The safest way to check whether a letter, email, SMS or call is really from IRAS is to log in to myTax Portal yourself, by typing mytax.iras.gov.sg into your browser, and look for the notice there. IRAS deposits its notices and letters in myTax Portal. It does not send confidential tax documents by email or SMS, does not include payment links in its messages, does not use WhatsApp for tax matters, and never asks for card details, bank login details or one-time passwords. If anything asks you to pay a private bank account, it is a scam. If the letter is genuine, take it seriously and act before its deadline.
Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of experienced Singapore law firms who offer cost-effective and efficient legal service and advice. This article is general information only and is not legal advice.
Why this matters now
Two things are happening at once. IRAS is sending more targeted compliance letters, such as its Voluntary Disclosure Opportunity letters, which ask businesses to review past declarations and come forward by a deadline. At the same time, scammers copy IRAS’s name and style. IRAS’s scam advisory lists fake “Notice of Tax Review”, “Tax Audit and Penalty”, “Under-declaration of Income” and “Income Tax Return Audit Notice” messages. A business owner needs to tell the two apart quickly: ignoring a real letter can be expensive, and paying a fake one is money lost.
What genuine IRAS correspondence looks like
| Channel | What IRAS says is genuine | Warning signs |
|---|---|---|
| myTax Portal | Notices and letters on confidential tax matters are deposited in myTax Portal, accessed with Singpass or Corppass | A message that asks you to log in through a link it provides |
| From an address ending in @iras.gov.sg, usually telling you to view a notice in myTax Portal. The display name “IRAS” can be faked, so check the full address | Tax returns, assessments or refund letters attached to an email; links to anything other than iras.gov.sg or go.gov.sg | |
| SMS | From the gov.sg sender ID (lowercase), starting with “Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore” | Any other sender ID, or a payment link |
| Phone | IRAS officers will direct you to myTax Portal to check outstanding tax | Requests for card details, bank details or OTPs over the phone; pressure to pay immediately |
| IRAS does not use WhatsApp for tax matters | Any “IRAS” message on WhatsApp | |
| Paper letter | Genuine letters still arrive by post, especially outreach and audit letters, and refer you to iras.gov.sg, myTax Portal or go.gov.sg links | Instructions to pay into a named bank account; contact details that do not end in iras.gov.sg |
Payments to IRAS are made by GIRO, by internet banking or AXS with “IRAS” selected as the payee, or by PayNow QR inside myTax Portal. IRAS says it does not send correspondence with links to make payment, and tax refunds go to the bank account or PayNow registered with IRAS, never to a credit or debit card.
Step by step: checking a letter you have received
- Do not use the contact details in the letter first. Type mytax.iras.gov.sg into your browser and log in with Singpass or Corppass.
- Look for the notice. Most IRAS notices are digitised and can be viewed in myTax Portal, with up to three years of past notices available. Check the company’s account as well as your own.
- Check the details. Your name or the company’s name, the tax reference (UEN or NRIC) and the tax type should match your records.
- If you cannot find it, call IRAS. Use the hotline on 1800 356 8300 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) or the chat on the IRAS website. For a phone call that claimed to be from IRAS, ask for the caller’s full name, department and number and verify it with IRAS.
- If in doubt about a scam, call the ScamShield Helpline on 1799, and report it to the police on 1800 255 0000 or through I-Witness.
- If it is genuine, note the deadline and what is being asked, and get help before replying.
Some legitimate outreach letters, including the GST Voluntary Disclosure Opportunity letters we have seen, are posted to a business address and name an officer with an @iras.gov.sg email. That is consistent with a genuine letter. The test is still whether the instructions point you to IRAS’s own channels and never to a private bank account.
What scam messages typically ask for
- payment of “outstanding tax” or a “penalty” to a designated bank account
- card details and OTPs to “receive a refund”
- personal or bank details “to comply with a tax audit or review”
- clicking a link to “view your Tax Clearance certificate” or “verify your eligibility”
Do not click, pay or reply. If you have already given details or paid, call your bank immediately and make a police report.
The letter is real: what next?
A genuine IRAS letter usually falls into one of these groups, each with its own response:
- an outreach letter inviting you to review and come forward by a deadline: see our guide to the IRAS Voluntary Disclosure Opportunity letter
- a query or review letter on a particular return: see how to respond to an IRAS query or review letter
- an audit notification: see preparing for an IRAS tax audit
- an estimated assessment: see how to object to an IRAS estimated assessment
- a notice that your bank has been appointed to collect tax: see IRAS appointing your bank as its agent
Frequently asked questions
IRAS emailed me. Is that automatically a scam?
No. IRAS sends emails and SMSes telling registered users that a notice is ready to view in myTax Portal. What it does not do is send the confidential document itself, or a payment link, by email or SMS.
Can someone else check myTax Portal for the company?
Yes, if they are authorised through Corppass for IRAS digital services, or are the company’s appointed tax agent. Only Corppass “Approvers” can update where the company’s notice notifications are sent.
We are not receiving notifications. What should we do?
Update the company’s notice preferences in myTax Portal so that notifications go to an email address someone actually monitors. Missed notices are a common reason for penalties.
More on the tax and GST hub.
Received a letter from IRAS?
If you are unsure whether a tax letter is genuine, or you have confirmed it is and need to respond, contact the Raffles Corporate Services team at [email protected] or on WhatsApp at +65 8501 7133 or +65 9018 0072. We will check it with you through the proper channels, explain what IRAS is asking for and the deadline, and prepare the response. Raffles Corporate Services is a corporate services provider, not a law firm, and this article is general information, not tax or legal advice.
Kevin Yeo, Raffles Corporate Services