Low corporate and personal tax rates with zero capital gains or inheritance taxes
Exceptional transparency and minimal corruption for a predictable and fair business environment
World-class digital and physical infrastructure for seamless global connectivity and high physical security
Cons
Strict social regulations and limited civil liberties regarding individual expression and political dissent
Significant state presence in key sectors and housing markets through government-linked corporations
High cost of living and expensive business operations from land scarcity and vehicle taxes
Here, you can set up your company in a day, pay next to nothing in tax, and nobody ever asks you for a bribe.
The catch: rent will hammer your budget, the local market is tiny, and the state watches you with the precision of a digital big brother.
Other than that: infrastructure and banks are top notch, safety is close to perfect in the nice neighborhoods, street food is insane, but the landscape is 100% concrete, nature is somewhere else.
Singapore taxes personal income at a middling 24%, but only on what you earn locally.
The territorial regime is your lever: whatever you make abroad while living here stays out of the taxman's reach.
01.1Income tax
Personal income tax
0 → 24%
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?What residents pay on what they earn: salary, freelance income, sometimes dividends too. We show the system (flat or progressive) and the top rate.
Source et informations complémentairesprogressive · 13 brackets
Bracket (USD)
Rate
0 – 15,667
exempt
15,667 – 23,501
2%
23,501 – 31,334
3.5%
31,334 – 62,668
7%
62,668 – 94,002
11.5%
94,002 – 125,336
15%
125,336 – 156,670
18%
156,670 – 188,004
19%
188,004 – 219,338
19.5%
219,338 – 250,672
20%
250,672 – 391,675
22%
391,675 – 783,351
23%
783,351 +
24%
01.2Tax residence test
A single active rule is enough to make you tax-resident.
183-day rule
exists here
Economic interest
does not exist here
Family centre
does not exist here
Habitual abode
exists here
Extended-stay test
exists here
Income tax simulatori
If you earn
a year, you will pay
.
Roughly
effective, with a marginal rate of
.
Will your wealth be taxed?NO.
Singapore keeps its hands off what you hold. No capital gains tax, no annual wealth grab, no inheritance regime.
Your portfolio compounds in peace and leaves the way it came in; nobody's standing at the door with their palm out.
02.1Investment income
Capital gains
0%
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?The tax on your profit when you sell something that gained value: stocks, property, crypto, a business. Some countries skip it entirely.
Source et informations complémentairesflat
Dividend tax
0%
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?What you pay when your company sends you dividends. It stacks on top of corporate tax, so the combined bill is what really counts.
Source et informations complémentairesflat
Interest income
24%
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?The tax on income from savings, bonds and loans. Matters when choosing where to park your cash.
Source et informations complémentairesprogressive
Bracket (USD)
Rate
0 – 15,667
exempt
15,667 – 23,501
2%
23,501 – 31,334
3.5%
31,334 – 62,668
7%
62,668 – 94,002
11.5%
94,002 – 125,336
15%
125,336 – 156,670
18%
156,670 – 188,004
19%
188,004 – 219,338
19.5%
219,338 – 250,672
20%
250,672 – 391,675
22%
391,675 – 783,351
23%
783,351 +
24%
02.2Wealth & estate
Wealth tax
NONE
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?A yearly tax on what you own above a threshold, whether you sell or not. Most countries scrapped it; a few still run one.
Source et informations complémentairesno annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment
Inheritance system
NONE
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?What heirs pay on what they inherit, by category (spouse, children, others), with allowances and top rates. Plenty of countries charge nothing at all.
Source et informations complémentairesno estate tax · no heir-based duties · no succession tax framework. Wealth transfers across heir-classes are not taxed in this jurisdiction. Only standard probate / registration fees may apply.
02.3Crypto
Crypto · tax regime
ZERO TAX
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?How crypto gains are taxed here: zero, flat, progressive or grey zone. Includes whether crypto-to-crypto swaps count as taxable events.
Source et informations complémentairesRate: 0% · Singapore does not impose capital gains tax. Gains from crypto-assets are generally tax-free for individuals unless the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) deems the activity to be a trade or business based on the 'Badges of Trade' (e.g., high frequency, profit-seeking intent). Professional trading is taxed as ordinary income at progressive rates up to 24%. Staking and mining rewards may be taxable as income if they exceed S$300 annually or are part of a business.
Crypto-to-crypto
NEUTRAL
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?How crypto gains are taxed here: zero, flat, progressive or grey zone. Includes whether crypto-to-crypto swaps count as taxable events.
Source et informations complémentairesa swap is not a taxable realisation event
FATF travel rule
SIGNED
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?Does this country enforce the crypto Travel Rule? If yes, exchanges must identify senders and recipients, like banks do for wire transfers.
Source et informations complémentairescommitted but not yet enforced
Easy to run a company there?NO.
