Ecommerce business expenses in Singapore: the complete guide for online sellers

A Singapore online seller deals with GST at three borders. Stock coming in pays import GST to Singapore Customs, claimed back from an import permit that names you as importer. Low-value parcels to consumers carry GST at the point of purchase under the S$400 rule. And orders going out are zero-rated only if the export documents are in hand within 60 days. Platform and software fees from overseas matter only if your business is not fully taxable. This guide goes through the whole ledger, category by category, with a verdict for each one before the detail. Every figure is sourced to IRAS or the CPF Board in the Sources section, retrieved 10 October 2026.

What this guide covers: stock and cost of sales, import GST and import permits, low-value goods, overseas platform, app and ad fees and the reverse charge, shipping and packaging, exports and the 60-day rule, equipment and capital allowances, staff and CPF, and the F5, records and year-end work that tie it together.

The online seller’s ledger at a glance

The rest of this guide walks through each row, and every section opens with its verdict.

Where ExpenseFlow fits

ExpenseFlow captures each supplier invoice, freight bill, platform statement and app receipt (email forward, upload or phone), reads the line items, the currency and the GST, codes each line with a written reason, and routes anything uncertain to a person before it posts. Its ecommerce checks are built from the rules on this page: marketplace and payment-processor fees are coded as operating expenses, not cost of goods sold; an overseas service bill is flagged for the reverse charge; an overseas goods supplier’s invoice is flagged because the GST claim comes from the import permit; and a rate other than 9% is flagged. After approval the bill syncs to Xero with the source document attached, or to QuickBooks Online as a coded bill.

What it does not do: it does not reconcile marketplace payouts, value stock, collect export evidence or file your GST F5. The ecommerce chart of accounts for Xero and for QuickBooks line up with the categories below.

The ExpenseFlow for online sellers page covers these checks across all five countries.

Stock and cost of sales

Expenses wholly and exclusively incurred in producing income and revenue in nature are deductible ^[1] . Stock is the cost of what you sell; fees and couriers are operating expenses.

Import GST and import permits

GST is imposed on most goods imported into Singapore, whether or not the importer is GST registered; import GST is collected by Singapore Customs on the total of the CIF value, all duties payable, and commission and other incidental charges ^[2] . Subject to the conditions for claiming input tax, you are entitled to claim the GST paid to Singapore Customs on your imports, and the claim must be supported by import permits showing you as the importer of the goods ^[2] . If your freight forwarder declared someone else as importer, get the permit corrected before you claim.

Low-value goods

A consumer buying from overseas pays GST at the point of purchase if the goods have a sales value of S$400 or below, are imported by air or post, and are bought from a GST-registered supplier ^[3] ; GST has applied to low-value goods imported by air or post since 1 January 2023 ^[2] . Goods imported by sea or land do not have GST collected at purchase ^[3] . Local suppliers, including marketplace operators and redeliverers, also account for GST on supplies of low-value goods to consumers ^[4] .

Overseas platform, app and ad fees

GST-registered businesses belonging in Singapore that are not entitled to full input tax claims, because they make exempt supplies or receive non-business receipts, must account for GST on imported services from 1 January 2020, and on low-value goods from 1 January 2023, as if they were the supplier, and may claim it back as input tax under the normal recovery rules ^[4] . Overseas vendor registration covers supplies to persons not registered for GST ^[4] , so make sure each platform knows you are a registered business. The fees themselves are operating expenses.

Exports and the 60-day rule

For zero-rating, the time of supply is the earlier of issuing an invoice and receiving payment ^[5] . A direct export, where you have custody of the goods and control the export arrangement, may be zero-rated if the required documents are maintained within 60 days; an indirect export is standard-rated unless you are certain at the time of supply that the goods will be exported and the documents can be held within 60 days ^[5] . Failing the 60-day rule means charging and accounting for GST at 9% ^[5] .

Shipping, packaging and marketing

These are ordinary revenue costs ^[1] . Input tax needs a tax invoice, or a simplified tax invoice for purchases of $1,000 or less ^[6] .

Equipment and capital allowances

Computers and prescribed automation equipment, and low-value assets of not more than $5,000 each within a $30,000 annual cap, can be written off in 1 year; other plant goes over 3 years or its working life ^[7] .

Staff and CPF

From 1 January 2026, for wages above $750 a month, employer CPF is 17% for employees aged 55 and below ^[8] , and the Skills Development Levy is 0.25% of wages, minimum $2 and maximum $11.25 per employee ^[9] .

Records and year end

Keep the import permits behind every import GST claim ^[2] and the export documents behind every zero-rated sale ^[5] . Records are kept for five years, as the record-keeping guide sets out; the GST guide, F5 guide and year-end checklist cover the rest.

Common mistakes

• Claiming import GST from the overseas supplier’s invoice, or from a permit naming your forwarder ^[2] .
• Zero-rating an export without documents inside 60 days ^[5] .
• Reverse charging overseas fees when the business is fully taxable, or not reverse charging them when it is not ^[4] .
• Putting platform fees in cost of goods sold.
• Claiming input tax without a tax invoice ^[6] .