ACRA Annual Return and AGM: A Simple 7-Step Checklist

The ACRA annual return is a yearly filing that every live Singapore company must make, and it is tied to an annual general meeting (AGM) that many private companies can hold in a simple way or skip under set conditions. This guide is for directors of a Singapore private company who want the right dates, the right order of work and a plain view of what a missed date costs.

You will be able to calculate your deadlines from your financial year end, decide whether you must file financial statements and in what format, and file through Bizfile with fewer surprises. It is general information, not professional advice, and the rules change, so confirm every date and figure on the ACRA website before you act.

Key Takeaways

• The ACRA annual return is due within seven months of the year end for a non-listed company. The AGM is due within six.
• All live companies file the ACRA annual return, including dormant ones. Exemptions concern the AGM and the financial statements, not the return itself.
• A dormant relevant company, a solvent exempt private company and a small company are three separate tests for filing, AGM and audit.
• Format depends on size: full XBRL financial statements, simplified XBRL plus PDF, or PDF only.
• The filing fee is $60. Late penalties start at $300, and repeated default risks prosecution, striking off and director disqualification.

In This Article

• What the ACRA Annual Return and the AGM Are
• The 7-Step ACRA Annual Return Checklist
• Step 1: Confirm Your Year End and Filing Deadline
• Step 2: Close the Books Before the ACRA Annual Return
• Step 3: Check the Exempt Private Company Singapore Rules
• Step 4: Meet Singapore AGM Requirements
• Step 5: Prepare XBRL Financial Statements
• Step 6: File the ACRA Annual Return on Bizfile
• Step 7: File Tax, Keep Records and Plan Next Year
• Penalties for a Late ACRA Annual Return
• A Worked ACRA Annual Return Example
• Common Mistakes to Avoid, Summary and Conclusion

What the ACRA Annual Return and the AGM Are

The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is Singapore's regulator for companies. The ACRA annual return is a yearly filing that updates the company's public record. The AGM is a meeting where the company presents its financial statements to members, and the return must declare what happened with it.

What the Return Contains

According to ACRA, the return covers the company name and registration number, company type, business activities, registered office address, details of directors, the company secretary and members, and share information. It also includes financial statements if required. In short, the ACRA annual return is the company's yearly status report to the public register.

Who Has to File

ACRA's deadline page says all live companies must file, including inactive and dormant companies and companies with an IRAS tax waiver. Nothing to report does not remove the duty.

A Separate Tax Filing

ACRA states that filing an annual return does not replace tax filing. Tax returns go to IRAS separately unless a waiver applies. For that side, see our Singapore corporate tax filing service.

The 7-Step ACRA Annual Return Checklist

The ACRA annual return follows a fixed order of work each year: dates first, then accounts, then the AGM, then the filing. The seven steps below are the order we suggest, and each one is explained in its own section.

1. Confirm your financial year end and calculate both deadlines.
2. Close the books and prepare the financial statements.
3. Decide whether the company must file financial statements, and whether it needs an audit.
4. Hold the AGM, or record the exemption or dispensation you are using.
5. Prepare the filing format: full XBRL, simplified XBRL or PDF.
6. File the annual return on Bizfile and pay the fee.
7. File the tax return with IRAS, keep the records and diarise next year.

Step 1: Confirm Your Year End and Filing Deadline

Your financial year end (FYE) sets every date. For a non-listed company, ACRA says the AGM is due within six months after the FYE and the annual return filing deadline is seven months after the FYE, or eight months with a share capital and an overseas branch register. The AGM rule applies to years ending on or after 31 August 2018.

ACRA's Worked Dates

A company can choose its own FYE, and common choices are 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December. The table shows ACRA's own example of how the dates fall.

Changing the Year End

ACRA says you can only change your current or previous financial year, and not once you have missed the AGM, annual return or financial statement deadlines. A year longer than 18 months needs ACRA approval.

Step 2: Close the Books Before the ACRA Annual Return

Financial statements are the base of the ACRA annual return and everything else. ACRA's directors' duties page says a company must prepare them unless exempt, that they must follow the accounting standards issued by the Accounting Standards Committee, and that they must give a true and fair view. They are presented at the AGM.

Keep the Records and Plan Backwards

The same page says to keep accounting records for at least five years after the financial year in which the transactions were completed. In the filings we support, the most common delay is unreconciled bank accounts found late.

Work backwards from your due dates. Finish bookkeeping and reconciliations soon after year end, draft the statements and directors' statement, then leave time to review, tag and file.

Our Singapore corporate secretarial service covers the company side of this timeline, including registers and officer records.

Step 3: Check the Exempt Private Company Singapore Rules

An exempt private company in Singapore is a private company with fewer than 20 members and no corporation holding a beneficial interest in its shares, directly or indirectly. If it is also solvent, ACRA says it does not have to file financial statements. This is separate from the audit exemption and from the dormant company rule.

