Checking whether a Singapore business is GST registered takes one search on the IRAS portal, with no login.
The search is the easy part: the real question is whether the business was registered on the date of your invoice.
The short answer
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Which tool? | GST Registered Business Search, on the IRAS myTax Portal |
| Do I need an account? | No |
| What can I search by? | Business name, GST registration number or UEN |
| What does it show? | Status, period of registration, GST registration number, a Remarks column |
Three things to hold on to:
- Registered today does not mean registered on the invoice date.
- An overseas vendor can be registered and still have no right to charge your company GST.
- A company with no record is usually just below the registration threshold.
What the search actually answers
IRAS describes the service as one "for members of the public to check if a business is GST-registered". For a buyer, the question is narrower: was this business entitled to charge me GST on this invoice?
| Who you are | What the check protects |
|---|---|
| A GST-registered buyer | Your input tax claim, which needs a valid tax invoice |
| A buyer that is not registered | The 9% you pay, which only a registered business may collect |
| A supplier asked for proof | Your own status, which the customer can verify alone |
IRAS gives this example of an invalid invoice: "Your supplier does not have a GST registration number or the GST registration number shown has expired/is not valid."
The check is about a date, not about a company. A business can be registered today, deregistered tomorrow, and the only thing that counts is its status on the day it invoiced you.
One point on the number itself. Since 2019 the GST registration number of most entities is the UEN, so it helps to know how to read a UEN before you search.
How to run the check
- Open the GST Registered Business Search on myTax Portal. No login is asked.
- Take the GST registration number printed on the invoice or receipt.
- Search by that number first.
- If nothing comes back, search by UEN, then by business name.
- Read the status, the period of registration and the Remarks column.
- Compare the period with the invoice date.
- Save a dated copy of the result with the invoice.
The number should be easy to find. IRAS requires a registered business to show it on:
- all tax invoices
- simplified tax invoices
- receipts
IRAS gives two formats for it.
| Format | IRAS example | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Same as the UEN | 123456789A | The usual case since 2019 |
| Different from the UEN | M21234567K | A separate number, still valid |
Provider guides add two details that we could not confirm on an IRAS page:
- a name search needs at least the first five characters
- several registration numbers can be checked in one search
What the result shows
IRAS says the search lets you check "your supplier's GST registration status, period of registration and GST registration number". A Remarks column completes the record.
| Field | What it tells you | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Whether the business is registered now | A first filter, not the answer |
| Period of registration | From which date, and until which date | Place your invoice date inside it |
| GST registration number | The number IRAS holds | Match it to the one on the invoice |
| Remarks | A special regime, if one applies | Read it for overseas vendors |
The three possible outcomes
We describe the outcomes in our own words, because the labels shown by the tool may differ.
| Outcome | What it means | GST on your invoice |
|---|---|---|
| Registered, invoice date inside the period | The supplier could charge GST that day | Valid, at 9% |
| No longer registered | It was registered, until a last day | Valid only up to that last day |
| No record found | Not registered, or the search term is wrong | Should not appear at all |
- 1Does the GST number on the invoice come up?No: retry by UEN, then by legal name. Still nothing: GST should not have been charged.
- 2Is the invoice date inside the period of registration?No: GST was charged outside the period. Ask for a corrected invoice.
- 3Do the Remarks show the Simplified Pay-only Regime?Yes, and your company is GST-registered: no GST was due, ask the vendor for a refund.
- 4Three clean answersThe supplier was entitled to charge GST on that invoice.
Before you read "no record" as a problem, rule out a search error.
- Retype the number exactly as printed, letters included.
- Search by UEN instead of by name.
- Try the legal name instead of the brand name.
- Ask the supplier for its IRAS approval letter, which states the effective date of registration.
3 questions
Which jurisdiction fits you?Answer three questions and get the three jurisdictions that match your situation.
Check the invoice date, not today's date
Registration has a first day and, sometimes, a last one. Both can fall close to your invoice.
The last day follows a fixed rule. A business that cancels keeps charging GST until its last day of registration, "which is one day before the effective date of cancellation".
| Event | Date in the IRAS example | GST on an invoice |
|---|---|---|
| Last day of registration | 31 December 2024 | Charged |
| Effective date of cancellation | 1 January 2025 | Not charged |
| Any later invoice | 2025 onwards | Not charged |
The first day is just as precise. A newly liable business is registered from a set date, not from the day it applies, so an earlier invoice carries no GST.
Overseas vendors: read the Remarks column
This is the case most guides skip, and the one a foreign founder meets first: software, hosting or advertising bought from a vendor outside Singapore.
Such a vendor can register under the Overseas Vendor Registration regime. Search its GST number and the Remarks column reads "Currently registered under Simplified Pay-only Regime".
| Your company | What IRAS says | If GST was charged |
|---|---|---|
| GST-registered | "You should not be charged GST on the purchase of remote services and low-value goods" | Ask the vendor for a refund, do not claim it as input tax |
| Not GST-registered | You pay GST on remote services from a registered overseas provider | Nothing to recover |
The same vendor treats two customers differently:
- A registered customer gives its GST number and is not charged.
- An unregistered customer pays the 9%.
Do not borrow a number to avoid the tax. Giving a false GST registration number carries a penalty of up to 3 times the tax and up to 7 years in prison.
