CRS Filing Requirements

Under the CRS Regulations, a Reporting SGFI is required to submit annual CRS return(s) to IRAS setting out the required information in relation to every Reportable Account that is maintained by the SGFI. Reporting SGFIs that did not maintain any Reportable Accounts in the relevant reporting year are required to file a nil return to IRAS.

Due Date for Filing

All Reporting Singaporean Financial Institution (SGFIs) must submit their CRS returns, including nil returns (if applicable) by 31 May of the year following the calendar year to which the return relates. 

Example on deadline to register and submit CRS return

Company A was incorporated in Mar 2019. In Feb 2020, the company obtained the Capital Markets Service (CMS) licence under the Securities and Futures Act 2001 from MAS and became a Reporting SGFI as it has met its definition of an investment entity under Regulation 7(1)(a) of the CRS Regulations. Company A is required to register for CRS with IRAS before 31 Mar 2021 and needs to submit its CRS return for its first Reporting Year 2020 to IRAS by 31 May 2021.

Penalties for Late Filing

Reporting SGFIs may face enforcement actions, including a penalty of up to $5,000, for late or non-filing of their CRS returns.

Requesting for Filing Extensions

All Reporting SGFIs need to plan their resources to submit their CRS returns on time.

As five months after the end of the reporting period is a reasonable deadline, no extensions will be granted.

No extensions will be granted, except for newly registered Reporting SGFIs and for circumstances that fall within the list of acceptable reasons below.

Acceptable Reasons Maximum extension granted
Newly registered Reporting SGFI (1st return) 1 month
Breakdown of IT system or Change of IT software/ system 2 weeks
Key personnel handling CRS filing is on unexpected long medical leave 2 weeks

No extensions will be granted for the following reasons.

Reasons that are not acceptable
Not enough manpower to handle CRS matters
Key personnel overseas or resigned without proper handover
New staff does not know how to handle CRS matters

Simplified CRS Registration and Filing Requirements for Qualifying Personal Investment Companies (PICs)

PICs that are liable to register for CRS and have reporting obligations should file their annual returns via myTax Portal.  However, a Qualifying PIC, that is, a PIC that does not have a tax reference number (e.g. UEN, ASGD or ITR Number) and meets all the following criteria below may qualify for simplified CRS registration and reporting requirements:

  1. the PIC is incorporated overseas and is a tax resident in Singapore; 
  2. the PIC qualifies for S13F and S13N exemptions under the Income Tax Act 1947;
  3. the PIC is 100% owned by a SGFI; and
  4. the PIC does not maintain any reportable accounts as defined in the CRS Regulations
Qualifying PICs may file its CRS return annually using the simplified AEOI registration and reporting form.

How to submit a CRS return

From 11 Apr 2021, you will be required to log in to government digital services for businesses (G2B) using Singpass instead of Corppass. For more information, visit Corppass website.

Step 1: Authorise users for CRS Filing

Before filing the CRS returns, please ensure that you have been authorised by the Reporting SGFI as an “Approver” for Automatic Exchange of Information (CRS and FATCA) Digital Services in Corppass. In authorising "Approver" in Corppass, Corppass Admin should leave the "Effective Reporting Year From" and "Effective Reporting Year To" fields as blank for the "Approver" to enable the "Approver" to submit returns for all Reporting Years.

For Non- UEN entities (e.g. Singaporean/foreign trusts or funds), the entity would have to first appoint a Corppass Admin via this link.

In addition to the steps above on the AEOI Digital Services authorisation, the Corppass Admin would also have to authorise the user as an "Approver" for the "For non-UEN entities only" Digital Services in order to access the AEOI services on myTax Portal. For more details, please refer to the guide. For assistance on Corppass setup, please refer to the step-by-step guides.

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Step 2: Submit CRS return on myTax Portal

Once you are authorised for AEOI e-Services, use your Singpass to log in to myTax Portal > Select More > AEOI > Submit CRS or FATCA Return. Please ensure that you have the following information on hand before submission:

  1. Your Singpass;
  2. The Reporting SGFI's Singapore Tax Reference Number (e.g. UEN, ASGN or ITR); and
  3. CRS returns (where applicable) (maximum files size 5MB)

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For more information on how to submit a CRS return on myTax Portal, you may refer to the Submit CRS or FATCA Return e-Service User Guide (PDF, 454KB).

CRS Submission Format

You will need to prepare your CRS return either in XML format or in PDF format and submit it via myTax Portal. A nil return should be submitted if you do not have any reportable accounts in the reporting year.

 

XML Format

xml format

Fillable PDF Form

fillable pdf

Reporting SGFIs will need to have processes in place to collate and prepare the required data in accordance with the prevailing CRS XML Schema V2.0 (ZIP, 22KB) and IRAS XML Schema User Guide for CRS Return (Third Edition) (PDF, 4,440KB). Alternatively, Reporting SGFIs can submit their CRS returns using the fillable PDF form version 2.0 (PDF, 3,490KB), if they do not wish to acquire a reporting tool to generate the CRS returns in XML format. Each PDF form can accommodate up to 40 account reports only. If more than one such form is used, each form must be submitted individually via the e-Service.

