16,000 Grab drivers to see higher tax bills due to incomplete records submitted to IRAS
The majority will face an additional tax bill of less than $100.
Approximately 16,000 private-hire car drivers will face higher tax bills following incomplete income records submitted to the Singapore tax authority, IRAS, by ride-hailing company Grab in July. IRAS confirmed on September 28 that the majority of these drivers will incur an additional tax burden of less than $100, with the exact amount varying based on individual relief entitlements and tax brackets.
The discrepancy arose from a "system error" that caused some payments, including incentives, tips, and miscellaneous earnings, to be excluded from the tax records. Grab identified this issue after informing IRAS at the end of July about the affected 28,000 drivers who opted into the IRAS' pre-filing income initiative for the 2026 tax year.
The pre-filing initiative, launched in 2018, enables Grab drivers to have their income information automatically inputted into their electronic tax forms. Only earnings from GrabCar are pre-filled into the forms. Affected drivers were unaware of the error and do not need to take any action until they receive their revised Notices of Assessment (NOAs).
Most revised NOAs are expected to be issued by September, with tax payments for those on GIRO instalment plans automatically adjusted. Drivers should verify the total income figure shown in their NOAs aligns with their Grab 2025 annual partner statement, comprising total earnings and the Grab service fee. Grab has urged drivers to check their NOAs to prevent any tax-related issues.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
