myTax Portal or by paper filing.
To pay lesser tax, you can do so through various (legal) ways like charity contributions, NSman deductions, CPF Top-ups etc.
If you want to know exactly how much income you have to pay…
You can use the IRAS Personal Tax Calculator to find out!
Resilience Budget: How to Defer Your Income Tax in 2020
As announced during the Resilience Budget, there will be a 3-month automatic deferment of income tax payments for companies and Self-Employed Persons (SEPs).
From 26 March to 31 July 2020, employees can also opt-in to defer your income tax payments — due in May, June, and July 2020 — to ease your cash flow.
But you’ll need to opt-in to defer your income tax payment!
Note: you’re just delaying your payments by three months, your income tax payable still remains the same.
If You Pay By GIRO
Once your request to defer payment is approved, there will be no GIRO deduction in May, June, and July 2020.
Your tax deduction will resume in August, September or October 2020.
And your end-date of your instalment plan will be extended by three months.
| If You Do Not Defer Your GIRO Payment | If You Defer Your GIRO Payment | |
|---|---|---|
| Instalment Plan Period | May 2020 to April 2021 | August 2020 to July 2021 |
If You Pay By Lump Sum
Your payment due date will be deferred for three months and will only start from August 2020.
Do I Need to File My Income Tax?
Before you get started on filing your income tax, it’s important to understand whether you need to file your income tax or not.
1) You Receive a Letter, Form or SMS From IRAS Telling You That You NEED to File Your Income Tax
Pretty straightforward.
This means that you’ll need to file your income tax return via myTax Portal from 1 March to 18 April 2020.
If your employer applied for the Auto-Inclusion Scheme (AIS) for Employment Income.
Any information with regard to your salary will be pre-filled.
But, you’ll still need to complete the other field in your tax return form before submitting it.
2) You Receive a Letter or SMS From IRAS Telling You That You DO NOT Need to File Your Income Tax
If you receive a letter or an SMS telling you that you do not need to file your income tax for the year.
FYI: the SMS will come in around mid-February of each year.
That means that you have been selected for No-Filing Service (NFS) and do not need to file a tax return.
However, if you wish to make any adjustments (for eg. income details or relief claims) you can log in to myTax Portal to file it.
The next thing you’ll need to look out for would be your Notice of Assessment (NOA) or tax bill which will be sent to you around end April.
This will tell you how much income tax is payable.
If there are any discrepancies, you can inform IRAS through the “Object to Assessment” options in myTax Portal.
3) You DO NOT Receive Anything From IRAS
This DOES NOT mean that you don’t have to file your income tax.
You will still need to file a tax return if your:
- annual net business income exceeded $6,000, OR
- annual income (inclusive of rental income) was more than $22,000 last year
Just be a good citizen and head over to myTax Portal to file your tax return.
How to File Your Income Tax in 2020
It’s really simple.
There are three components to filing your personal income tax.
1) Income
When it comes to income, there is taxable income and non-taxable income.
Here are some examples of taxable income:
- Employment Income
- Salaries
- Bonuses
- Director’s Fee
- Rental Income
- Withdrawal from SRS
Non-taxable income includes:
- Winnings from 4D, TOTO, horse betting and soccer betting.
- Capital gains from stocks and property investments
- Pensions
- CPF Life Payouts
You can also refer to this IRAS table for a full list of what’s taxable and what’s not.
2) Deductions
Deductions refer to any allowable expenses you incurred or approved donations you made during the year.
Some examples of deductions include:
- Business expenses (eg. incurred by employees because of work)
- Rental expenses
- Approved donations to recognised charitable organisations and institutions
3) Tax Reliefs
Usually given if you support certain government initiatives with “to promote specific social and economic objectives”.
