Taxpayers will be able to file their returns on their mobile phones this year, although they will need to use a SingPass two-step verification (2FA) for better security.

The initiative by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) is aimed at making the tax filing process easier and more efficient.

Those too busy to sit in front of a computer can file their income taxes by logging into Iras' myTax Portal on a mobile phone in the current tax filing season, which runs from March 1 to April 18.

"We have also improved myTax Portal with intuitive navigation, and new features such as quick overview of tax filing status and summary of tax accounts," said Iras in a statement yesterday.

The convenience will be backed by the added security of SingPass 2FA, which is required for government transactions involving sensitive data, such as filing tax returns or viewing tax bills.

The 2FA requirement has been in place since last July but will affect tax filing for the first time this year.

Once inside myTax Portal, a user will be asked to enter a one-time password, which is sent to the user via SMS or generated by a key token.

It can take 10 working days to set up 2FA for a SingPass account so taxpayers should register for it this month in order to use it for the current tax filing season.

Meanwhile, a pilot group of 50,000 e-filers will get their finalised tax bill sent to them immediately after they file their returns this year.

The pilot aims to provide immediate clarity around their payable tax.

Iras said the service will be scaled up progressively.

Another new initiative by Iras involves inviting 30,000 partnerships - a form of business entity - to file their business income earlier this year, starting from Feb 1.

Wong Wei Han