Is there inheritance tax in Singapore? No, but your heirs’ countries may tax them
No. Singapore charges no estate duty for deaths on or after 15 February 2008: the Estate Duty Act now applies only to people who died before that date (s 2A). There is no gift tax, and no capital gains tax as such. What does apply in Singapore when someone dies is narrower. Stamp duty is not payable when property passes to beneficiaries under a will or intestacy, but the inherited home counts towards the heir's property count for ABSD on a later purchase. Property tax continues, income the estate earns after death is taxed, and CPF savings follow the CPF nomination, not the will. The real exposure is abroad. The United States taxes the US assets of non-Americans and the worldwide estates of its citizens. The United Kingdom taxes long-term UK residents on everything. Japan can tax heirs living in Japan on everything they receive. A Singapore family is caught by these rules through where its assets sit and where its children live.
Singapore law, and the published rules of the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, China and India, as at 21 October 2026. This is a guide to the rules, not advice on any family's position.
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The short answer: no inheritance tax in Singapore
Estate duty was removed for deaths on and after 15 February 2008. Section 2A of the Estate Duty Act 1929 now confines the Act to persons dying before that date. IRAS still keeps estate duty pages, for the estates of people who died before that date.
There is no gift tax. Among the taxes IRAS administers (income tax, property tax, GST, stamp duty and a few others) gift tax does not appear. A parent can give a child S$2m in cash without any Singapore tax arising from the gift itself.
And there is no capital gains tax as such. The Ministry of Finance said so in a 2012 parliamentary reply: “Singapore does not have a capital gains tax.” IRAS treats gains on shares held as personal investments as generally not taxable, and gains on property as generally capital unless the facts show trading. An heir who sells inherited shares or an inherited condominium is, in the ordinary case, not taxed on the gain.
What does apply in Singapore when someone dies
No death tax does not mean no tax at all. Four things still matter.
Stamp duty, ABSD and SSD on inherited property
Receiving property from an estate is not a purchase. IRAS states that “Stamp duty is not payable” where property passes to beneficiaries by assent under a will, the Intestate Succession Act or Muslim law of inheritance, whether the beneficiary is an individual, an entity or a trust. So no ABSD on the inheritance itself, even if the heir already owns a home.
Two later effects are easy to miss. IRAS counts the inherited residential property when working out ABSD on any home the heir buys afterwards. And for Seller's Stamp Duty, IRAS takes the acquisition date as the date the deceased first acquired the property, not the date of death. If the holding period, counted from the deceased's purchase, has passed by the date the heir sells, no SSD is payable. The period depends on when the property was first bought: four years for purchases from 14 January 2011 to 10 March 2017, three years from 11 March 2017 to 3 July 2025, and four years from 4 July 2025.
Property tax
Property tax does not stop at death. Once IRAS is notified of the transfer, bills go to the new owner, who IRAS says “will be liable for all property tax on the property.” Owner-occupier rates are a concession for an owner who lives in the property, so an heir who does not live in the inherited home will generally pay the higher non-owner-occupier rates.
Income tax, before and after death
IRAS taxes the deceased's income up to the date of death. Income the estate earns afterwards, typically rent, falls under the estate and trust rules, and the executor or administrator declares it on Form T.
CPF savings follow the nomination, not the will
Not a tax, but a frequent surprise. The Government's MyLegacy service says: “Your CPF savings are not covered under your will.” Without a CPF nomination, the savings go to the Public Trustee's Office for distribution in cash under the intestacy rules (or an inheritance certificate for Muslims). Policies from Singapore-licensed insurers have their own nomination regime, covered in our article on trust and revocable nominations under section 132 (formerly s 49L).
The real exposure: heirs and assets abroad
A family with only Singapore assets and children who stay in Singapore pays no death tax anywhere. Few wealthy families here look like that. The parents hold US shares; a child settles in Tokyo; a father keeps his British passport. Foreign death taxes reach the family through the assets (property located abroad), the deceased (a citizen or long-term resident taxed on everything) or the heir (the heir's country taxing what the heir receives).