Corporate tax in Singapore is 17%, but the rate isn't what hurts. Misuse of corporate assets is a criminal offense; the textbook case is the French abus de biens sociaux: spend your own company's money on yourself and you can end up prosecuted, even as sole shareholder, because the company is a separate legal person and your consent means nothing.
And the registries are public: your name as shareholder, free to browse.
For an owner-operator, those two together weigh far more than the rate, and unlike the rate they don't negotiate. Run it clean and you're fine; run it casually and you'll get burned.
03.1Rates
Corporate tax
4.3 → 17%
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?What companies pay on their profits. The headline rate is a starting point: IP boxes and holding regimes often pull the real rate lower.
Source et informations complémentairesprogressive
Bracket (USD)
Rate
0 – 7,834
4.3%
7,834 – 156,670
8.5%
156,670 +
17%
VAT standard rate
9%
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?The sales tax baked into almost everything you buy here. One standard rate, plus reduced rates on things like food or books.
Source et informations complémentairessingle rate · no reduced tiers
9%
Food & drink
9%
food
9%
non-alcoholic
9%
alcohol
Print media
9%
books
9%
ebooks
9%
newspapers
Culture
9%
cultural events
9%
cinema
9%
theatre
9%
museums
9%
sports
Transport
9%
public transit
9%
rail
9%
air
Hospitality
9%
hotels
9%
restaurants
9%
takeaway
Health
9%
pharma
9%
medical dev.
Energy
9%
electricity
9%
natural gas
9%
district heat.
9%
domestic fuel
Utilities
9%
water
9%
waste
Clothing
9%
kids clothing
Digital & telecom
9%
digital
9%
telecom
9%
broadcast
Construction
9%
construction
Agriculture
9%
farm inputs
9%
animal feed
Personal services
9%
funeral
9%
hairdressing
Finance
9%
insurance
03.2Regime & registry
IP Box · Patent Box
5%
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?A discounted tax rate on income from patents, software and designs, often 5 to 10%. A magnet for tech and licensing businesses.
Source et informations complémentairesIntellectual Property Development Incentive · net income · patents, copyrighted software, designs, plant varieties · vs. 17% corp
Misuse of corporate assets
CRIMINAL
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?If you spend company money on yourself, is it a crime (prison possible) or a civil matter? Some countries prosecute even sole shareholders.
Source et informations complémentairescriminal liability · Companies Act 1967 Section 157 and Penal Code 1871 Section 405/409 · Singapore strictly enforces the 'Separate Legal Entity' principle. Under Section 157 of the Companies Act, a director's failure to act honestly is a criminal offense. Furthermore, Singapore case law (e.g., Tan Tze Chye v Public Prosecutor) establishes that a sole director/shareholder can be convicted of Criminal Breach of Trust (CBT) for misappropriating company assets, as the assets belong to the company and not the individual, regardless of the company's solvency or the shareholder's own consent.
Shareholders privacy
PUBLIC PAYWALL
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?How visible a company's shareholders and directors are: free public registry, paywalled, restricted or fully private. More privacy, but sometimes warier banks.
Source et informations complémentairesAccounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) - BizFile+
Directors privacy
PUBLIC PAYWALL
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?How visible a company's shareholders and directors are: free public registry, paywalled, restricted or fully private. More privacy, but sometimes warier banks.
Source et informations complémentairesAccounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) - BizFile+
03.3Incorporation cost
In this country, the most standard company form is called Private Limited Company. The costs below are for incorporating a company in its simplest form, for reference only.
ACRA Company Name Application Fee
USD 12
ACRA Company Registration Fee
USD 235
Professional Incorporation Service Fee (Market Average)
USD 627
Total
USD 873
A good fit for a holding?YES.
Singapore is built for holding, plain and simple. An extensive treaty network (67 signed agreements) hacks down withholding on cross-border dividends, interest and royalties, and a full participation exemption (100% on qualifying dividends and gains) lets value flow through without a domestic tollbooth.
Top-shelf plumbing: a holding parked here travels the world without leaking.
04.1Substance & exemptions
Territorial · individuals
TERRITORIAL
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?Does this country tax only local income (territorial) or everything you earn worldwide? Territorial means your foreign income stays untaxed here. Huge.
Source et informations complémentairesterritorial — foreign-source income generally untaxed
Territorial · corporates
TERRITORIAL
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesterritorial principle — foreign-source profits generally exempt
Participation exemption
100%
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?Can a holding company receive dividends from its subsidiaries tax-free? The cornerstone of any serious holding structure.
Source et informations complémentairesno minimum threshold · no holding period
CFC rules
NONE
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?Anti-offshore rules: they tax you at home on your foreign company's profits, even if nothing was distributed. Where they exist, offshore setups get tricky.
Source et informations complémentairesno controlled foreign corporation regime · foreign-source corporate income out of scope
04.2Withholding tax · non-resident
WHT · dividends
0%
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?The cut this country takes when it sends dividends, interest or royalties abroad. Tax treaties can shrink it; blacklists can inflate it.
