Corppass is the authorisation system that entities use to manage which of their staff can transact with Government digital services on the entity’s behalf. It is managed by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) and has been the single login method for Government-to-Business transactions since 1 September 2018. Non-profit organisations, associations and foreign-registered entities all use it, not only companies.
Corppass no longer has its own password. You sign in with your personal Singpass credentials, through the Singpass app or an SMS one-time password, and Corppass then determines which entities you may act for and which digital services you may access. If you are looking for a separate Corppass ID and password, that model no longer exists.
How Corppass Works Now
The separation of the two systems is the thing worth understanding, because it is what confuses most first-time users:
- Singpass proves who you are. It is personal to you and follows you between employers.
- Corppass records what you may do, and for whom. Your Singpass identity is linked to an entity, with specific digital services assigned to it.
So one person with one Singpass can transact for several entities, and losing access to a client’s filings is usually a Corppass assignment problem rather than a login problem.
Foreign Individuals Without Singpass
Foreign users are not shut out, and they no longer need a separate credential either. A Singpass Foreign user Account (SFA) is issued automatically by Corppass when a foreign individual applies for a Corppass account, so there is no need to apply to IRAS for one separately.
An SFA must be activated within 90 days of issue. After that it is terminated and has to be applied for again. This catches out overseas directors who register ahead of a filing deadline and then do not log in.
Registering Your Entity
Registration is done by whoever will hold the Admin role, at the Corppass portal:
- Under Services, select Register for Corppass.
- Choose your entity type. Singapore-registered entities register with their UEN; foreign entities select Foreign Entity and Register via Singpass.
- Authenticate with Singpass, by scanning the QR code in the Singpass app or with an SMS one-time password.
- Complete the entity and Admin details and submit.
Once the Admin account is active, that Admin assigns the digital services the entity needs, such as Corporate Tax (Filing and Applications) or GST, and then assigns those services to individual staff.
The Four Roles
Getting these right at the start saves a lot of re-work:
| Role | What it can do |
|---|---|
| Admin | Registers the entity, assigns digital services, creates and manages all other accounts including Sub-Admins |
| Sub-Admin | Assigns digital services to users, and can create Enquiry User and User accounts, but not other Sub-Admins |
| User | Transacts with the digital services assigned to them |
| Enquiry User | View-only access, for staff who need to see filings but not submit them |
An Admin can restrict which digital services a given Sub-Admin is allowed to manage, through the Sub-Admin assignment profile. That is worth using where one Sub-Admin handles tax and another handles something unrelated.
Authorising a Third Party, Such as a Tax Agent
To let an external firm file on your behalf, your Admin or Sub-Admin authorises that firm as a third party entity and specifies which digital services it may access. The firm’s own Corppass Admin then assigns the work to individuals inside the firm.
Two points that catch clients out:
- The authorisation is granted by you, the client, not by the agent. An agent cannot add themselves.
- Authorisations carry an expiry date. A filing that worked last year can fail because the authorisation lapsed rather than because anything changed at the agent’s end.
Official Step-by-Step Guides
Corppass maintains current, screenshot-by-screenshot guides. These replace the 2018 PDFs this article used to host, which documented a portal that no longer exists:
- All Corppass user guides
- Corppass Admin registration for foreign entities
- Set up and assign users’ digital service access
- Authorise and manage a third party entity, for clients
We Can Act as Your Corppass Admin
If you would rather not manage this yourself, we can act as your company’s Corppass Admin: registering the entity, creating and maintaining user accounts, keeping digital service assignments current, and handling your Government-to-Business transactions. Talk to an advisor and we will set it up with you.