| Country | Tax on what | Who it reaches | How a Singapore family is caught |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Federal estate tax on the estate, top rate 40% | Citizens (and US-domiciled people) on worldwide assets; non-resident non-citizens on US-situs assets only | A Singapore resident who is not American dies holding US shares or US real estate; or a parent is a US citizen living in Singapore |
| United Kingdom | Inheritance tax at 40% above the £325,000 threshold | Long-term UK residents on worldwide assets; everyone else on UK assets | A British parent who lived in the UK for 10 of the last 20 years before moving; or UK property held directly |
| Japan | Inheritance tax on what each heir acquires, top rate 55% | Heirs living in Japan, on everything received, unless the temporary-resident exception applies; many Japanese nationals abroad; anyone on property in Japan | A child living in Japan inherits Singapore assets from a parent in Singapore |
| Australia | No inheritance tax found; capital gains tax when the heir later sells | Heirs who sell inherited assets; estates of Australian residents where assets pass to foreign residents | An Australian heir sells inherited shares, using the deceased's cost base |
| Mainland China | No inheritance tax at present | Not applicable today; income tax on a later sale and some property charges can apply | Mainly through future change and through tax on later disposals |
| India | No inheritance or estate tax found; receipts under a will or by inheritance excluded from the gift charge | Not applicable as a death tax; capital gains on later sale | Mainly through tax on later disposals of inherited assets |
United States: US assets of non-Americans, and the world estate of citizens
The US rule that catches most Singapore families has nothing to do with citizenship. When a non-resident who is not a US citizen dies, US estate tax applies to US-situs assets: US real estate and shares of US corporations, wherever the certificates are held. The executor must file Form 706-NA if those assets exceed US$60,000; the unified credit is generally only US$13,000, and rates reach 40%. Proceeds of life insurance on such a person's life, and certain bank deposits, are treated as outside the US. The IRS lists 15 estate tax treaty countries, including the UK, Japan and Australia. Singapore is not one.
US citizens are taxed on worldwide assets: their gross estate includes property outside the United States. For deaths in 2026 the basic exclusion amount is US$15,000,000, set by Public Law 119-21, signed on 4 July 2025, which the IRS calls the Working Families Tax Cuts legislation. See US citizens in Singapore and life policies.
United Kingdom: long-term residence replaced domicile
From 6 April 2025, UK inheritance tax on worldwide assets turns on long-term UK residence, not domicile: UK tax residence for at least 10 of the previous 20 tax years. After leaving, the status lasts up to 10 tax years, less for shorter stays (three years for someone with 10 to 13 years of residence). There is a transitional rule for those who had already left: someone who was neither UK domiciled nor deemed domiciled on 30 October 2024, is non-resident for the 2025 to 2026 tax year and does not return is not a long-term UK resident. Everyone else pays only on UK assets, such as a London flat. The rate is 40% above £325,000. See leaving the UK for Singapore.
Japan: the heir's address decides
Japan taxes the heir. According to the National Tax Agency, an heir with an address in Japan when inheriting is taxed on all property acquired, wherever located, with an important exception. A temporary resident who inherits from a foreigner or a non-resident is taxed only on property in Japan. The NTA defines a temporary resident as someone holding a residence status in Attached Table 1 of Japan's immigration law who has had an address in Japan for ten years or less in the last 15. A list published by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs places permanent resident, spouse or child of a Japanese national, spouse or child of a permanent resident and long-term resident under Appended Table 2, so holders of those statuses are not temporary residents; secondary commentary places work, study and dependant statuses in Table 1. Japanese nationals abroad can also be caught through the 10-year rules. The basic exemption is ¥30m plus ¥6m per statutory heir, the return is due within ten months, and Japan's Ministry of Finance shows a top rate of 55% above ¥600m.
Australia: no inheritance tax, but CGT follows the asset
We found no Australian inheritance tax; the ATO deals with inherited assets through capital gains tax. Generally there is no CGT on inheriting. On a later sale, assets the deceased acquired on or after 20 September 1985 carry the deceased's cost base, so the parent's gain is taxed in the child's hands. Where an Australian-resident deceased leaves assets to a foreign-resident beneficiary and they are not taxable Australian property in that beneficiary's hands, CGT applies in the deceased's final return. See Australians in Singapore.
Mainland China and India: no inheritance tax today
Mainland China does not levy inheritance tax at present. We could not find a statement on the State Taxation Administration's site; the position rests on a Ministry of Finance reply reported in 2017, saying China had neither levied the tax nor issued draft regulations, and on secondary commentary that this remains so. Treat it as today's position, not a promise. See mainland Chinese families in Singapore.
India has no inheritance or estate tax in force that we could find. Under the Income-tax Act 1961, the charge on property received without consideration excludes receipts “under a will or by way of inheritance”. The Income-tax Act 2025 took effect from 1 April 2026; we have not confirmed its equivalent provision. See returning to India from Singapore.
