About 15,000 taxpayers affected by incorrect tax relief amounts due to MINDEF system error

About 15,000 taxpayers, comprising operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) as well as eligible parents and spouses, have been affected by wrong NSman tax relief amounts.

This is due to an error in the Ministry of Defence's (MINDEF) system that generated incorrect national service activity records, which were then used to calculate tax reliefs for affected NSmen, MINDEF and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) in a joint statement on Thursday (Sept 3).

The inaccuracies were uncovered in May 2026 while MINDEF was reviewing queries from NSmen and checking the accuracy of their records.

"MINDEF subsequently conducted a thorough review of all NS tax relief records for Year of Assessment (YA) 2025 and 2026, and has worked with IRAS to ensure that the correct relief amounts are reflected in the affected taxpayers' assessments," the ministry and IRAS said.

All errors have been rectified by MINDEF, they added.

Of the 15,000 affected taxpayers, about 7,000 will see an increase in their tax bill, while around 8,000 will see a decrease.

In total, about $930,000 will be recovered and about $995,000 will be refunded, according to the agencies, adding the most of those affected will see either an upward or downward adjustment of less than $200.

"Depending on an individual's relief entitlement and income tax bracket, the upward or downward adjustment may range from under $10 to about $900."

The revised notices of assessments (NOAs) will be issued by September 2026 and will reflect any additional tax payable or refunds, where applicable.

Those affected do not need to take any action before receiving their revised NOA, they said.

They added that revised assessments resulting in additional tax payable, will be automatically adjusted for those on GIRO instalment plans.

Similarly, refunds will be made automatically.

For the minority who did not opt for GIRO instalment plans, they will have to make payment by the due date stated in their revised NOAs.

MINDEF and IRAS said they will continue to work closely to ensure that all NSmen receive the correct tax reliefs in recognition of their contributions to NS.

约有 15,000 名纳税人，包括随时准备服役的国民服役人员 (NSmen) 以及符合条件的父母和配偶，受到了错误的国民服役人员税收减免金额的影响。

这是由于国防部 (MINDEF) 的系统出现错误，生成了错误的国民服役活动记录，这些记录随后被用于计算受影响国民服役人员的税收减免。国防部和新加坡税务局 (IRAS) 在周四（9 月 3 日）的联合声明中表示。

2026 年 5 月，国防部在审查国民服役人员的查询并核实其记录的准确性时，发现了这些不准确之处。

“国防部随后对2025和2026课税年度的所有国民服役人员税收减免记录进行了彻底审查，并与新加坡税务局合作，以确保受影响纳税人的评估中反映出正确的减免金额，”国防部和新加坡税务局表示。

他们补充说，国防部已纠正所有错误。

在受影响的 15,000 名纳税人中，约有 7,000 人的税单将会增加，而约有 8,000 人的税单将会减少。

据相关机构称，总共将追回约 93 万美元，退还约 99.5 万美元，并补充说，受影响的大多数人将面临不到 200 美元的调整，无论是向上调整还是向下调整。

“根据个人的救济资格和所得税等级，向上或向下调整的幅度可能从不到 10 美元到大约 900 美元不等。”

修订后的评估通知书（NOA）将于 2026 年 9 月发出，并将反映任何应缴税款或退款（如适用）。

他们表示，受影响的人在收到修订后的NOA之前无需采取任何行动。

他们还补充说，对于采用 GIRO 分期付款计划的人，修订后的评估结果将导致应缴税款增加，并自动进行调整。

同样，退款将自动进行。

对于少数未选择 GIRO 分期付款计划的客户，他们必须按照修订后的 NOA 中规定的到期日进行付款。

国防部和新加坡税务局表示，他们将继续密切合作，确保所有国民服役人员都能获得正确的税收减免，以表彰他们对国民服役的贡献。