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New tax guidelines for shipments going to Singapore
New tax guidelines for shipments going to Singapore

How to comply with Singapore's national Goods and Service Tax, taking effect on January 1, 2023

Updated over a week ago

Singapore’s national Goods and Services Tax (GST) takes effect on January 1, 2023. Starting then, if your business meets certain financial thresholds on a yearly basis, you may need to register with Singapore's Inland Revenue Authority and include your GST number on shipments of a certain value sent to the country.

Here's what you need to know:

What is Singapore's GST?

Singapore's GST requires shippers to pay taxes on shipments going to Singapore that contain low-value goods, meaning shipments valued at or below $400 SDG (Singapore dollars).

When you need to register for Singapore's GST

Whether you sell goods on a marketplace like Etsy or not, you will be required to register for GST in Singapore if your business meets the following thresholds within a calendar year (or if you expect to meet them in any 12-month period):

  • Send direct-to-consumer supplies of low-value goods to Singapore exceeding 100,000 SDG (about $73,500 USD)

  • Have annual global revenue exceeding 1 million SGD (about $735,000 USD, as of 12/2022)

If your business doesn't meet either of these criteria, you won't be required to register for GST.

Where to register with GST

Should your business need to register with Singapore's GST, you can do so here: https://form.gov.sg/#!/628c35095285380016698317

When you register, you'll receive a GST number from the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore that you'll be able to provide on your international labels.

Adding your GST number to your labels

Since Pirate Ship automatically generates customs forms and commercial invoices for all international labels, all you need to do is enter the GST number into the International Tax ID field in the Customs Form section when creating your label 👍

Here's where that is:

Singapore's Inland Revenue Authority also suggests that you put an indicator beside each item on your customs form or commercial invoice on whether the item has the GST paid.

What if I don't register?

If you fail to comply with the rules of the GST scheme, your shipment may be subject to taxation at the border, which will be charged to your recipient along with a customs fee. However, there are no fines or penalties for the shipper (in this case, you).

Any questions? Click the blue chat button to get in touch with our Support Crew - we'll help you get sailing in the right direction ⛵️

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