Can I keep a Singapore company even if I pause the business for a while?

Yes, a company can generally be kept in a dormant state with operations stopped. However, a local resident director, company secretary and registered address are still required, and the Annual Return and corporate income tax filing must in principle still be made every year.

• If you plan to resume operations: continue annual filings while dormant; if the requirements are met, the company may be exempt from audit, preparing financial statements, holding an AGM and so on.
• IRAS corporate income tax filing: a dormant company can file using the filing service for dormant companies (File Form for Dormant Company).
• If you do not intend to resume operations within the next 2 years: you can apply to IRAS for a corporate income tax filing waiver if the requirements are met, such as having no investment assets or investment income and cancelling any GST registration.
• If you have no plans to do business again: since maintenance costs continue, strike off can also be considered.

Tax treatment can differ depending on the company's revenue, shareholder structure and transactions, so please consult an accounting professional before applying it.

The Lee Kim Alliance accounting team provides accounting and tax consultations.

As of November 2026, source: ACRA, IRAS