In a significant expansion of its digital tax administration, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has announced that all GST-registered businesses must onboard the InvoiceNow network and transmit invoice data directly to IRAS by 1 April 2031 . The mandate, disclosed during the Ministry of Finance Committee of Supply (COS) Debate 2026, will bring an estimated 90,000 additional businesses into the e-invoicing framework .
Phased Implementation Timeline
The requirement will be implemented progressively based on businesses’ total annual supplies, providing adequate lead time for system calibration:
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1 April 2028: New compulsory GST-registrants and existing businesses with annual supplies ≤ $200,000
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1 April 2029: Existing businesses with annual supplies ≤ $1 million
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1 April 2030: Existing businesses with annual supplies ≤ $4 million
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1 April 2031: Existing businesses with annual supplies exceeding $4 million
Existing businesses registered before 2026 will be notified of their compliance date by mid-2026, based on supplies recorded in accounting periods ending in calendar year 2025 .
Practical Implementation Considerations
From an operational perspective, businesses must take three critical steps: ensure their accounting solution is InvoiceNow-Ready, register for a Peppol ID via the SG Peppol Directory, and activate the GST InvoiceNow submission feature . Companies with in-house enterprise solutions should allow three to 12 months for system connection .
The data transmission scope covers standard-rated, zero-rated, and exempt supplies, as well as corresponding purchases. Significantly, businesses must transmit invoice data by the earlier of their GST return filing date or the statutory filing deadline—a requirement that demands tight integration between invoicing systems and tax compliance workflows .
Excluded from the mandate are overseas vendors under the OVR regime and reverse charge-only registrants .
Transitional Support Measures
To offset onboarding costs, the government will introduce grants of up to $1,000 for SMEs and $5,000 for larger early adopters . SMEs can also access free InvoiceNow-Ready solutions until March 2031, while the Productivity Solutions Grant remains available for qualifying IT investments .
Professional Commentary
The phased approach, prioritising smaller businesses first, reflects pragmatic policy design. However, accountants should note several practical challenges: validating that accounting software is truly InvoiceNow-Ready, managing the transition for clients with complex enterprise resource planning systems, and ensuring staff are trained on the new transmission deadlines. Early adoption is strongly advisable to resolve connectivity issues before mandatory deadlines crystallise.
Source: IRAS website, 26 February 2026