SINGAPORE - There are only a few days left to submit returns online for individual income tax, as this year’s tax season draws to a close.

Taxpayers have until next Tuesday to file and submit their returns online for the year of assessment 2023 – which includes income earned from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2022.

Those who fail to do so risk a fine of up to $5,000.

In 2022, one in 20 people did not file the tax returns by the deadline, The Straits Times reported earlier in 2023. This year’s tax season started in March.

Taxpayers should check if they meet the conditions for tax reliefs by visiting go.gov.sg/taxreliefs or using the Personal Relief Checker on the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore’s (Iras) website, before entering their claim in their tax forms on the myTax Portal.

First-timers should also keep in mind that reliefs are not pre-filled in the returns.

Those who have filed for tax reliefs in past years should also check if they are still eligible for the same reliefs.

The tax form on Iras’ myTax Portal is pre-filled based on tax reliefs granted in the previous year, and it is the taxpayers’ responsibility to check if the same reliefs still apply.

Any wrongful claim of tax reliefs is an offence and penalties may be imposed, said Iras.

Common reliefs that are wrongly claimed include child, parent and spouse relief, because most claimants do not meet the qualifying conditions.

Certain tax reliefs, such as those for dependant parents, children and handicapped siblings, can be claimed by one taxpayer or shared among taxpayers who support the dependant.

If the tax relief is shared, each taxpayer should claim only a proportion of the full relief amount.

Those who forget to claim a relief can re-file once via the portal to make changes within seven days of e-filing their tax returns, before April 18.

An amendment can also be filed within 30 days of the tax bill’s date through the “Object to Assessment” digital service on the portal.

The total amount of personal income tax reliefs is subject to an overall cap of $80,000 for each year of assessment.