Singapore

Salary from a foreign employer or fees from foreign clients

Taxed0%–24% progressive for residents; non-residents the higher of 15% or resident rates

The foreign-income exemption does not cover remote work. IRAS states that if you work in Singapore for a foreign employer you are taxed on the income for the period you render services in Singapore, even if it is not paid into Singapore, and that employment is exercised in Singapore on every day you are physically present. Nobody withholds the tax: you declare the salary in your return (due 18 April) and pay the bill IRAS sends. Residents pay progressive rates from 0% to 24% with personal reliefs. A non-resident who works in Singapore for 61 to 182 days pays the higher of a flat 15% or the resident rates, without reliefs, while a non-resident employee who works in Singapore 60 days or less in a calendar year is exempt; that exemption does not apply to directors, public entertainers or professionals, or if your stay spans 3 consecutive years. Freelancers and consultants are taxed on fees for services performed in Singapore: residents at 0%–24% on net profit, non-resident professionals at 15% of gross fees or 24% of net income. Work done wholly outside Singapore is foreign-sourced and not taxed. Foreigners pay no CPF social security contributions, which apply only to citizens and permanent residents. If your home country also taxes the income, a tax treaty or Singapore's double taxation relief may help; check your treaty. On immigration: MOM says a person in Singapore on a stay pass who works only for an overseas-based employer or clients does not need a work pass, but serving a Singapore-registered business or local client requires one; MOM does not address remote work on a tourist visit pass.

On the nomad visa

Singapore has no digital nomad or remote-work visa. The nearest route is the Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass (ONE Pass), a 5-year pass for people earning a fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000 from one employer, or with outstanding achievements in sports, arts and culture, or academia and research. ONE Pass holders are taxed like anyone else: resident after 183 days in a calendar year (or under the work-pass concessions), with salary for work done in Singapore taxed at 0%–24% and foreign investment income exempt.

Dividends, interest, gains, rent and pensions from abroad

Not taxed

IRAS says overseas income received in Singapore is generally not taxable for individuals, even when it is paid into a Singapore bank account, and it need not be declared. That covers foreign dividends, foreign interest, rent from property abroad and pensions from abroad. The catch is partnerships: foreign income received through a Singapore partnership is taxable. Gains from selling shares, other financial instruments, digital tokens or property held as personal investments are generally not taxed, but gains from trading (frequent buying and selling with a profit motive) are taxed as income. Most Singapore investment income is also tax-free: one-tier dividends from Singapore companies (except co-operatives), REIT distributions, and interest from approved banks, licensed finance companies and most bonds. Rent from Singapore property is taxable: residents pay progressive rates on net rent (with an option to deduct 15% of gross rent as deemed expenses on residential property), non-residents a flat 24%.

Net wealth and inheritance

No wealth taxNo inheritance tax

Singapore has no net wealth tax and no gift tax, and estate duty was removed for deaths on or after 15 February 2008. The taxes that matter for property are annual property tax and stamp duty. Property tax is charged on a property's annual value (its estimated yearly rent), whether it is let, empty or lived in. From 1 January 2025, an owner-occupied home is taxed at 0% on the first S$12,000 of annual value, rising to 32% above S$140,000. Other homes are taxed at 12% to 36% (36% above S$60,000, from 1 January 2024). Buying a home costs buyer's stamp duty plus Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty: since 27 April 2023, ABSD is 60% of the price for foreigners, 5% for permanent residents on a first home, and nil for citizens on a first home.

Tax resident after

183 days a year

Top income tax rate

24%

When you become tax resident

A foreigner is a tax resident for a Year of Assessment (YA) if they stayed or worked in Singapore at least 183 days in the previous calendar year; weekends, holidays and short trips abroad during a stay count. Three IRAS concessions extend this. If you stay or work in Singapore continuously for 3 consecutive years, you are resident for all 3 years even if the first and third years fall short of 183 days. A foreign employee (not a director, public entertainer or professional) whose employment straddles two calendar years and whose continuous stay, counting presence just before and after the job, is at least 183 days, is resident in both years. A work-pass holder with a pass valid for at least a year is treated as resident, but this is reviewed at tax clearance and reversed if the stay ends under 183 days. Citizens and permanent residents are resident if they normally live in Singapore. Someone on a tourist or short visit stay will normally stay below 183 days and be a non-resident.

Top income tax rate

Singapore is a city-state with no regional or municipal income tax, so the top rate is the national 24%, charged on resident chargeable income above S$1,000,000 from YA 2024. Rates start at 0% on the first S$20,000 and rise through 13 bands (22% from S$320,001, 23% from S$500,001). For YA 2025, residents got a one-off rebate of 60% of tax payable, capped at S$200; the IRAS rebate page lists no rebate for YA 2026. Non-residents pay 24% on most income other than employment.