Registered society
A non-profit club or association of 10 or more persons, registered with the Registry of Societies (ROS). Its income and property can be used only for the objects in its constitution.
- Entiva fee to form
- $279
- Government fees to form
- S$400
- Run plan
- $99 a month
- Steps to form
- 3
- Ongoing filings
- 5
- Ways to close
- 1
Who it suits, and what defines it.
Governed by the Societies Act 1966; Societies Regulations.
Who it suits
- Clubs and associations of 10 or more people.
- Many Singapore charities and IPCs (Institutions of a Public Character) use this form.
Key facts
- Members
- 10 or more persons
- Registry
- Registry of Societies, Ministry of Home Affairs
- Office bearers
- President, Secretary and Treasurer
- Registration fee
- S$400 Normal, S$300 Automatic
- Distributions
- Income cannot be paid out to members
- Annual return
- Within one month after the annual general meeting (AGM)
- Rule changes
- Need ROS's prior written approval
- Statute
- Societies Act 1966; Societies Regulations
What the law requires.
7 rules, each in plain words.
A body of 10 or more persons must register
Exempt: companies, limited liability partnerships (LLPs), co-operatives, trade unions and profit-seeking businesses of 20 or fewer persons.
Three key office bearers apply with Singpass
The President, Secretary and Treasurer must verify and submit the application online with their own Singpass, Singapore's digital ID.
A constitution
ROS publishes a template, and income and property cannot be distributed to members.
Normal or Automatic Registration
Normal Registration applies to society types in the Schedule of the Societies Act, and Automatic Registration to all other types.
Annual returns with audited accounts
Filed within one month after the AGM, under regulation 7(1) of the Societies Regulations.
Rule changes need approval first
Any change to the rules needs ROS's prior written approval.
Charity and IPC oversight
A society that is a charity or IPC also answers to the Commissioner of Charities or its Sector Administrator.
How Entiva forms it.
3 steps. Entiva prepares and files each one, and collects every signature the law needs.
The steps
3 steps- 1Register the society with ROS
Entiva prepares the application. The three key office bearers submit it with their own Singpass, and ROS approves the name within registration.
- 2Register as a charity (optional)
Within 3 months of establishment, if the society meets the charity requirements.
- 3Apply for Institution of a Public Character statusOnly if needed
Optional. An IPC can receive tax-deductible donations.
Documents
5- Society constitution, drafted from the ROS template
- Founding members' resolution adopting the constitution
- Letters of affiliation and support, where relevant
- Supplement for a religious society
- ROS registration outcome
Who takes part
3- The President, Secretary and Treasurer each verify with Singpass at submission
- Foreigners without Singpass cannot be key office bearers
- Entiva also checks ID and screens the other committee members
What has to be filed, and when.
Entiva tracks every deadline from the day it is formed, and files before each one.
Every year, and as things happen
5 filings- File the society's annual return
Within one month after the AGM (or one month after year end if there is no AGM)
- File the annual charity submission
Within 6 months of year end, for charities and IPCs
- Report tax-deductible donations (IPCs)
By the last day of January each year, if the society is an IPC
- File the GST (goods and services tax) return
1 month after each accounting period, if GST registered
- File employees' income records with IRAS, the tax authority
1 March each year, if there are employees
The changes Entiva handles.
Each change is prepared, approved, signed and filed.
The most common changes
10 changes- Change the management committee
- Amend the society's rules
- Change the society's name
- Change the society's address
- Order a certified copy of a record
- Buy society documents from ROS
- Apply for IPC status
- Correct a filed GST return
- Ask for more time to file a GST return
- Correct employment income records
How it closes.
One route, filed step by step.
Voluntary dissolution
Members resolve to dissolve the society under its constitution.
- 1
Charity or IPC: tell the Commissioner within 7 days of the resolution
- 2
Cancel the GST registration
- 3
File the final GST return
- 4
Apply to dissolve on ROS eServices
What Entiva does for you.
From the first filing to the last.
Registered society
- Drafts the constitution from the ROS template and assembles the office-bearer and member data.Formation
- Prepares the registration for the President, Secretary and Treasurer to submit with their own Singpass.Formation
- Prepares the annual return and audited accounts for the key office bearers to submit.Ongoing
- Prepares committee changes, with the minutes, letters and data, for the office bearers to submit.People
- Prepares rule amendments for ROS approval.Changes
- Prepares the annual charity submission for societies that are charities.Ongoing
Build it with the API.
Every step on this page is an action in the Entiva API, with its documents, signatures and filing.
What it costs, item by item.
Every Entiva fee and every government fee, from forming it to closing it.
Forming it
$279one-off
- Government fees
- S$400
Steps marked only if needed are not counted.
Closing it
From $379
- Entiva fee
- Fixed, quoted first
- Government fees
- At cost
Included in the Run plan
- Company secretary
- File the society's annual return
- File the annual charity submission
- Report tax-deductible donations (IPCs)
- File the GST (goods and services tax) return
- File employees' income records with IRAS, the tax authority
- Routine changes
- Every deadline tracked
Extra, at a fixed fee
- Register as a charity (optional)
- Apply for Institution of a Public Character statusOnly if needed
- Apply for IPC status
Each extra is quoted before it starts, and nothing is done until you approve it.
Forming it
Entiva's formation fee is $279, one-off. Government fees are passed through at cost.
S$400 for Normal Registration; S$300 for Automatic Registration.
Excludes steps marked only if needed.
Every year
The Run plan costs $99 a month ($1,188 a year).
Changes
Routine changes are included in the Run plan.
S$130, non-refundable, paid by the society in ROS eServices on submission.
S$70, payable on submission in ROS eServices.
S$40, non-refundable, payable on submission in ROS eServices.
S$10 per document where no certified true copy is needed.
Penalties may reach 200% of the tax undercharged, plus a possible fine and imprisonment.
Closing it
Closing is a fixed-fee project, quoted before it starts.
Entiva fees are in US dollars. Government fees are in the currency each authority charges, passed through at cost when the filing is made. Taxes are separate.
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