EntrePass renewal: spending and workforce milestones

EntrePass renewal should be managed against the holder’s renewal cycle, not only the pass expiry date. Applications can start three months before expiry. The first renewal has no stated Total Business Spending or Local Workforce minimum in MOM’s current table, but later cycles rise from S$100,000 and one local-workforce unit. The holder must also keep at least 30 per cent of the company and show an active, innovative or venture-backed business with current financial records.

Most cases are processed within eight weeks, so the company should test its numbers and documents well before the three-month application window opens.

Confirm the renewal cycle first

MOM calculates the renewal cycle using the EntrePass issue date or, where the original pass expired, the registered company’s incorporation date. A founder should not assume that the number of years in Singapore equals the cycle shown in the table. Enterprise Singapore can clarify the applicable cycle if it is uncertain.

The current EntrePass renewal page shows a first renewal of up to one year and subsequent renewals of up to two years. The threshold is tested at the time the renewal application is submitted.

MOM revises the criteria periodically. Check the live table before relying on a target for a future renewal.

Calculate Total Business Spending from the accounts

Total Business Spending starts from total operating expenses and removes specified items. The current MOM definition deducts royalties, franchise and technical know-how fees paid to overseas companies, overseas outsourcing and total remuneration to the company’s EntrePass holders. Cost of goods sold, cost of services, cost of sales, personal expenses and residential-property rent are not treated as operating expenses for this calculation.

Prepare a schedule from the latest financial statements or adjusted 12-month accounts. Map every exclusion to the ledger and invoice. Do not add capital purchases or owner expenses because the company needs to reach a threshold.

Suppose total operating expenses are S$260,000. The company has S$30,000 of overseas outsourcing, S$60,000 of EntrePass-holder remuneration and S$10,000 of personal costs already removed from the accounts. The potential TBS is S$170,000 before other exclusions. That may meet a second-cycle S$100,000 threshold but not a third-cycle S$200,000 threshold.

Calculate the Local Workforce from direct payroll

The Local Workforce can comprise qualifying Singapore citizen or permanent resident professionals, managers and executives, plus Local Qualifying Salary employees. Employees must have at least three months of CPF contributions and be on the registered company’s direct payroll.

For the first to fifth cycles, a PME must earn at least S$3,900 basic monthly salary under the current table. From the sixth cycle shown, the amount is S$4,700. LQS employees must meet the current Local Qualifying Salary rules. The formula is the number of qualifying PMEs plus the number of qualifying LQS employees divided by three, with no more than 12 LQS employees used.

For example, one qualifying PME and three qualifying LQS employees produce a Local Workforce value of two. A contractor, employee on a related company’s payroll or recent hire without three months of CPF contributions does not meet the stated direct-payroll evidence at submission.

Prove continuing business activity

Renewal is not decided by spending and headcount alone. The company must remain a Singapore private limited company, show that it is venture-backed or owns innovative technologies, demonstrate continuing business activity and progress, and submit the latest financial statements. The holder must own at least 30 per cent and claim the company profile on Startup SG Network.

Choose current evidence that explains the business: recent invoices, customer referrals, awarded contracts, business partnership agreements or a tenancy agreement. If the nature of business changed since the last application or renewal, provide a revised business plan. Keep the ACRA activity, website and actual contracts consistent.

Prepare the application file before the window opens

MOM lists ACRA company information issued within the last three months, latest financial statements, three months of corporate bank statements, CPF statements, business-activity evidence, travel-document particulars and a screenshot of the claimed Startup SG Network profile. The financial statements need not be audited where the company qualifies for the small-company audit exemption.

Create a one-page reconciliation showing the renewal cycle, TBS threshold and calculation, workforce threshold and employee calculation, shareholding, Startup SG Network status, financial period and evidence index. Have the accountant and payroll owner agree the figures before the holder signs the form.

Control the final months and the new pass

File when the evidence is complete within the three-month window. A late application can expose the company to the prevailing criteria and leave little time to answer questions. Enterprise Singapore may contact the holder for engagement or audit, so retain the underlying records after submission.

If approved, the In-Principle Approval is valid for three months. The holder must have the renewed pass issued before the IPA or current pass expires, whichever comes first. The renewed period starts when the current pass expires. Check whether the existing card remains usable or must be cut and discarded after a new card is issued.

Our Employment Pass renewal guide and S Pass salary guide cover other employer-sponsored routes. The family relocation guide is the pillar cornerstone, and the Singapore Immigration and Relocation hub connects passes with the practical move.

The strongest renewal file is a current picture of a real business. Its spending schedule ties to the accounts, its employees tie to payroll and CPF, and its customer evidence explains what the company is building in Singapore.