Where a life policy fits, and where it does not
Liquidity to pay a foreign tax
A foreign death tax is due in cash within months: Japan's return within ten months of death. The assets behind it may be a family company or a property the family does not want to sell in a hurry. A death benefit paid to the right person can fund the bill without a forced sale. That is the use that survives scrutiny.
Who owns the policy matters
For a US citizen, life insurance proceeds are in the gross estate where payable to the executor, or where the deceased held any incidents of ownership at death (Internal Revenue Code s 2042). A policy a US citizen owns on his own life adds to the estate it was meant to pay for. Transferring it late does not help: under s 2035, a transfer within three years of death brings the proceeds back in. Ownership by a properly drafted trust or another family member is the usual answer, set up early.
For a Singapore resident who is not a US citizen, proceeds of insurance on his life are treated as property outside the US (s 2105(a)). The policy creates no US estate tax, but it does not remove the tax on US shares he holds directly. Holding US securities inside a policy is a separate question, touched on in our article on investor control, and one for US counsel. For the UK and Japan, how a policy is treated depends on ownership and local rules we have not restated; ask a local adviser.
When a policy changes nothing
- A Singapore-only family. There is no Singapore death tax to save.
- A tax charged on the heir. A policy can fund Japan's tax on the child in Tokyo; it does not, by itself, reduce it.
- US shares held directly. A policy bought alongside them leaves them exactly as exposed.
- Probate and forced heirship. A Singapore nomination can take a policy outside the estate for distribution, but only for policies from Singapore-licensed insurers under Singapore law; see probate across borders.
Worked examples
Hypothetical, with invented names and stated assumptions. They show what the published rules point to, not what any authority would assess.
Example 1: Mr Goh and his US shares
Assumptions: Mr Goh is a Singapore citizen living in Singapore, with no US citizenship or green card. He dies with a Singapore home, Singapore deposits and US$2.5m of shares in US corporations held through a Singapore private bank.
What the rules point to: no Singapore estate duty, and no stamp duty when his home passes to his wife by assent. His US shares are US-situs assets far above the US$60,000 threshold, so his executor files Form 706-NA, and with a credit of only US$13,000 most of the US$2.5m is exposed at rates up to 40%, with no treaty to narrow it. A policy on his life would not be US-situs and could fund the bill, but the tax arises from holding the shares directly.
Example 2: Mrs Lim and her daughter in Tokyo
Assumptions: Mrs Lim, a widowed Singapore citizen in Singapore, leaves S$15m of Singapore assets equally to her son in Singapore and her daughter, a Singapore citizen who has lived in Tokyo for eight years and is married to a Japanese national, holding the residence status of spouse of a Japanese national. Mrs Lim has never lived in Japan.
What the rules point to: nothing in Singapore, and nothing for the son. The daughter has a Japanese address when she inherits and, on the reading above, her spouse status means she is not a temporary resident, so under the NTA's rules she is taxed in Japan on her S$7.5m share of Singapore assets, after the basic exemption, with a return due in ten months. Had she been in Tokyo on an ordinary work visa for the same eight years, she would likely be a temporary resident, and as her mother was a non-resident, only property in Japan would be taxed. Planning starts from where the heirs live, and on what status, not where the parent lives.
Example 3: Mr Rao inherits his father's condominium
Assumptions: Mr Rao, a Singapore permanent resident who already owns a private apartment, inherits by will a condominium his father bought in 2015. He may sell it or buy another home.
What the rules point to: no stamp duty on the assent, so no ABSD on the inheritance. If he sells, SSD runs from his father's 2015 purchase, so none is due, and the gain is generally capital and not taxed. If he buys another home instead, IRAS counts the condominium, so he is treated as already owning two residential properties. Any rent received before transfer goes on the estate's Form T.
Questions to ask about your own family
- Is anyone in the family a US citizen or green-card holder, or a long-term UK resident under the 2025 rules?
- Which assets sit in the US, the UK or Japan, and are any US shares held directly rather than through a non-US fund?
- Where does each child live today, and where are they likely to live in ten years?
- If a foreign tax fell due within ten months, which assets would be sold to pay it?
- Are the CPF and insurance nominations consistent with the will, and has a lawyer in each relevant country confirmed who should own any life policy?
Where this sits
For wills, trusts and nominations, see legacy planning in Singapore, succession planning and trust versus life insurance. Why a policy saves a Singapore-only resident no tax is on tax efficiency in Singapore. Country articles: US, UK, India, mainland China and Australia. For what PPLI is and when it suits a Singapore resident, see private placement life insurance in Singapore. If you have a question about the research, ask a Singapore research question.
