In this guide · 8 sections
- 01What Corppass is (and how it relates to Singpass)
- 02Corppass roles explained
- 03How to set up your first Corppass Admin
- 04Giving staff access to IRAS, CPF and grant e-services
- 05Letting your accountant or vendor file for you
- 06Removing access when someone leaves
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Your Registered Officer (a director, owner or company secretary) appoints up to two Corppass Admins. Admins create accounts for staff and assign only the e-services each person needs. Outside firms get access through Third Party Authorisation, never through shared logins.
What Corppass is (and how it relates to Singpass)
Since April 2021, everyone logs in to government services for businesses with their personal Singpass. Corppass sits behind that login as the authorisation layer: it records which people may transact on behalf of which company, and for which digital services. GovTech's explainer, What is Corppass and how to apply, describes it as the single place to grant and revoke access across agencies.
IRAS puts it this way on its Corppass page: employees and third parties such as tax agents must first be authorised via Corppass before they can use the company's myTax Portal services.
Corppass roles explained
There are five roles to know. Most small businesses need only the first three.
| Role | Who holds it | What they can do |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Officer (RO) | A director, owner or company secretary registered with ACRA | Approves who becomes Corppass Admin |
| Corppass Admin | Appointed by the RO; maximum two per entity | Creates and removes accounts, assigns e-services, authorises third parties |
| Sub-Admin | Appointed by an Admin | Helps manage accounts; may be restricted to certain e-services |
| Corppass User | Any authorised employee | Uses only the e-services assigned to them |
| Enquiry User | Appointed by an Admin or Sub-Admin | View-only access to the entity's Corppass setup |
How to set up your first Corppass Admin
If your company has never used Corppass, or the only Admin has left, start here. GovTech's steps:
Go to corppass.gov.sg and register as a Corppass Admin
Choose the option to register for a UEN-registered entity and log in with your own Singpass.
Enter the company's UEN
This links your application to the right entity.
Submit a Letter of Authorisation if you are not the RO
If you are not a Registered Officer yourself, upload a letter of authorisation signed by one.
Wait for the Registered Officer to approve
Approval is done online. GovTech says to allow up to five working days for processing.
Create staff accounts and assign e-services
Once approved, create Corppass accounts for employees and give each one only the digital services they need.
If you are not sure who your current Admin is, the Corppass site has a Find Your Corppass Admin option. Getting this sorted is part of setting up a new company properly; our guide to new company IT setup costs covers the rest.
Giving staff access to IRAS, CPF and grant e-services
An Admin first selects which digital services the company uses, then assigns them to individual accounts. Corppass's digital service list shows each service and the roles it supports. Common ones for a small business:
- IRAS Corporate Tax (Filing and Applications) and GST (Filing and Applications): roles are Preparer and Approver. A Preparer drafts; an Approver submits. IRAS notes that some actions, such as updating notice preferences, are only for Approvers.
- IRAS Corporate Tax (Payment) and GST (Payment): for viewing accounts and managing GIRO.
- CPF e-Submission: for monthly CPF contributions, usually your payroll person or provider.
- MTI Business Grants Portal: for applying for and claiming grants such as the Enterprise Development Grant. See our EDG guide for website and IT projects.
Corppass also offers an Access to All e-Services setting that gives an account access to most services without assigning them one by one. It is convenient but broad. For anyone other than a director, assign specific services instead, so a junior staff member can't submit a tax return or change GIRO details by mistake.
Letting your accountant or vendor file for you
Outsourcing tax filing, payroll or corporate secretarial work is common, and Corppass has a proper way to allow it: Third Party Authorisation. Your Admin searches for the outside firm by its UEN or name, picks the e-services it may use and sets the role (for example, Preparer for corporate tax). The firm's own Corppass Admin then assigns your services to the right people in its team.
This keeps an audit trail of which firm acted on which service, and you can withdraw it at any time. Only services that allow third-party authorisation, and that your company has already added to its own list, can be delegated. Note that a Sub-Admin with restricted access can't authorise third parties.
Removing access when someone leaves
Corppass is one of the logins most often missed when a staff member leaves, because it isn't in Microsoft 365 or Google. Add it to your leaver checklist alongside email and banking.
Corppass leaver checklist
Our employee offboarding IT checklist covers the other accounts to close on the same day. If your company has a data protection officer, keep their details current too; see how to appoint a DPO in Singapore.
Do it yourself or get help?
Corppass setup is something the business should do itself: approvals need the Registered Officer's own Singpass, and no outside provider should hold your Admin role. The work is a few hours once a year, plus a few minutes for each joiner and leaver.
Where outside help pays off is keeping track of access across all your systems. Our Access Review & Leaver Tool (from S$1,200) lists who has access to what in Microsoft 365 or Google and up to five other apps, sends quarterly review emails, and includes manual checklist items for systems like Corppass that have no API. If you are getting ready for e-invoicing, our InvoiceNow (Peppol) Setup (S$190) connects your accounting software to the network.
Frequently asked questions
Anyone the company's Registered Officer approves. The Registered Officer is a director, owner or company secretary registered with ACRA. The RO can register as Admin themselves or appoint someone else, who must submit a letter of authorisation signed by the RO. Each entity can have a maximum of two Corppass Admins.
GovTech says to allow up to five working days for processing after the Registered Officer approves online. The setup can often be completed within a day if the UEN, the applicant's Singpass and the Registered Officer are all ready.
Your Corppass Admin uses Third Party Authorisation: search for the accounting firm by UEN or name, select the IRAS services it may use, such as Corporate Tax or GST filing, and set the role, such as Preparer. The firm's own Corppass Admin then assigns the work to its staff.
A Preparer can draft and prepare filings such as corporate income tax or GST returns. An Approver can submit them and handle some additional actions, such as updating notice preferences. Small businesses often give the bookkeeper Preparer and a director Approver.
Their access stays until your Admin removes it, because Corppass is linked to their personal Singpass, which they keep. Terminate their Corppass account or remove their e-services on the last day, and if they were an Admin, make sure a second Admin is in place first.