Your own Singapore company is probably not listed
If you search your own company and find nothing, that is the expected result. Registration is compulsory only above S$1 million of taxable turnover.
| Test | Trigger | When to apply | Registered from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retrospective | Taxable turnover above S$1 million in the calendar year | 1 to 30 January | 1 March |
| Prospective | Taxable turnover expected above S$1 million in the next 12 months | Within 30 days | 2 months after the forecast date |
The prospective timing applies to a liability arising on or after 1 July 2025.
When a customer asks for proof of your GST status and you are not registered:
- say so in writing, in one line
- issue invoices with no GST line
- print no GST registration number
Voluntary registration exists, with a cost in flexibility: you must stay registered for at least 2 years before cancelling. Weigh it when setting up a Singapore company from abroad.
Missing a compulsory registration is expensive.
- GST stays due on past sales from the date you became liable, even if you never collected it.
- A penalty of 10% of the GST due applies.
- A fine of up to S$10,000 can be added.
If GST was charged wrongly
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Supplier is registered, the invoice shows a wrong or expired number | Ask it to reissue the invoice. No IRAS approval is needed for that request |
| Supplier was not registered on the invoice date | Ask for a corrected invoice without GST and for the amount back, then report it to IRAS |
| Overseas vendor under the simplified regime charged your registered company | Ask the vendor for a refund. Do not claim the amount |
Collecting GST without being registered is an offence under section 64A of the GST Act, in force since 1 January 2019.
| Offence date | Penalty | Fine or prison |
|---|---|---|
| From 1 January 2019 | 3 times the amount collected or attempted | Up to S$10,000, up to 3 years in prison, or both |
| Before 2019 | 3 times the GST shown | Up to S$10,000, no prison term |
What the search does not tell you
The search confirms a tax status. It is not a company check.
- Legal existence and current status. That is ACRA's BizFile search.
- Directors and shareholders. They sit in the paid S$5.50 Business Profile.
- Solvency. No public search shows it.
- A complete invoice. A tax invoice must show the supplier's name, address and GST registration number.
- Your right to claim. You must be GST-registered yourself, and the invoice must be addressed to you.
A tax status, with its dates.
- GST registration status
- Period of registration
- GST registration number
- A special regime, in Remarks
Everything about the company itself.
- Legal existence and current status
- Directors and shareholders
- Solvency
- Whether the invoice is complete
Two invoicing rules explain what you may receive from a registered supplier:
- A tax invoice is issued when the customer is GST-registered, generally within 30 days.
- A simplified tax invoice is allowed up to S$1,000, GST included.
The summary
| You want to | Answer |
|---|---|
| Check a supplier's GST status | GST Registered Business Search, no login |
| Know if GST was valid on an old invoice | Compare the invoice date with the period of registration |
| Find the last day of a cancelled registration | One day before the effective date of cancellation |
| Read an overseas vendor's record | Remarks column, Simplified Pay-only Regime |
| Explain why your own company is absent | Below S$1 million of taxable turnover, registration is not compulsory |
| Confirm the company exists | BizFile, not the GST search |
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a company is GST registered in Singapore?
Use the GST Registered Business Search on the IRAS myTax Portal. No login is needed. Search by business name, GST registration number or UEN, then read the status and the period of registration.
Do I need a Singpass or myTax Portal account to run the search?
No. IRAS states that you do not need to log in to myTax Portal.
Is the GST registration number the same as the UEN?
For most entities, yes, since 2019. IRAS also shows a second format that differs from the UEN, with M21234567K as its example.
What does it mean if the search finds no record?
Either the search term is wrong or the business is not registered. Retry with the UEN, then with the legal name. If nothing appears, no GST should be on the invoice.
Can a company charge GST if it is not registered?
No. Unauthorised collection is an offence under section 64A of the GST Act. The penalty is 3 times the amount collected, with a fine of up to S$10,000, prison of up to 3 years, or both.
My supplier deregistered. Is my old invoice still valid?
Check the period of registration. GST was properly charged up to the last day of registration, which is one day before the effective date of cancellation.
Why is my own Singapore company not in the search?
Because it is probably not registered, and it does not have to be. Registration is compulsory only above S$1 million of taxable turnover.
How do I prove my GST status to a customer?
If you are registered, the customer can verify it in the public search, and your IRAS approval letter states the effective date. If you are not, say so and invoice without GST.
An overseas software vendor charged my GST-registered company GST. What now?
Search the vendor's GST number and read the Remarks column. If it shows the Simplified Pay-only Regime, IRAS says you should not have been charged. Ask the vendor for a refund and do not claim the amount.
Does GST registration prove that a company is legitimate?
No. It shows a tax status on given dates. Legal existence, directors and shareholders are checked in ACRA's BizFile, and the search says nothing about solvency.
Sources
- IRAS: GST digital services, GST Registered Business Search
- IRAS myTax Portal: GST Registered Business Search
- IRAS: Conditions for claiming input tax
- IRAS: Purchasing remote services from overseas service providers
- IRAS: Responsibilities of a GST-registered business
- IRAS: Invoicing customers
- IRAS: Do I need to register for GST
- IRAS: Cancelling GST registration
- IRAS newsroom: first jail term for unauthorised collection of GST
The name of the search, the absence of a login, the search keys, the three items it lets you check (status, period of registration, number), the Remarks wording for overseas vendors, the invoicing rules, the registration threshold, the cancellation rule and the penalties are taken from the IRAS pages listed, consulted in October 2026. The exact status labels displayed by the tool and the search limits quoted by provider guides were not confirmed on an official page, so they are described in our own words or attributed. This is informational, not tax advice.