It does not. While registered, annual return and tax obligations continue and late penalties accumulate.
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STRIKING OFF
A company that stops trading does not simply disappear — while it stays on the register, annual return and tax filing obligations continue and late penalties accumulate. Applying to ACRA to strike off is free, but all seven conditions must be met: trading has stopped or never started; no unpaid debts or unresolved issues with any government agency; no charges in the charge register; no legal proceedings in Singapore or overseas; no regulatory action or disciplinary proceedings; nothing owned and nothing owed, including potential future claims; and the consent of all or a majority of directors. After approval the gazette process runs, taking at least three months in total.
| # | Condition |
|---|---|
| 1 | Has stopped trading, or never started business since incorporation |
| 2 | No unpaid debts or unresolved issues with any government agency |
| 3 | No outstanding charges in the charge register |
| 4 | Not involved in legal cases in Singapore or overseas |
| 5 | Not subject to regulatory action or disciplinary proceedings |
| 6 | Owns nothing and owes nothing, including potential future claims |
| 7 | All directors, or a majority of them, consent |
ACRA warns explicitly that false declarations may result in prosecution. These are not formalities — conditions 2 and 6 are the ones most often underestimated. People assume "the company isn't doing anything" is enough, when an unresolved tax matter with IRAS or a payable still sitting on the books is sufficient to disqualify.
Once ACRA approves the application, it proceeds in stages:
1. ACRA review. Letters are sent to the registered office and to officers' addresses.
2. Objection window. Officers have 30 days to object.
3. First gazette. Published within 30 days of approval.
4. 60-day waiting period. Interested parties may object.
5. Final gazette. Absent objections, the company is struck off.
Three months is therefore the floor, and objections extend it. Build this into the plan — particularly where the aim is to close before a financial year end and avoid one more annual return.
The striking off application itself carries no fee. The real cost sits in the preconditions: satisfying "no unpaid debts or unresolved issues" usually means bringing years of bookkeeping up to date, filing overdue annual returns, and clearing outstanding matters with IRAS. The longer it is left, the more there is to catch up on.
Which is why "just leave it" is the most expensive option. While the company remains registered, filing obligations continue and late penalties accrue, so the clean-up needed at closing time only grows. For the full annual obligations, see what every company must do each year.
Fail any one of the seven and striking off is unavailable. ACRA notes that where striking off is unsuccessful the company remains registered and must continue to meet its compliance requirements — annual returns and tax filings included.
Companies with assets to distribute or liabilities to settle generally need winding up rather than striking off — a different process with a different cost base. Deciding which route applies starts with an honest picture of the balance sheet.
Striking off is not only something a company applies for. Under section 344(1) of the Companies Act 1967, where ACRA has reasonable cause to believe a company is not carrying on business or is not in operation — persistent failure to file annual returns, for instance — it may strike the company off on its own initiative.
That is not the easy way out. Directors can still face penalties for unfiled annual returns, and the record attaches to them personally, affecting future directorships in Singapore. A clean, voluntary strike off is considerably better than being removed by ACRA.
It does not. While registered, annual return and tax obligations continue and late penalties accumulate.
All seven conditions must hold. An unresolved IRAS matter, a payable on the books, or an outstanding charge each block the application.
Filing is free, but qualifying usually requires catching up on bookkeeping, overdue annual returns and tax matters first.
After approval there is a 30-day objection window and a 60-day gazette wait — at least three months end to end.
As a licensed corporate service provider we start with a can-it-be-struck-off review: each of the seven conditions checked, with particular attention to unresolved matters at ACRA and IRAS and to residual assets or liabilities on the books. Where it does not qualify, we set out what has to be cleared and roughly how long. Where it does, we file and track both gazette waiting periods. If the situation genuinely calls for winding up rather than striking off, we say so and refer it on. See pricing.
Seven, all required: trading has stopped or never started; no unpaid debts or unresolved issues with any government agency; no outstanding charges in the charge register; no legal proceedings in Singapore or overseas; no regulatory action or disciplinary proceedings; nothing owned and nothing owed, including potential future claims; and the consent of all or a majority of directors. ACRA warns that false declarations may result in prosecution.
At least three months. After ACRA approves, letters are sent and officers have 30 days to object; the first gazette follows within 30 days of approval, then a 60-day waiting period, and absent objections the final gazette strikes the company off.
Filing the application with ACRA is free. The actual expense usually comes from the preparatory work — bringing bookkeeping up to date, filing overdue annual returns, and clearing outstanding IRAS matters.
It stays on the register, so annual return and tax obligations continue and late penalties accrue. Separately, under section 344(1) of the Companies Act 1967 ACRA may strike off a company on its own initiative where it has reasonable cause to believe the company is not carrying on business, and directors can still face consequences for unfiled returns.
Where striking off is unsuccessful the company remains registered and must continue to meet its compliance requirements. Companies with assets to distribute or liabilities to settle generally require winding up instead.
Sources: ACRA (the seven striking off conditions, the warning on false declarations, the review and gazette stages with their timeframes, the absence of a fee, continuing obligations where striking off is unsuccessful, and ACRA's power to strike off under section 344(1) of the Companies Act 1967). Verified August 2026; refer to ACRA for the latest. This article is general information and not legal advice.
Start by finding which of the seven conditions blocks you. Send us the company's bookkeeping and filing status and we assess whether it can be struck off directly, what needs clearing, and how long it will take.
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