The Ministry of Defence and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore are correcting NSman tax relief granted to about 15,000 taxpayers across the Years of Assessment 2025 and 2026. MINDEF issued the clarification on Thursday, 3 September 2026.
The group includes NSmen and eligible parents and spouses. MINDEF said an error in its system produced incorrect NS activity records, which then fed the relief calculation.
Who pays more, who gets money back
About 7,000 of the 15,000 will see a higher tax bill. About 8,000 will see a lower one. In total, about S$930,000 will be recovered and about S$995,000 will be refunded.
The vast majority of the adjustments, up or down, are less than S$200. Depending on relief entitlement and tax bracket, the swing can run from under S$10 to about S$900.
When the revised NOA arrives
MINDEF said it has fixed the records and has already notified the affected NSmen. IRAS is revising the Notices of Assessment, which will go out by September 2026 and will show any extra tax or refund.
No action is required before that revised NOA arrives. Extra tax for GIRO instalment payers is adjusted automatically. Anyone not on GIRO pays by the due date on the revised notice. Refunds are paid automatically.
MINDEF found the error in May 2026 while reviewing queries from NSmen and checking the records, then reviewed all NS tax relief files for YA 2025 and 2026.
Revised Notices of Assessment will be issued by September 2026.