Inheritance tax in Singapore: questions
Is there inheritance tax in Singapore?
No. Singapore removed estate duty for deaths on and after 15 February 2008, and section 2A of the Estate Duty Act 1929 now limits the Act to people who died before that date. There is no separate inheritance tax charged on heirs.
Is there gift tax in Singapore?
No. Singapore does not levy a gift tax, and IRAS does not list one among the taxes it administers. Gifts can still matter abroad, for example where the giver is a US citizen or the recipient lives in a country that taxes gifts.
Do I pay stamp duty or ABSD if I inherit property in Singapore?
No stamp duty is payable when property passes to beneficiaries by assent under a will, the Intestate Succession Act or Muslim law of inheritance. But IRAS counts the inherited residential property when working out ABSD on any home you buy later, and for SSD the holding period runs from the date the deceased acquired it.
Is 新加坡 遗产税 the same as estate duty?
Yes. 新加坡 遗产税 is the usual Chinese term for Singapore estate duty, and the answer is the same: it was abolished for deaths on and after 15 February 2008. Mainland China also appears to have no inheritance tax at present, although we could not confirm this from the State Taxation Administration.
Will the US tax my estate if I live in Singapore and am not American?
Possibly, on US-situs assets such as US real estate and shares in US corporations. The executor must file Form 706-NA if those assets exceed US$60,000, and rates run up to 40%. Singapore has no estate tax treaty with the US. Proceeds of insurance on your life are treated as outside the US.
My child lives in Japan. Will they pay tax on what I leave them?
Quite possibly, if they have an address in Japan when they inherit. Japan taxes such heirs on all property acquired, wherever located, after a basic exemption of ¥30m plus ¥6m per statutory heir, at rates up to 55%, with a return due within ten months. The main exception is a temporary resident, broadly someone on a work or similar visa with ten years or less in Japan in the last 15, inheriting from a parent who is a non-resident or a foreigner: only property in Japan is then taxed.
Does my will cover my CPF savings?
No. CPF savings are not covered by a will. They go to your CPF nominees, or without a nomination they are paid to the Public Trustee's Office for distribution under the intestacy rules or, for Muslims, an inheritance certificate.
Can life insurance reduce inheritance tax for a Singapore family?
Not Singapore tax, because there is none. Where a foreign tax applies, a policy can provide cash to pay it, but it can also add to the taxable estate if owned by the wrong person, for example a US citizen who owns a policy on his own life. It does nothing for US shares held directly or for tax charged on an heir abroad.
Sources and authorities
Singapore: Estate Duty Act 1929 s 2A (Singapore Statutes Online); IRAS: Estate duty; IRAS: list of taxes; MOF parliamentary reply, 14 November 2012; IRAS: gains from sale of property, shares and financial instruments; IRAS on ask.gov.sg: stamp duty on inheritance, ABSD and inherited property, SSD on inherited property, SSD holding periods, property tax liability of new owners; IRAS: settling tax matters for the deceased; IRAS: income tax of estate or trust (Form T); MyLegacy: CPF and wills; CPF Board: savings without a nomination.
United States: IRS: nonresidents with US assets; IRS: Instructions for Form 706-NA; IRS: Instructions for Form 706; IRS: what's new, estate and gift tax; Internal Revenue Code s 2042, s 2105 (Cornell LII text) and s 2035. United Kingdom: GOV.UK: long-term UK residents; GOV.UK: Inheritance Tax; GOV.UK: if you live outside the UK. Japan: National Tax Agency: framework of inheritance tax; Ministry of Finance Japan: inheritance tax rates; secondary: Vialto Partners on residence status and inheritance tax. Australia: ATO: how CGT applies to inherited assets. India: Income Tax Department: Income-tax Act 1961 s 56. China (secondary): Jiemian report of the Ministry of Finance reply (2017); China Justice Observer.
Research checked 21 October 2026 against the Singapore statute, IRAS, MOF, CPF and MyLegacy pages, and the IRS, GOV.UK, NTA, Ministry of Finance Japan, ATO and Income Tax Department pages linked above. Our editorial standards explain how errors are corrected.
PPLI.com is not licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and does not give financial advice. This is general information about Singapore law and other tax systems, not an offer or invitation to enter into any contract of insurance. Policies issued by insurers not licensed in Singapore are not covered by the Policy Owners' Protection Scheme or by the nomination rules in the Insurance Act 1966.
Eldar leads PPLI.com’s strategy, research and partnerships. He acquired PPLI.com in 2020 and has worked on private placement life insurance since then.
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