Dormant Relevant Companies

A dormant relevant company is exempt from preparing and filing, ACRA says, if it meets all of these conditions:

• Total assets did not exceed $500,000 at any time during the financial year.
• It was dormant since formation or the end of the previous financial year, with no significant accounting transactions in the year.
• It is not a listed company or a subsidiary of one.

Solvent Exempt Private Companies

A solvent exempt private company may still file financial statements voluntarily. Solvent means it can pay its debts as they fall due, and a solvency declaration is made online when filing the return. The company still files the ACRA annual return itself. The exemption concerns the financial statements, not the return.

The Small Company Audit Exemption

Audit is a third question. ACRA says a private company qualifies if it meets at least two of three criteria for the past two consecutive financial years:

• Total annual revenue of $10 million or less.
• Total assets of $10 million or less.
• 50 or fewer full-time employees at the financial year end.

ACRA is explicit that this exemption does not change the financial statement filing requirements.

Three Tests at a Glance

Step 4: Meet Singapore AGM Requirements

A private company must hold its AGM within six months after the year end, unless it is exempt or has dispensed with it. ACRA's AGM page gives several routes, and the choice should be made early. Whatever you choose, the ACRA annual return must declare the AGM position.

Hold the Meeting

If you hold an AGM, ACRA says AGM matters can be handled through written resolutions, in hard copy, by email or in another agreed legible format. A member may request an AGM up to 14 days before the six-month deadline.

Send Accounts Early

A private company need not hold an AGM if it sends the financial statements to all members within five months after the FYE. If you take it, the date the statements were sent is the date you enter in the return.

Dormant Companies

A dormant company that is not listed, with total assets of $500,000 or less, need not hold an AGM.

Dispense With the AGM

All members can pass a resolution to dispense with the AGM. Because it needs every member, it suits small shareholder groups better than larger ones, and the ACRA annual return still records it. You can read how we support the meeting and its paperwork on our Singapore AGM compliance service page.

If You Cannot Meet the Date

ACRA allows an application for a 60-day extension. The extension page lists a $200 non-refundable fee and advises applying at least 14 working days before the due date. Online applications cannot be submitted after the due date, and the annual return is covered only if you select it in the application.

Step 5: Prepare XBRL Financial Statements

XBRL is a structured electronic format that tags each figure in the accounts so ACRA can read it. If a company must file, ACRA says most file XBRL financial statements, in a full or simplified template, and some file a PDF only. The right format depends on company size and type.

Full XBRL

All other Singapore-incorporated companies required to file file full XBRL, including insolvent exempt private companies that are not small and non-publicly accountable. A full XBRL set needs no PDF.

Simplified XBRL Plus PDF

A smaller company has both revenue and total assets at or below $500,000 for the current financial year, on consolidated figures where it has subsidiaries. Smaller, non-publicly accountable companies file simplified XBRL, with about 120 data elements, plus a PDF copy authorised by the directors.

PDF Only

Companies limited by guarantee and foreign companies with Singapore branches file a PDF copy only, as do companies using other accounting standards with ACRA approval.

Upload First, Then File

ACRA's steps page says XBRL documents for the ACRA annual return must first be uploaded using the BizFinx prep tool, then selected in the annual return form. For tagging and review, read our comparison of XBRL automation vs professional XBRL filing. Tools tag the figures, but they do not decide whether the statements are right.

Step 6: File the ACRA Annual Return on Bizfile

The ACRA annual return is filed on ACRA's Bizfile portal using Corppass login, and the fee shown on ACRA's steps page is $60. Have your company details, financial statements, AGM information and director signatures ready before you start, and the filing itself takes five short stages.

What to Have Ready

• Confirmed company details: type, registered office, activities, officers, shareholders and shares.
• The financial statements in the right format, if required.
• The AGM status and date, or the date accounts were sent to members.
• Director signatures: a sole director signs the directors' statement, otherwise at least two sign.
• Answers on the Register of Registrable Controllers and the nominee director and shareholder registers.

The Online Walkthrough

ACRA's steps page describes the flow for the ACRA annual return like this:

1. Log in through Corppass as a Business User and open the File annual returns eService under Annual filing.
2. Check the entity information, and update anything outdated first.
3. Select the company type and whether it is active or dormant, then complete the solvency and exemption declarations.
4. Complete the AGM, financial statement and register sections.
5. Review, tick the declaration, pay and submit.

After a successful submission, the records update immediately and you receive an acknowledgement and receipt. ACRA also sends a free electronic Business Profile link to your Bizfile inbox, to be downloaded within 60 days. Overdue returns for several years are filed using the same steps.

Our team prepares and files through the Singapore ACRA annual return service, working remotely from India.

