Tax deductions for content creators & influencers in Singapore
As a content creator you can generally claim the gear, software, phone and internet you use to make content — and the part most people miss is that gifted products and platform tips count as income you must declare. In Singapore you report it through Form B as a self-employed person.
Creating online is now the largest digital side hustle there is, and the costs of making the work — cameras and lighting, editing subscriptions, the work share of your phone and internet, the space you film in — are generally claimable where they meet the three rules below. One thing is worth knowing early, because it shapes your record-keeping: income here is broader than money. Products you are gifted to promote, tips, collaboration payments and platform revenue all count, including from overseas — so log them as they arrive and the rest is straightforward.
The three rules for any claim
- You paid for it yourself and weren’t reimbursed.
- It directly relates to earning your income.
- You have a record — a receipt, invoice or bank statement.
Where you stand in Singapore
Self-employed income is reported as trade income and taxed at the personal resident rates, which are progressive and comparatively low. Singapore does not tax capital gains, and income is assessed for the Year of Assessment following the year you earned it.
- GST rate
- 9%
- Registration
- SGD 1 million turnover/yr
- Returns
- Quarterly (GST F5)
What you can usually claim
These are the costs of doing the work — the same list wherever you are based. How each one is claimed follows the rules in Singapore, set out below.
Cameras, lighting and audio gear
Cameras, lenses, ring lights, microphones, tripods and capture cards bought to make content.
Editing software and subscriptions
Editing suites, design tools, stock music and footage licences, scheduling and analytics tools — the recurring subscriptions that keep the channel running.
Phone, internet and data
The work-related share of your phone and internet. Keep a representative record of the split, because the private portion is not claimable.
Home studio running costs
If you film or edit from home, the running costs of that space — electricity, heating and cooling — can generally be apportioned to the work use.
Props, set pieces and specific costumes
Items bought purely to appear in content. Everyday clothing is not claimable even if you wear it on camera; distinctive costumes and props used for the work generally are.
How Singapore treats them
Vehicle and travel
Private motor car expenses are generally not deductible, which is a sharper rule than most countries — other business travel costs remain claimable.
Home workspace
The business-use share of workspace costs such as electricity and internet is claimable where it relates to earning trade income.
Equipment and higher-cost gear
Equipment is claimed through capital allowances, with lower-value assets often written off over a shorter period.
This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with IRAS or a registered tax adviser, and keep records to back up every claim. Official guidance from Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore →
Keep in mind
- Everyday clothing, makeup and haircuts, even when you appear on camera.
- The private share of your phone, internet or streaming subscriptions.
- Gear bought before you started earning from content, unless it genuinely relates to your current income.
- The private-car rule surprises people. Expenses for a private motor car are generally not deductible even when the trip was for work, so plan around it rather than assuming a mileage claim exists.
Content creators & influencers in Singapore — common questions
What can content creators & influencers claim in Singapore?
The spending travels even though the rules do not: cameras, lighting and audio gear, editing software and subscriptions, phone, internet and data, home studio running costs and props, set pieces and specific costumes. What changes is how you claim it — in Singapore, equipment is claimed through capital allowances, with lower-value assets often written off over a shorter period. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with IRAS or a registered tax adviser, and keep records to back up every claim.
How do content creators & influencers in Singapore report self-employed income?
You report it through Form B as a self-employed person. Self-employed income is reported as trade income and taxed at the personal resident rates, which are progressive and comparatively low. Singapore does not tax capital gains, and income is assessed for the Year of Assessment following the year you earned it. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with IRAS or a registered tax adviser, and keep records to back up every claim.
Can content creators & influencers in Singapore claim a home workspace?
The business-use share of workspace costs such as electricity and internet is claimable where it relates to earning trade income. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with IRAS or a registered tax adviser, and keep records to back up every claim.
Do content creators & influencers in Singapore need to register for GST?
GST in Singapore — rate: 9%; registration: SGD 1 million turnover/yr; returns: Quarterly (GST F5). Whether you have to register turns on your own turnover and where your customers are, so check the current position with Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore before assuming you are under it. This is general information, not personal tax advice — what you can claim depends on your circumstances, so check with IRAS or a registered tax adviser, and keep records to back up every claim.
More on self-employed tax in Singapore — the Singapore hub.
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