XBRL filing in Singapore is an important task of annual corporate compliance for most registered businesses in Singapore. XBRL stands for eXtensible Business Reporting Language, which converts financial statements into a structured, organized digital format that ACRA can manage and process effectively.

But not every company in Singapore can file the same type of financial statements in XBRL. The format of filing mainly depends on the size, required accounting framework, and type of the company. The revised requirements of ACRA with effect from 25^th February, 2026 are supposed to be checked before preparation of annual return filing.

Who Can File XBRL in Singapore?

Who can file XBRL in Singapore is a genuine question being asked by most entrepreneurs. Companies in Singapore that are supposed to file their financial statements with ACRA must file them in the template applicable to their business under ACRA’s XBRL requirements.

For many private and public companies limited and/or non-limited by shares, the requirement is to file the full set of financial statements for XBRL. However, a few companies have different requirements for filing.

What Are the Requirements of ACRA XBRL?

The requirements of ACRA XBRL reflect how financials must be filed and presented. The XBRL filing includes structured data from financial statements, containing income statements, disclosures, and financial positions for many companies in Singapore. This information must be presented at the AGM of the company, as ACRA has advised specifically to ensure that figures and formats in the XBRL file must match the AGM financial statements.

Companies can prepare their financial statements for XBRL using the BizFinx preparation tool for ACRA, a corporate service provider, or approved accounting software.

What is Full and Simplified XBRL?

Full XBRL reflects that one has to submit the information in financial statements in XBRL format as per the applicable grouping of ACRA. Full XBRL is the standard filing requirement for ordinary companies registered in Singapore.

• The benefit of full XBRL filing is that it becomes machine-readable and can be extracted, analyzed, and compared easily.

Simplified XBRL is an important configuration for companies that fall into particular types under the requirements of ACRA. It includes the submission of FSH (Financial Statement Highlights) in XBRL format combined with a PDF of the financial statements, as compared to converting the complete set of financial statements into a full XBRL format.

Can Anyone be Exempted from XBRL in Singapore?

Yes, many companies can be exempted from XBRL, but they ought to know the difference between exemption from financial statement filing and XBRL requirements.

• For example, a company that is dormant and solvent might have different filing obligations for financial statements. The obligation of ACRA is checked based on the status of the company.

Moreover, if a company encounters a genuine validation error in XBRL that cannot be resolved, it can apply for exemption from specific XBRL filing obligations.

When to File XBRL Financial Statements?

The deadline to file XBRL financial statements is normally with the annual return of the company. The annual return for non-listed companies is due within 07 months after the FYE. For listed companies, the deadline is 05 months.

• For example, if an FYE of a company is 31^st December 2024, the required financial statements and annual return would be due by 31^st July 2025.

Example

Let us consider a private limited company in Singapore which has to prepare the financial statements under SFRS and is supposed to submit the financial statements to ACRA. This company is supposed to first determine its XBRL type, and upon falling under the requirements, it would prepare the financial statements for Full XBRL.

The company can utilize the BizFinx Preparation Tool, any corporate service provider, and approved accounting software to file and prepare the financial statements in XBRL. If the FYE of this company is 31^st December, the deadline for the annual return and filing of XBRL financial statements would be due by 31^st July of the coming year.

Conclusion

In the end, it can be concluded that it is important to understand who needs to submit the XBRL for companies in Singapore since the format of filing depends on the circumstances of the company, such as:

• Many businesses are required to submit their financial statements in XBRL format
  • Full and Simplified XBRL are two different formats of filing, and eligible companies depend on the requirements of the ACRA.
  • The deadline of XBRL is normally due with the annual return filing
  • Specific companies can be exempted from XBRL format filing under a few conditions
  • Companies must use the updated BizFinx tools to file the XBRL financial statements before filing.

Call to Inquire

We at FAST ACCOUNTING are here to assist companies in Singapore in submitting and preparing their financial statements in XBRL format by checking the requirements of the ACRA and coordinating with the deadline for annual return filing.

If you are not sure whether you need XBRL filing for your business, or whether your company falls under an exemption, we have a professional team that can assist you in determining the right course of filing while you can focus on your core business operations. Call us today to learn more about our professional corporate services.