GST registration in Singapore is tied to a threshold: taxable turnover that crosses S$1 million in any 12-month period triggers a compulsory registration obligation. When a business that is gst registered in singapore sees revenue fall sustainably below that threshold — or when its legal structure changes — the corresponding question is whether and how GST registration should be cancelled.
Deregistration is not simply a switch-off. It is a formal process with defined eligibility rules, a structured application procedure on myTax Portal, and a final GST return obligation that includes output tax on business assets where input tax was previously claimed. Founders and directors who approach it without adequate preparation frequently encounter unexpected tax liabilities in the GST F8 filing period.
This guide covers the two deregistration pathways, the step-by-step application process, the mechanics of the final GST F8 return, and the obligations that continue after the registration is cancelled.
Key Takeaways
Two deregistration pathways exist under Singapore's GST framework. Compulsory cancellation is mandatory upon certain business events regardless of turnover. Voluntary cancellation may be applied for when a business is no longer liable for compulsory registration — typically where taxable turnover has fallen and is expected to remain below S$1 million.
Under IRAS guidance on cancelling GST registration, the following events require mandatory cancellation:
In each case, the business must notify the Comptroller within 30 days of the triggering event. An exception applies where a sole-proprietorship is converted to a partnership or a business is amalgamated — IRAS cancels the registration automatically upon receiving information from ACRA, and no separate application is required.
A business may apply to voluntarily cancel its GST registration where it is not liable for compulsory registration. The standard basis is that taxable turnover in the past 12 months has fallen below S$1 million and the business does not expect to exceed that threshold in the next 12 months. Approval is at the Comptroller's discretion — a voluntary application does not automatically result in cancellation.
Eligibility to deregister does not necessarily mean deregistration is the right decision. For businesses in a temporary revenue dip rather than a structural decline, maintaining GST registration preserves input tax recovery rights and avoids the administrative overhead of re-registration if turnover recovers.
A GST-registered business retains the right to claim input tax on business purchases — equipment, software, professional services, office expenses. Where capital expenditure is ongoing or significant, that recovery can be material. Additionally, B2B customers who are themselves GST-registered expect to receive tax invoices; deregistration removes that ability and may complicate commercial relationships.
From 1 November 2025, newly incorporated companies that voluntarily registered for GST are also required to comply with the GST InvoiceNow requirement. For businesses already operating compliant e-invoicing infrastructure, this obligation is not an additional cost — and removing the registration does not necessarily simplify operations.
Businesses selling predominantly to end consumers — where the customer cannot claim input tax and the 9% GST charge is a direct pricing disadvantage — often benefit most from deregistration when turnover drops below the threshold. The same applies to service businesses with low capital expenditure and limited ongoing input tax recovery.
Practitioner's Note: A recurring pattern in GST deregistration requests is businesses seeking to cancel during a revenue dip without accounting for the GST F8 output tax on accumulated business assets. A business that acquired equipment, fit-out, or property with input tax claimed over several years may face a material output tax liability in its final return — one that can exceed the annual compliance savings from deregistering. Assessment of the asset position should precede any cancellation application.
The GST cancellation application is submitted via myTax Portal. Following IRAS review and approval, a formal cancellation notice is issued confirming the effective date. The GST F8 (final return) is then generated and must be filed within one month from the end of the prescribed accounting period on the return.
Access myTax Portal at mytax.iras.gov.sg and navigate to GST → Cancel GST Registration. The Corppass user submitting the application must hold authorisation for the "GST (Filing and Applications)" digital service. Directors or staff without this access level must be granted the appropriate Corppass role before proceeding.
Select the basis for cancellation — compulsory or voluntary — and provide the required supporting information. For voluntary cancellation, this includes confirmation that taxable turnover is below S$1 million and is not expected to recover above the threshold within 12 months. Supporting financial statements or revenue records may be requested by IRAS.
IRAS processes the application and determines the effective cancellation date. For compulsory cancellations, the effective date aligns with the triggering event. For voluntary cancellations, IRAS typically sets the effective date to coincide with the end of a GST accounting period. A formal cancellation notice is issued confirming the date.
