In this guide · 8 sections
- 01Accountants Act: words your website must not misuse
- 02ISCA marketing ethics: honest claims, no knocking copy
- 03Corporate service provider registration: say it accurately
- 04Service pages that bring in enquiries
- 05Showing fees without starting a price war
- 06Enquiry forms that do not collect NRIC numbers
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Only ACRA-registered public accountants and approved accounting entities may describe themselves as such or offer public accountancy services. Keep claims honest under ISCA's marketing rule, state your CSP registration accurately, and do not ask for NRIC numbers on the enquiry form.
Accountants Act: words your website must not misuse
Section 56 of the Accountants Act 2004 restricts how firms describe themselves. It matters for website copy, page titles, meta descriptions and even Google Ads text.
| Who | What they must not do unless registered or approved |
|---|---|
| An individual | Practise as, hold out as, or use any title suggesting they are a registered public accountant or authorised to provide public accountancy services |
| A company | Describe itself as an accounting corporation, or use 'Public Accounting Corporation' or 'PAC' in its name |
| A partnership or other firm | Describe itself as an accounting firm or as authorised to provide public accountancy services |
| An accounting LLP | Hold out as an accounting LLP or provide public accountancy services unless approved |
'Public accountancy services' means auditing and reporting on financial statements, and other work that the law says only a public accountant may do. A breach is an offence with a fine of up to S$5,000 or up to 12 months' jail, and more for repeat offences.
In practice: a bookkeeping, tax or corporate secretarial firm that is not an approved accounting entity should describe what it does ('accounting and tax services', 'corporate secretarial services') and avoid 'audit', 'public accountants' or 'PAC' anywhere on the site. If you do hold a public accountant registration, name the registered individuals and the approved entity accurately.
ISCA marketing ethics: honest claims, no knocking copy
Professional accountants who are ISCA members are bound by the ISCA Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics.pdf) (EP 100, effective 1 July 2025). Paragraph R115.2 is the one that applies to websites.
Typical copy that crosses the line: 'Singapore's best accountants', 'guaranteed lowest tax', 'unlike other firms, we never make mistakes', or experience figures that add up every staff member's years. Safer alternatives are specific and checkable: the services you offer, the software you work with, the industries you know, named qualifications of named people, and a clear fee basis.
Corporate service provider registration: say it accurately
Since the Corporate Service Providers Act 2024 took effect on 9 June 2025, every business carrying on a business of providing corporate services in or from Singapore must register with ACRA as a corporate service provider (CSP), even if it never files with ACRA for clients. Former registered filing agents became registered CSPs automatically.
If you offer incorporation, company secretary, registered address or similar services, a short, accurate line in the footer or About page helps clients and is easy to verify: 'Registered with ACRA as a corporate service provider.' Clients can check it with the Bizfile entity search. Do not use ACRA's logo or imply ACRA endorses your firm.
Registration also brings anti-money laundering duties, including customer due diligence and keeping records for five years after the relationship ends. That affects how your website collects documents, which is covered in our guide to the CSP Act's IT and record-keeping duties.
Service pages that bring in enquiries
Most prospective clients search for a specific job, not for 'an accounting firm'. Give each main service its own page with a clear heading, who it is for, what is included, what the client needs to provide, and the fee basis.
- Company incorporation: steps, timeline, what documents you need and when, local director options if you offer them.
- Corporate secretarial: annual return, AGM support, registers, the yearly fee.
- Bookkeeping and accounting: monthly or quarterly, software (Xero, QuickBooks), volume bands.
- GST: registration, quarterly returns, InvoiceNow. Link to IRAS GST pages) rather than restating rules that change.
- Corporate tax: Form C-S, Form C, ECI, with filing deadlines.
- Payroll: CPF, IR8A and AIS submission.
Add your firm to Google Business Profile with the same name and address as on the site; our Google Business Profile setup guide walks through it. Local searches such as 'corporate secretary Tanjong Pagar' often show the map results first.
Showing fees without starting a price war
Clients comparing firms want a number before they enquire. A 'from' price with a clear scope usually works better than 'contact us for a quote', and it filters out enquiries that will never fit your pricing.
Good fee presentation
- 'From' price with what is included and excluded
- Bands by transaction volume or entity size
- GST stated clearly: before or including GST
- Government fees listed separately from your fee
Avoid
- 'Cheapest in Singapore' or comparisons to named firms
- A headline price that excludes the work most clients need
- Hidden disbursements discovered at invoicing
- Out-of-date prices left on old pages
If you are GST-registered, prices quoted to the public generally need to include GST, as IRAS explains on its page on displaying and quoting prices. For business clients, state clearly whether GST is on top.
Enquiry forms that do not collect NRIC numbers
An enquiry form only needs enough to reply: name, email or phone, company name if any, and the service needed. Asking for NRIC or passport numbers, or uploads of identity documents, on a public website form creates risk without benefit.
The PDPC's advisory guidelines restrict collecting full NRIC numbers unless required by law or necessary to verify identity to a high degree of fidelity. Your CDD obligations as a CSP are real, but they apply once you take on a client, and the documents should go through a secure portal, not a contact form that emails attachments. Our guide to NRIC collection rules under the PDPA explains the limits.
Enquiry form checklist for accounting firms
Your firm holds bank statements, payroll and identity documents for every client, which makes it a target. Our cybersecurity guide for accounting firms covers email and device security alongside the website.
Do it yourself or get help?
Wording fixes you can do yourself: search your site for 'audit', 'public accountant', 'PAC', 'best' and 'cheapest', and remove NRIC fields from forms. Check page titles and old blog posts too, since search results show them.
If you need a new site, our Business Website package (S$1,490) builds a fast multi-page site with service pages, fee tables and a minimal enquiry form. An existing site that loads slowly or does not appear in local searches is what our Speed & SEO Fix (S$390) addresses. Typical budgets are in our website cost guide. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Be careful. Under section 56 of the Accountants Act, a partnership or unincorporated body that is not approved as an accounting firm must not describe itself as an accounting firm or as authorised to provide public accountancy services. Describe the actual services, such as bookkeeping, tax and corporate secretarial work, and avoid terms that suggest public accountancy or audit.
Only companies approved as accounting corporations under the Accountants Act. Others must not use the words Public Accounting Corporation, any abbreviation or derivative of them, or the acronym PAC at the end of their name. Breaches are an offence with fines of up to S$5,000 or jail for a first offence.
Yes. Since 9 June 2025, under the Corporate Service Providers Act 2024, every business carrying on a business of providing corporate services in or from Singapore must register with ACRA as a CSP, whether or not it files transactions for clients. Failing to register is an offence with fines of up to S$50,000.
ISCA members should not. Paragraph R115.2 of the ISCA Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics says professional accountants must be honest and truthful in marketing and must not make exaggerated claims or unsubstantiated comparisons with others. Use specific, verifiable facts instead, such as services, software expertise and named qualifications.
No. An enquiry form only needs contact details and the service required. Identity documents for customer due diligence should be collected after you agree to act, through a secure portal or encrypted channel, and kept under your record-keeping policy. This keeps you within PDPC guidance on NRIC numbers.