Moving Your Business From Australia to Singapore

By Lucas Seah, Founder of Excellence Singapore Group | Last Updated: October 2026

Moving to Singapore from Australia as a business owner comes down to three steps: set up a Singapore company, get the work pass that lets you run it, and change where you are tax resident. Singapore taxes companies at a flat 17%, does not tax capital gains and generally exempts the foreign income its resident individuals bring in. Leaving Australia has its own tax cost, and the first stage of Australia’s new capital gains tax (CGT) rules is now law and applies to gains from 1 July 2027.

If those changes, announced in the 2026-27 Budget, have you looking at Singapore, this guide covers the Singapore side. We advise on Singapore only, so treat the Australian sections below as questions for your Australian tax adviser, not as advice.

Key Takeaways

• The first stage of Australia’s CGT changes is law. From 1 July 2027, CPI indexation replaces the 50% discount, and individuals face a 30% minimum tax on certain gains.
• The rules for people who move overseas are still being legislated, so get Australian advice before you set a date.
• Leaving Australia triggers CGT event I1, a deemed sale of your assets other than taxable Australian property, unless you defer it.
• Your Australian company stays Australian. A new Singapore company needs a director resident in Singapore.
• Running your own company needs a work pass: an Employment Pass through your company, an EntrePass or a ONE Pass.
• Singapore treats a foreigner as tax resident after 183 days in a calendar year and taxes residents at up to 24%.

What changed in Australia, and is it law?

The 2026-27 Budget announced the changes on 12 May 2026. The first stage, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026, received Royal Assent on 26 June 2026, and the ATO confirms it is now law. From 1 July 2027, the 50% CGT discount for resident individuals, trusts and partnerships is replaced by cost base indexation (raising the purchase price for inflation using the consumer price index), and individuals face a minimum 30% tax on certain capital gains.

Only gains from 1 July 2027 are affected. For an asset you already own, the 50% discount still applies to its growth up to that date. The main residence exemption and the four small business CGT concessions are unchanged, and the Government will consult on how the reforms affect start-up investment.

Two points matter if you plan to leave. First, as enacted, the new indexation is only available to an individual who is not a foreign or temporary resident at any time from 1 July 2027 (or a later purchase) until the sale, and the minimum tax applies to individuals who are Australian residents at any time in the income year (sections 114-25 and 119-10). Second, the rules for people who change residency are not finished: the Treasurer’s 4 August 2026 release says the next tranche deals with people who are residents for only part of the time they hold an asset, with later tranches covering the remaining rules for foreign, mixed and temporary residents. As at 13 October 2026, the ATO says it will update its guidance as further stages pass.

What happens to your Australian tax when you leave?

Australia uses four residency tests. For people who move overseas, the domicile test is usually the one that applies: you remain a resident while your permanent home in law is Australia, unless the ATO is satisfied that your permanent place of abode is overseas. It weighs how long you stay away, where your homes are, and your family and financial ties.

When you stop being a resident:

• There is a deemed sale. Under CGT event I1, you are taken to have sold your assets at market value, except taxable Australian property such as Australian real estate and assets used in a business through a permanent establishment in Australia. The deemed sale also covers shares in your own Australian company, unless you and your associates own 10% or more of it and its value comes mainly from Australian real property, which makes the shares taxable Australian property. You can choose to disregard those gains and losses; the assets then stay taxable in Australia until you sell them or return.
• The discount shrinks. For assets bought after 8 May 2012 and sold after you become a foreign resident, the full 50% discount is not available, though you may get an apportioned discount for the years you were resident.
• Income rules change. You stop reporting foreign income in Australia, and Australian interest, dividends and royalties are taxed by final withholding.

Your company is a separate question. A company incorporated in Australia is an Australian resident wherever its owners live. A foreign company is also resident if it carries on business in Australia and either its central management and control is there or Australian residents control its votes. So a Singapore company you keep running from Sydney may be taxed as Australian.

Should you move the company or start a new one?

Because an Australian company stays Australian, the Singapore business is normally a new Singapore company. Whether you keep the Australian one, put it under a Singapore holding company or close it is a decision for your Australian adviser, since moving shares, assets or intellectual property out of Australia can be taxed there.

Setting up the Singapore company is straightforward:

• Use a service provider. ACRA, the company registry, requires foreigners to engage a corporate service provider to register the company.
• Appoint a local director. At least one director must meet local residency rules: a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, or an Employment Pass, Personalised Employment Pass or ONE Pass holder. Holders of other passes, such as an EntrePass, should check with MOM first. Until your pass is approved, a nominee director can fill the seat.
• Add a company secretary within six months, and a Singapore registered office address. From 20 October 2026 it no longer has to be open to the public for set hours, but company records must be available for inspection on reasonable notice.
• Pay ACRA’s fees: S$15 for the name application and S$300 to register.

Our guides to registering a company and setting up as a foreign owner cover each step.

Which work pass lets you run your Singapore company?

ACRA is clear that foreigners who move to Singapore to run their business need a work pass. Three suit founders:

• Employment Pass (EP), through your own company. Your company applies as your employer. You must pass COMPASS, MOM’s points test, and earn the qualifying salary: S$5,600 a month (S$6,200 in financial services), rising with age, and S$6,000 (S$6,600) for new applications from 1 January 2027. See how founders run a business on an EP and our EP application guide.
• EntrePass. For a private limited company that is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies, in which you hold at least 30%, plus one further criterion, such as at least S$100,000 raised from investors in a single round. If the company is more than 12 months old when you apply, MOM assesses you on its renewal criteria instead. Compare it in our EntrePass vs EP guide.
• ONE Pass. For top earners: a fixed monthly salary of at least S$30,000 for the past 12 months, earned overseas from an established company (market capitalisation of at least US$500 million or annual revenue of at least US$200 million), or an offer at that level from an established Singapore company. A salary from your own Australian company counts only if that company meets the same test. It lets you run several companies at once. See our ONE Pass guide.

