On this page:

Businesses may make mistakes in their GST returns at various levels:

  • Transaction level - e.g. wrong treatment applied or no supporting documents to substantiate the GST treatment; or
  • GST reporting level - e.g. extracting wrong data for GST F5 reporting, specific GST adjustments such as input tax apportionment are not made on consolidated figures.

You are encouraged to conduct ASK Annual Review for GST returns filed in each financial year as regular reviews will help you detect errors early and avoid costly penalties.

Before conducting the ASK Annual Review, if you discover any GST errors in past GST returns, you should immediately rectify the errors and notify IRAS by filing GST F7 (i.e. "Disclosure of Errors on GST Return") for the affected periods. Please refer to Correct Mistakes in Past Returns for the guidelines and process on filing GST F7.

Errors discovered from ASK Annual Review

IRAS will waive the 5% late payment penalty if you undertake ASK Annual Review to voluntarily disclose past error(s) within one year from the statutory filing date of your last GST return in respect for the financial year reviewed.

This is provided that all the qualifying conditions under the Voluntary Disclosure Programme (VDP) are met and the situation does not fall within the specific exclusions from the programme. For voluntary disclosures made after the one-year grace period, IRAS will impose a reduced penalty of 5% of tax undercharged if the conditions under the VDP are met. For more information, please refer to IRAS' Voluntary Disclosure Programme.

ASK Annual Review process

There are five steps to complete:

Step 1: Review your GST declarations for the past financial year

Step 2: Select GST return(s) for review

From your GST returns filed for the past financial year, select the period of GST return(s) to conduct 'ASK' Annual Review. The GST return(s) selected should cover at least 3 consecutive months.

Step 3: Perform checks for selected GST return(s)

You need to perform the following on every figure declared in your GST return(s):

  • Review your listing
  • Select samples from your listing
  • Check your supporting documents for the samples selected
Step 4: Review and compare your financial statements against your GST declarations for the same financial year.
Step 5: Quantify your errors (if any) and submit your findings to IRAS

For more information, please refer to the Assisted Self-Help Kit ('ASK') Annual Review Guide (PDF, 1.1MB).

Outcome of your ASK Annual Review

If you discover any GST errors after completing the ASK Annual Review, you should immediately correct the error(s) and file GST F7 (i.e. "Disclosure of Errors on GST Return") for the affected period(s) on a consolidated annual (i.e. financial, calendar or tax year) basis or in your next GST F5 (if it qualifies for Administrative Concession for Correcting Errors). Thereafter, please submit your findings for our review.

Businesses who adopt ASK voluntarily

IRAS may request you to send in your working papers and supporting documents.

Businesses applying for or renewing GST Schemes where ASK is compulsory

^ The Report - Certification of ASK Annual Review can be found within the ASK Declaration Form. 

IRAS may request you to send in your working papers and supporting documents.

Please note the following

ASK Annual Review is designed as a guide for GST-registered businesses to conduct a self-review of their GST declarations. IRAS reserves the right to verify and extend the scope of checks beyond the sample checks performed by businesses according to this Assisted Self-Help Kit ('ASK') Annual Review Guide. IRAS may also obtain additional information or documents in relation to the errors that have been disclosed. Should additional errors be detected during the course of IRAS' checks/audits, they will not qualify for Voluntary Disclosure Programme.

Relevant materials at a glance

GST: Assisted Self-help Kit (ASK) Annual Review Guide (PDF, 1.1MB)

ASK: Declaration Form on Completing Annual Review & Voluntary Disclosure of Errors (ZIP, 66KB)

ASK: Declaration Form on ASK Administrative Concessions (ZIP, 15KB)

The Report - Certification of ASK Annual Review can be found within the ASK Declaration Form.

Guide

 Relevant Template(s)

STEP 1 Review your GST Declarations for a Financial Year

STEP 2 Select GST Return(s) for Review

STEP 4 Review your Financial Statements or Management Accounts for the Same Financial Year

Template 1 - ASK Working Template for Step 1, 2 and 4 (ZIP, 24KB)

STEP 3A Check your Standard-rated Supplies and Output Tax

Template 2 - ASK Working Template for Standard-Rated Supplies and Output Tax (ZIP, 18KB)

STEP 3B Check your Zero-rated Supplies

Template 3 - ASK Working Template for Zero-Rated Supplies  (ZIP, 10KB)

STEP 3C Check your Exempt Supplies

Template 4 - ASK Working Template for Exempt Supplies - Ppty & FS (ZIP, 12KB) (if you are actively making exempt supplies)

Template 5 - ASK Working Template for Exempt Supplies - General Business (ZIP, 7KB) (if you are in general business)

STEP 3D Check your Input Tax and Refunds Claimed

Template 6 - ASK Working Template for Input Tax and Refunds Claimed (ZIP, 17KB)

STEP 3E Check your Imports with GST Suspended (e.g. under MES) or with GST Deferred (under IGDS)

Template 7 - ASK Working Template for Taxable Purchases (Imports - GST Suspended or Deferred) (ZIP, 17KB)