All outstanding GST F5 returns must be filed and all outstanding GST payments settled before the final return can be completed. Upon issue of the cancellation notice, the GST F8 is generated covering the period up to and including the last day of registration — the day before the effective cancellation date. The GST F8 must be filed and any tax due paid within one month from the end of the prescribed accounting period stated on the return.
The GST F8 is structured similarly to the regular GST F5 but carries two additional obligations: output tax must be accounted for on qualifying business assets held on the last day of registration, and output tax is due on supplies where goods or services were delivered before the cancellation date but invoiced and paid after it.
Output tax on business assets is triggered when both of the following conditions are met:
Qualifying assets include unsold inventory, fixed assets (machinery and equipment), non-residential properties, and goods imported under GST suspension schemes such as the Major Exporter Scheme (MES). Residential property is not included.
Three exceptions apply — no output tax is required where no input tax was claimed on the assets, where total open market value of qualifying assets is S$10,000 or less, or where the entire business is transferred as a going concern to another GST-registered entity.
Per the IRAS guidance on cancellation, a business that claimed input tax on equipment (open market value at deregistration: S$120,000) and a non-residential property (open market value: S$1,000,000) holds total qualifying assets of S$1,120,000. Output tax due in the GST F8 is S$100,800 (9% × S$1,120,000), reported in Box 1 (Total value of standard-rated supplies) and Box 6 (Output tax due).
Where goods or services are delivered or performed before the cancellation date, but the invoice and payment are only issued or received after that date, full output tax at 9% must be accounted for in the GST F8. The date of physical delivery or performance — not the billing date — determines the tax period in which the supply falls.
From the effective cancellation date, the business may no longer charge or collect GST. Tax invoices must be replaced with ordinary invoices or receipts. However, several obligations under the GST framework continue after the registration has been cancelled, most significantly the record-keeping requirement.
Charging or displaying GST after the cancellation date is a compliance offence and may result in enforcement action. Any existing contracts or recurring billing arrangements that include GST must be reviewed and updated to reflect the deregistered status from the effective date onwards.
Under IRAS responsibilities guidance, all GST-related records — invoices, receipts, import and export documents, and GST returns — must be retained for five years from the end of the relevant accounting period. This obligation applies even after deregistration. IRAS retains audit rights over the full period of the business's GST registration and may review transactions from any year within that window.
If taxable turnover subsequently recovers and exceeds S$1 million in any 12-month period, the compulsory registration obligation applies again. The business must apply to re-register within 30 days of the date its liability arises. Prior deregistration does not exempt the business from future registration obligations, and IRAS may impose conditions on re-registration — particularly where the business voluntarily deregistered within a short period.
GST deregistration in Singapore is a defined regulatory process, not simply an administrative withdrawal. The eligibility pathway — compulsory or voluntary — determines the timeline and notification obligations. The GST F8 final return, including the output tax on business assets where input tax was previously claimed, is the financial consequence that requires the most preparation. Businesses with significant accumulated assets — equipment, fit-out, inventory, non-residential property — should assess the potential GST F8 liability before filing the cancellation application, not after receiving the final return.
Post-deregistration obligations continue: records must be retained for five years, the no-GST-charging rule is immediate and non-negotiable from the effective date, and re-registration thresholds apply in full if turnover recovers. For businesses managing the broader compliance calendar alongside a deregistration, the year-end corporate tax checklist provides a structured reference for the CIT and other obligations that continue independently of GST status.
GST deregistration involves a sequence of compliance steps — assessing eligibility, clearing outstanding returns, managing the GST F8 output tax position on business assets, and updating invoicing and records processes from the effective date. The consequences of missteps in the final return period, particularly around asset valuation and output tax calculation, can be material.
For businesses navigating a GST cancellation, ATHR provides accounting and tax services, corporate secretary services, and company incorporation support — covering the full compliance picture from the deregistration filing through to ongoing corporate obligations.
👉 Ready to review your GST position and deregistration options? Book a free consultation with ATHR today →
The ATHR Content Team is a group of professional writers from Singapore and the Philippines, committed to delivering informative, practical, and engaging content for business owners across Southeast Asia.