Nil Return

Reporting SGFIs can select the option “Return with Nil Data” within “Submit CRS or FATCA Return" e-Service if they did not maintain any reportable accounts in the reporting year.

CRS Submission Status and Return Errors

Reporting SGFIs should monitor the status of their submitted returns status via the new digital service, "View CRS/FATCA Return Status" in myTax Portal. Upon processing your return, a notification will be sent by IRAS within 5 working days confirming the acceptance or rejection of your return. Reporting SGFIs are expected to rectify all errors before the filing deadline. If your return is rejected, you can retrieve the errors via myTax Portal> Select Notice/Letters > AEOI. 

 

CRS return is accepted CRS return is accepted with record-level error(s) or rejected
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You should receive the notice, “Notification of Acceptance of AEOI Return” in myTax Portal > Select Notice/Letters > AEOI. 
 
No further action is required from you.
 
You should receive the notice, “Notice of AEOI Return Error” in myTax Portal > Select Notice/Letters > AEOI. 
 
If your return status is “Accepted with record-level error(s)”, please review the error(s) and correct or void the erroneous record(s) by submitting a “Correction CRS Return”.
 
If your return status is “Rejected”, please rectify the error(s) and resubmit the CRS return with a different MessageRefID. Please resubmit the CRS return to IRAS as a “Return with New Data”.

How to rectify the errors in CRS return?

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The Notice of AEOI Return Error will list the specific record that contains an error and the error code.  Please refer to the IRAS CRS File and Record Level Validations (PDF, 215KB) for more information on the identified error(s) and the necessary resolution(s).

List of Common CRS Return Errors

Error CodeError DescriptionWhat you need to do?
 
50005/ 50006 The system detected one or more known viruses, threats within the CRS return
 
 
  • Please scan to make sure the files are free from virus or threats before proceeding with the resubmission upon the receipt of this error code.
  • Please also ensure that there are no prohibited non-alphanumeric characters in the contents of your returns file. Prohibited non-alphanumeric characters include, but are not limited to, _, @, +, &, ! and *.
  • Before re-submitting the file, please be reminded to update the timestamp or date of preparation of return within the file.
50007 The CRS return failed validation against the CRS XML Schema
  • Please revalidate the file against the prevailing CRS XML Schema (ZIP, 22KB) and resolve all validation errors before resubmitting the file to IRAS.
60011 The ResCountryCode of the Individual does not match the Country Code of a Reportable Jurisdiction.
  • Please ensure that the ResCountryCode of the Individual matches the country code of a Reportable Jurisdiction, except for an Undocumented Account.
  • You may refer to the List of Reportable Jurisdictions (PDF, 202KB) for CRS information reporting for the relevant reporting year which you are submitting for.
60012 The ResCountryCode of the Entity does not match the Country Code of a Reportable Jurisdiction.
  • Please ensure that either the ResCountryCode of the Entity Account Holder or the ResCountryCode of the Controlling Person matches the country code of a Reportable Jurisdiction.
  • You may refer to the List of Reportable Jurisdictions (PDF, 202KB) for CRS information reporting for the relevant reporting year which you are submitting for.
80001 The structure of the DocRefID is not in the correct format as set out in the IRAS XML Schema User Guide.
  • Please ensure that the DocRefID is a unique reference ID which has to be structured in the correct format as set out in IRAS CRS XML Schema User Guide (PDF, 4,440KB).
  • You may wish to take note of the following when submitting multiple files for the same reporting year:
  • Please indicate the first CRS return’s ReportingFI DocTypeIndic as “OECD1”. Once the first CRS return has been successfully accepted by IRAS, you can proceed to submit the remaining CRS returns (with ReportingFI DocTypeIndic populated as “OECD0” and ReportingFI DocRefID populated with the same DocRefID as the first CRS return).

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Please refer to the List of IRAS CRS File and Record Level Errors (PDF, 215KB) for the full list of CRS return errors and the necessary resolution(s).

List of Reportable Jurisdictions

Why do I need to know the list of Reportable Jurisdictions?

Under the CRS Regulations, Reporting SGFIs are required to provide IRAS with a return setting out the CRS information of Reportable Accounts that they maintained during the calendar year. Every Reporting SGFI that maintains Financial Accounts that are not Reportable Accounts is required to file a nil return with IRAS for the relevant reporting year. Reportable Accounts are Financial Accounts that are held by Account Holders and where the Account Holder is a Passive NFE, the Controlling Persons of the Passive NFE that are tax residents of a Reportable Jurisdiction.

Document

Please refer to the List of Reportable Jurisdictions (PDF, 202KB) for 2024 CRS information reporting.

List of Participating Jurisdictions

Why do I need to know the list of Participating Jurisdictions?

Under the CRS Regulations, a Reporting SGFI which maintains an account for a professionally managed Investment Entity (as described in sub-paragraph A(6)(b) of Section VIII of the CRS), that is not a Participating Jurisdiction FI, has to treat the Investment Entity as a Passive NFE and apply the "look through" to identify the Controlling Persons.

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The List of Participating Jurisdictions (PDF, 174KB) will be updated at least once a year to reflect changes in jurisdictions' commitment to and implementation of the CRS, and will be published on IRAS' CRS webpage.