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Where Should I Start With Income Tax In Singapore?

Where to start with Singapore income tax: pick the Year of Assessment and the income it covers, then check reliefs before using a tax calculator.

By Calvin Woon · Reviewed By The WealthMastery Editorial Team

4 Min Read · Updated · Facts Checked On

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Quick Answer

Start by picking the Year of Assessment and the income period it covers. Gather income statements, CPF and SRS records and your current assessment. Remember that relief lowers your chargeable income. Then check claims with Relief Finder and Tax Estimator, and check the result against myTax Portal.

The Key Point: Relief lowers your chargeable income (the income tax is charged on). It does not cut your tax dollar for dollar.

Which Tax Year And Income Should You Use?

Note the Year of Assessment (YA, the year tax is worked out) and the income period it covers. Gather income statements, CPF and SRS records and your current assessment. These tools use resident tax bands.

Tools that ask for chargeable income want it after deductions; tools that subtract reliefs need income before them. Read the input labels carefully.

How Is A Deduction Different From A Tax Saving?

In the SRS Optimiser guide’s worked example, an eligible S$8,000 deduction cuts chargeable income from S$100,000 to S$92,000. Tax falls from S$5,650 to S$4,730, a saving of S$920, not S$8,000. This assumes you can still claim that much relief, and it leaves out rebates.

An S$8,000 Deduction Saves S$920, Not S$8,000Chargeable income in the SRS Optimiser guide’s worked example, with the current resident tax bands and before rebates. The deduction lowers chargeable income, so tax falls only by the rate on that slice.
An S$8,000 Deduction Saves S$920, Not S$8,000Without The Deduction S$100,000, With An S$8,000 Deduction S$92,000; then Tax Before Rebates S$5,650, Tax Before Rebates S$4,730; then Tax Saved S$920.S$100,000Without TheDeductionS$92,000With AnS$8,000 DeductionS$5,650Tax Before RebatesS$4,730Tax Before RebatesS$920Tax Saved
  • Without The Deduction: S$100,000
  • With An S$8,000 Deduction: S$92,000
  • Tax Before Rebates: S$5,650
  • Tax Before Rebates: S$4,730
  • Tax Saved: S$920

Data as of . Source: IRAS — individual income-tax rates.

How Should You Check Claims Before Adding Them?

Review common items with the Relief Finder, then see your reliefs together in the Tax Estimator. Check whether items are prefilled, shared with another claimant or capped on their own. The overall S$80,000 cap does not make a claim eligible.

What About Side Income And Future Contributions?

For freelance income, read Side-Hustle Tax. Check which assessment year a new contribution counts in, and check any estimate against myTax Portal; it is not an approved return.

Quick Check

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    A tool that subtracts reliefs for you needs your income before those reliefs.

Start With Your Numbers

Try the calculator with your own numbers. The guides linked in each section explain the details.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Enter Income Before Or After Reliefs?

Read the input labels carefully.

A tool that asks for chargeable income expects the amount after the relevant deductions. A tool that subtracts reliefs needs the amount before them. Otherwise the same deduction is counted twice.

How Much Tax Does An S$8,000 Deduction Save?

In the SRS Optimiser guide’s worked example, an eligible S$8,000 deduction cuts chargeable income from S$100,000 to S$92,000.

Tax falls from S$5,650 to S$4,730. The saving is S$920, not S$8,000. This assumes you can still claim that much relief and leaves out rebates.

Try SRS Optimiser →

Does The S$80,000 Relief Cap Mean I Can Claim Up To That Amount?

No.

The overall S$80,000 cap does not make every claim you enter eligible. Before adding items, check whether they are already prefilled, shared with another claimant or capped on their own.

Do These Tools Cover Non-Resident Tax?

Mostly no.

Residents and non-residents are taxed differently, and these tools use resident tax bands. The one exception is the Income Tax Estimator’s work-pass option, which compares employment income taxed as a resident and as a non-resident. Check eligibility, assessment year, rebates and filing duties separately. Check any estimate against myTax Portal. It is not an approved return.

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Sources & Assumptions

Sources checked 12 October 2026. These are examples only. Check the stated assumptions and limits before you use a result.

A guide to the tools, with example tax sums only. Check eligibility, assessment year, rebates and your official filing duties separately.

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