Step 7: File Tax, Keep Records and Plan Next Year

ACRA says filing the ACRA annual return does not replace tax filing, so confirm that your IRAS tax filing is on track as a separate task, and keep company information current through the year.

Keep Company Information Current

ACRA's directors' duties page says directors must report changes to company information, officers and shareholders within 14 days. A change of director or address should not wait for the ACRA annual return.

Build a Yearly Calendar

Once you know your FYE, diarise the five-month date if you send accounts early, the six-month AGM date, the seven-month annual return filing deadline and the IRAS tax dates.

Penalties for a Late ACRA Annual Return

A late ACRA annual return triggers an automatic penalty, and continued default can lead to prosecution and striking off. ACRA's penalty pages set out a ladder of consequences, and directors should know where each rung leads before a due date is missed.

Late Lodgment Penalties

For filing due dates on or after 14 January 2022, the penalty is $300 if the return is up to three months late and $600 if it is more than three months late. ACRA says Bizfile applies it automatically on submission.

Composition and Prosecution

ACRA may offer a composition sum instead of prosecution, and its example shows at least $500 each for a late AGM and a late return. If prosecuted, the fine can be up to $10,000 per charge on conviction, and a director or representative must attend court.

Director and Company Consequences

• ACRA can strike off a company it believes is not carrying on business, and failing to file annual returns is a common reason.
• Directors convicted of three or more filing offences within five years can be disqualified for five years.
• Failing to lodge required documents for three months or more can lead to debarment from new appointments.

A director can appeal a penalty using ACRA's Late Lodgment Appeal Form, though court dates must still be attended while an appeal is pending.

A Worked ACRA Annual Return Example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client story. Consider a private company with a 31 December year end, five individual members and no overseas branch register. The company is solvent and not dormant, and the directors want to know what falls due and when.

Using ACRA's dates, the AGM is due by 30 June and the return by 31 July. To skip the meeting, the directors send the financial statements to all members by 31 May, five months after year end.

Next they check the three tests. With fewer than 20 members and no corporate shareholder, and being solvent, the company is a solvent exempt private company and need not file financial statements. Audit exemption is a separate check against the small company criteria.

Finally they file the ACRA annual return on Bizfile by 31 July, declare the AGM position, make the solvency declaration and pay the $60 fee. The tax return goes to IRAS separately. A real company's answer depends on its own facts.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Most problems with the ACRA annual return come from assumptions rather than complexity. These come up repeatedly, starting with the classification errors:

• Assuming a dormant company has no ACRA annual return. All live companies file it.
• Mixing up small company, smaller company and exempt private company. Audit, XBRL format and filing exemption are three separate tests.
• Missing the five-month mark. The send-accounts-early route has its own earlier date.
• Forgetting to declare the AGM position. The ACRA annual return needs it even if no AGM was held.

The second group of mistakes shows up closer to the filing date:

• Leaving XBRL until the last week. Upload through BizFinx comes before the return form.
• Changing the year end too late. ACRA does not allow it after a missed deadline.
• Waiting for the return to report changes. Officer and shareholder changes have a 14 day rule.
• Treating tax and ACRA as one filing. They are separate.

If you are setting up a company, our guide to the Singapore private limited company for foreigners explains the structure these duties sit on.

Summary

The ACRA annual return is due seven months after year end for a private company, with the AGM due at six months unless an exemption applies. Directors should test whether the company is a dormant relevant company, an exempt private company in Singapore or a small company, because each test decides a different duty. XBRL financial statements follow size and type, the fee is $60, and late filing brings penalties from $300.

Conclusion

Directors do not need to master every rule to stay compliant. They need a year end they can calculate from, a clear decision on filing and audit, an AGM route chosen early, and a filing uploaded in the right order. Run the seven steps each year and the ACRA annual return becomes a routine task rather than a penalty risk. For a second pair of eyes before your next annual return filing deadline, speak to our team today.

Talk to Livida

If you are not sure which deadline applies, whether your company is an exempt private company, or which XBRL format to use, we can talk it through. Use our contact page, email info@livida.in, or call +91 94860 33194. Livida supports Singapore companies remotely from India and does not guarantee outcomes or timelines, which rest with ACRA.

References

• ACRA: Deadline and requirements for annual returns
• ACRA: Due dates and requirements for annual general meetings
• ACRA: Applying for an extension of time
• ACRA: Steps to file an annual return
• ACRA: Financial statements filing requirements and exemptions
• ACRA: Small company concept for audit exemption
• ACRA: Penalties and enforcement for late annual return filing
• ACRA: Company directors' duties and key obligations

Reviewed for accuracy in November 2026.

Related Reading

• XBRL Automation vs. Professionally Reviewed Filing in Singapore, on tagging, review and where software stops
• Singapore Private Limited Company for Foreigners: 9 Essential Steps, on the structure these filings apply to
• Corporate Tax Technology Trends Every Singapore Business Should Watch, on the tax side of year end