Bringing the family? An EP holder on a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 can apply for a Dependant’s Pass for a spouse and unmarried children under 21; EntrePass and ONE Pass holders have their own criteria. Our Dependant’s Pass guide covers what a dependant can do in business.

How will Singapore tax you and your company?

You. A foreigner who stays or works in Singapore for at least 183 days in a calendar year is tax resident for that year’s income, as is someone here for three consecutive years; a work pass valid for a year or more is also treated as resident, reviewed when the job ends. Residents pay progressive rates from 0% to 24%, the top rate applying above S$1 million. Foreign income a resident individual brings into Singapore is generally exempt, unless it comes through a Singapore partnership, and dividends from a Singapore resident company are not taxable, because the company’s tax is final.

CPF, Singapore’s compulsory savings scheme (broadly like super), is payable for Singapore citizens and permanent residents, so a founder on a work pass drawing a salary does not contribute. Our guide to salary versus dividends covers how to pay yourself.

Your company. The 17% rate comes with partial exemptions on the first S$200,000 of chargeable income, or a start-up exemption for eligible new companies. A company is tax resident where its control and management, meaning its strategic decisions, is exercised, usually where the board meets. Capital gains are not taxable, though trading gains are. Foreign income is taxed when received in Singapore, but foreign dividends, branch profits and service income can be exempt if taxed abroad where the headline rate is at least 15%. Singapore’s tax treaty with Australia is in force. See our guide to tax filing for foreign-owned companies.

Sources: ATO residency tests, resident tax rates, company tax rates, company residency and GST; Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026; IRAS tax residency, income tax rates, taxable income, corporate tax rate and GST rate. Read 15 October 2026.

When should you open the corporate bank account?

Plan it alongside incorporation. Banks want to know who owns and controls the company, what it does and where its money comes from. Our guides cover opening a corporate account and the common reasons for rejection.

Is a family office the better route?

If you have sold a business and are moving significant wealth, a single family office (a company that manages one family’s money) may fit better. Under MAS’s revised framework, in force since 15 June 2026, a qualifying single family office notifies MAS, keeps an account with a MAS-licensed bank and files a short annual return. Funds it manages can apply for the section 13O, 13OA or 13U tax schemes, which require at least S$20 million (13O, 13OA) or S$50 million (13U) in designated investments, plus conditions on investment professionals, local spending, capital deployment and a private banking account. See our family office services.

Step-by-step checklist

Alongside those six steps:

• Ask your Australian adviser about the event I1 position on each asset, not only the residency date.
• Decide the structure before you incorporate, including what happens to the Australian company and how any shares, assets or IP move.
• Choose your pass early, because it shapes the company, and add Dependant’s Passes for the family.
• Log your days in each country. Your Australian tax-free threshold is reduced in the year you leave.
• Diary the first filings: the annual return, the corporate tax return and your own Singapore tax return.

How we help founders moving from Australia

We handle the Singapore side: company incorporation, a nominee resident director until your pass is approved, company secretary services and help with bank account opening. Excellence SG is a MOM-licensed employment agency (EA licence 16C7944), and our work visa team handles Employment Pass, EntrePass and ONE Pass applications. Our tax team, which brings accreditation from the Singapore Chartered Tax Professionals (SCTP) in both income tax and GST, files the company’s tax and your personal return.

In our work with Australian clients, the move runs most smoothly when the residency date is settled with the Australian adviser before the Singapore company is set up. We do not advise on Australian tax; we work alongside your Australian adviser so both sides of the move line up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Australians need a work pass to work in Singapore?

Yes, even in your own company. ACRA states that foreigners who move to Singapore to run their business need a work pass, usually an Employment Pass applied for by their Singapore company, an EntrePass or a ONE Pass.

Can I move my Australian company to Singapore?

Not by moving yourself. The ATO treats a company incorporated in Australia as an Australian resident wherever its owners live. The Singapore business is normally a new Singapore company; what happens to the Australian one is a question for your Australian adviser.

Does Singapore tax capital gains?

No. IRAS states that capital gains are not taxable. Gains from trading are taxed as income, judged on factors such as how long the asset was held and how often you make similar sales.

What is CGT event I1 when leaving Australia?

It happens when an individual or company stops being an Australian resident: you are taken to have sold your assets at market value, except taxable Australian property. Individuals can choose to disregard those gains and losses, keeping the assets taxable in Australia until they are sold or you return.

Are Australia’s new CGT rules law yet?

The first stage is. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 26 June 2026 and applies to gains accruing from 1 July 2027. Further tranches, including rules for people who change residency, were still in progress in October 2026.

Can my family move to Singapore with me?

An Employment Pass holder earning a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 can apply for a Dependant’s Pass for a spouse and unmarried children under 21. EntrePass and ONE Pass holders have their own family pass criteria, set out by MOM.

Is my foreign income taxed in Singapore?

Generally not, for individuals: foreign income a Singapore tax resident receives here is exempt, unless it comes through a Singapore partnership. A company’s foreign income is taxed when received in Singapore, unless an exemption, such as for qualifying foreign dividends, applies.

Planning the move? Start with the Singapore structure

The order matters: Australian advice, then the company, then the pass, then the move. Talk to us about the Singapore company, the right pass and how Singapore will tax you, and bring your Australian adviser’s questions with you.