Source et informations complémentairesnon-resident outbound
WHT · interest
15%
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesnon-resident outbound
WHT · royalties
10%
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesnon-resident outbound
Tax-haven WHT
NONE
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesno punitive rate on record
04.3Treaty network
Treaties signed
61
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?Deals with other countries to avoid double taxation and cut withholding taxes. The bigger the network, the easier your money moves across borders.
Source et informations complémentairesactive
Treaties pending
5
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesin negotiation
Tax treaty network
origin · SG0%> 0%no treaty
⌖
Inspect a country
Hover any country on the map to read its withholding-tax treaty with SG.
Country
Status
Dividends
Interest
Royalties
∅
// no treaties match
Easy to come and go?SOME.
Singapore rolls out a territorial regime on the way in, then charges at the door on the way out: an exit tax grabs unrealised gains above a threshold when you cut residency.
Run the numbers before you settle: the entrance is wide open, the exit has a turnstile.
05.1Exit & dual nationality
Exit tax
APPLIES
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?What the country charges you for leaving: tax on your unrealized gains, as if you'd sold everything at the border. Here you'll see if it exists and when it triggers.
Source et informations complémentairesnaturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship
05.2Citizenship paths
Residence
3 years
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesavailable path to naturalisation
Marriage
2 years
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesavailable path to naturalisation
Birth
—
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesnot available
Descent
—
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesnot available
Investment
—
read moreClose
Source et informations complémentairesnot available
Is your money watched?YES, CLOSELY.
Singapore signed every exchange framework that matters and runs a public corporate registry. Whatever you do here (earn, hold, structure) is reported, searchable, or both.
Your money is watched from every angle; if discretion is part of your plan, this isn't your jurisdiction.
Multilateral reporting frameworks
5/9 active
· 4 pending
CRS
2018
CARF
2024
FATCA
2014
MLI
2018
BEPS
—
MAAC
2016
GLOBAL FORUM
—
EOIR
—
CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE
2020
Is it blacklisted?SOMEWHAT.
Singapore shows up on national blacklists only (drawn from FR/ES/PT/BR), despite its FATF membership.
Expect extra KYC/AML questions in those specific corridors: annoying, not disqualifying. No supranational watchdog has flagged it, so the stain stays local.
Blacklist exposureListed by 1 authority
EMBARGO
un / us / eu sanctions
FATF
grey / black list
EU
non-cooperative list
FRANCE
ETNC list
SPAIN
tax-haven list
PORTUGAL
favourable regimes
BRAZIL
low-tax list
Do you feel free there?NO.
Press freedom in Singapore is locked down (RSF rank #123). Independent media and civic space operate under pressure (when they operate at all), and that kind of grip usually spills over into economic life too.
Small mercy: crypto isn't formally banned.
08.1Press freedom
Press freedom · RSF index
123/180
read moreClose
De quoi s’agit-il ?The RSF world ranking of press freedom. A good proxy for censorship and civil liberties. The lower the rank, the freer the press.
Source et informations complémentairesscore 45 · ↑ 3 ranks year-on-year
Central bank digital currencyi
Program
Status
Cross-border
Sources
Project Guardian
Project Guardian, launched in 2022, convened over 40 financial institutions, industry associations and international policymakers across seven jurisdictions to carry out industry trials on the use of asset tokenization in capital markets. More than 15 industry trials were conducted in six currencies across multiple financial products.
Monetary Authority of Singapore
RESEARCH
YES
—
Project Ubin+
The project has three main objectives: (i) explore the design and application of AMMs for wCBDCs; (ii) investigate if a supra-regional network could work as an efficient and trusted hub for cross-border settlement; and (iii) research wCBDC governance models within that network.
Project Cedar Phase II x Ubin+ will enhance designs for atomic settlement of cross-border cross-currency transactions, leveraging wCBDCs (wholesale CBDC) as a settlement asset. The effort, which entails establishing connectivity across multiple heterogeneous simulated currency ledgers, aims to significantly reduce settlement risk, a key pain point in cross-border cross-currency transactions.
Monetary Authority of Singapore, US Federal Reserve
Singapore is wired straight into the global money grid: 9/11 of the services we track work here.
Stripe onboards you, so you can charge cards from a laptop the day you land. Amazon delivers to your door like it would in Paris or Berlin. Wise, Revolut, PayPal: pick your rails, they all run.
Accept payments4/6 available
Stripe
card payments
PayPal
wallet payments
Adyen
enterprise psp
Mollie
eu payments
GoCardless
direct debit
Paddle
merchant of record
Bank and move money3/3 available
Wise
multi-currency
Revolut
personal banking
Revolut Business
business banking
Buy and sell on Amazon2/2 available
Amazon
consumer delivery
Amazon Seller
marketplace selling
SEE ALSO
Other jurisdictions worth comparing
Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Singapore. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.