| General Reliefs Available to ALL Taxpayers | Amount of Tax Relief | Additional Reliefs Available to Married/ Divorced/ Widowed Taxpayers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available to Male and Female Taxpayers | Available to Female Taxpayers | ||
| Course Fees Relief | Up to $5,500 | NSman (Parent) Relief Qualifying/ Handicapped Child Relief Spouse/ Handicapped Spouse Relief | NSman (Wife) Relief Foreign Maid Levy Relief Grandparent Caregiver Relief Working Mother's Child Relief |
| CPF Cash Top Up (You and your family member) | Up to $14,000 ($7,000 for self, $7,000 for family members) |
||
| CPF Relief | Depends | ||
| Earned Income Relief | Up to $8,000 | ||
| Earn Income Relief (for handicapped person) | Up to $12,000 | ||
| Handicapped Brother/Sister Relief | $5,500 for each handicapped sibling or sibling-in-law | ||
| Life Insurance Relief | The difference between $5,000 and your CPF contribution or Up to 7% of the insured value of your own/your wife's life or the amount of insurance premiums paid. |
||
| NSman Relief | Up to $5,000 | ||
| Parent Relief | Up to $9,000 per dependant | ||
| Handicapped Parent Relief | Up to $14,000 per dependant | ||
| Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) Relief | $15,300 | ||
| Donation | 250% of donation value | ||
| Claim rental expenses on residential property | 15% of rental income and home loan interest | ||
Some common ones which most of you might qualify for include:
- Having children
- Staying with your parents
- Serving the country through National Service
- Topping up your CPF account (as a means of planning for your retirement)
You can also refer to this IRAS table for a full list of qualifying reliefs, expenses, donations to make sure you don’t miss out on any!
Do note that there is a limit to the amount of tax relief which you can receive.
The income tax relief ceiling is currently $80,000.
Personal Income Tax Rates for Residents 2020
Once you’ve filed your income tax.
You’ll want to see how much you’re getting taxed.
As mentioned earlier, tax residents are taxed at progressive tax rates.
Here’re the personal income tax rates for residents:
| Chargeable Income | Income Tax Rate (%) | Gross Tax Payable (S$) | Total Income Tax in this income bracket (S$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First $20,000 Next $10,000 | 0 2 | 0 200 | 200 |
| First $30,000 Next $10,000 | - 3.50 | 200 350 | 550 |
| First $40,000 Next $40,000 | - 7 | 550 2,800 | 3,350 |
| First $80,000 Next $40,000 | - 11.50 | 3,350 4,600 | 7,950 |
| First $120,000 Next $40,000 | - 15 | 7,950 6,000 | 13,950 |
| First $160,000 Next $40,000 | - 18 | 13,950 7,200 | 21,150 |
| First $200,000 Next $40,000 | - 19 | 21,150 7,600 | 28,750 |
| First $240,000 Next $40,000 | - 19.50 | 28,750 7,800 | 36,550 |
| First $280,000 Next $40,000 | - 20 | 36,550 8,000 | 44,550 |
| First $320,000 In excess of $320,000 | - 22 | 44,550 | - |
As you can see, the more you earn, the more you’re taxed.
Which is kind of logical and pragmatic if you think about it…
It’s also worth noting that Singapore boasts one of the lowest tiered tax rates in the world for a country with a pretty high standard of living.
Personal Income Tax Rates for Non-Residents 2020
Non-residents are taxed at a flat rate of 15% or the resident rates — whichever results in a higher tax amount on your employment income
Director’s fees and other income are taxed at 20%.
Here’re the personal income tax rates for non-residents:
| Type of Income | Non-resident individual tax rate / withholding tax rate from YA 2017 |
|---|---|
| Director's remuneration | 22% |
| Income derived from activity as a non-resident professional (consultant, trainer, coach, etc.) | 15% of gross income or 22% of net income |
| Income derived from activity as a non-resident public entertainer (artiste, musician, sportsman, etc.) | 10% concessionary rate (No change) |
| Other income e.g. property rental income | 22% |
| SRS withdrawal by a non-citizen SRS member | 22% |
| Interest, royalty etc. | Reduced final withholding tax rate (subject to conditions) as follows: Interest: 15% Royalty: 10% OR 22% if reduced final withholding tax rate is not applicable. |
Note: you’re also not entitled to tax reliefs.
You can also refer to this IRAS site for tax rates for non-residents if you’d like more information.
Commonly Asked Questions About Income Tax
If this is your first time paying income tax, you probably have a lot of questions.
Here are some commonly asked ones.
Who Is Subjected to Income Tax?
Generally, income tax applies to people in Singapore who are tax residents and are deriving some form of:
- Employment (Salary or Bonuses)
- Trade, Business, Profession or Vocation
- Property or Investments
- Other Sources (e.g. annuities, royalties, winnings or estate or trust income)
How Do I Know If I’m A Tax Resident?
You will be treated as a tax resident for a particular YA if you are a:
- Singapore Citizen who normally resides in Singapore except for temporary absences
- Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) who has established a permanent home in Singapore
- Foreigner who has stayed or worked in Singapore (excluding director of a company) for 183 days or more in the previous year, i.e. year before the YA.
Are My Investment Dividends Taxable?
This is a very common question which we always get in the Seedly Community.
Non-Taxable Dividends
