SSIC Code Singapore 2026: What Changed in ACRA’s Update

An SSIC code is the five-digit number ACRA assigns to every registered business in Singapore to describe what it actually does. On 9 May 2026, Singapore moved from SSIC 2020 to SSIC 2025 — the biggest revision to the classification system since 2020 and ACRA automatically remapped every existing company’s code to the closest match under the new version. If you incorporated before that date, your SSIC code has already changed, whether you noticed or not.

Key Takeaways

• On 9 May 2026, ACRA and the Department of Statistics replaced SSIC 2020 with SSIC 2025, revising more than 1,500 business activity codes.
• ACRA automatically remapped every existing company’s SSIC code on that date using official correspondence tables. Most businesses don’t need to file anything.
• You should still check your BizFile+ profile. If the auto-mapped code doesn’t reflect your actual business, file an update within 14 days.
• SSIC 2025 adds dedicated codes for activities that didn’t have a proper home before AI, digital platforms, sustainability, and climate-related work among them.
• Your SSIC code still drives licensing referrals, grant eligibility, and bank account approval an outdated or mismatched code causes the same delays it always has.
• Not sure if your code still fits? Use Grof’s free SSIC Code Checker before you file anything with ACRA.

 

What is an SSIC Code? 

The Singapore Standard Industrial Classification (SSIC) code is a five-digit number, maintained by the Department of Statistics (SingStat), that every entity registered with ACRA must declare to describe its business activity. You select it when you reserve your business name on Bizfile, and it becomes part of your company’s public profile.

Every company must declare a primary SSIC code the activity that generates the most value-added or revenue and may declare a second one if a secondary activity is significant enough to matter. The code isn’t about where you spend your time. A founder who spends 80% of their week coding but earns most of their revenue from consulting should register under consultancy, not software development.

SSIC sits inside a hierarchical structure: broad “Sections” (lettered A through V) sit above numeric “Divisions,” “Groups,” “Classes,” and finally the five-digit “Sub-class” you actually select. Some guides refer to this as a classification code or, less accurately, a sic code — both point to the same system.

What Changed in the May 2026 Update to SSIC 2025

SSIC 2025 (officially version 2.25) replaced SSIC 2020 on 9 May 2026. This is the most substantial revision since 2020, and the structural change worth knowing about is that Section J — previously a single “Information and Communications” bucket — split into two. The new Section J covers publishing, broadcasting, and content production; a new Section K covers telecommunications, computer programming, IT consultancy, and computing infrastructure. Every section letter after that shifted up by one.

Beyond the split, SingStat added new codes for activities that didn’t have a proper classification before artificial intelligence, digital platforms, sustainability and ESG-related work, and climate technology among them — while removing codes for activities that had effectively disappeared from the economy. The revision also brings SSIC closer in line with ISIC Revision 5, the UN’s latest international classification standard, which matters if your business reports internationally.

For existing companies, ACRA didn’t wait for directors to act. On the cutover date, it automatically matched every SSIC 2020 code to its nearest SSIC 2025 equivalent using SingStat’s official correspondence tables. In most cases the code number itself didn’t move SSIC 64202 (Other Holding Companies), for instance, kept its number, though its official definition was refined. Where one old code split into several new options, though, ACRA’s system had to pick a default, and that default doesn’t always match what your business actually does.

Directors who don’t update an inaccurate SSIC code within the standard 14-day window for entity-information changes can face composition fines — reported figures vary by source, generally in the hundreds to low thousands of dollars, rising further for serious misrepresentation. Verify the current fine schedule directly with Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) before quoting a figure to a client.

How to Check and Update Your SSIC Code After the Change

1. Log in to BizFile and pull up your entity profile. Your SSIC code sits under “Principal Activities.”
2. Compare it against what your business does today. The correspondence table maps the closest match, not necessarily the exact one — this matters most if your old code was one of the ones that split into multiple SSIC 2025 options.
3. Run a keyword search on Grof’s SSIC Code Checker or BizFile+’s own search tool if the auto-assigned code looks off.
4. File the update via BizFile+ within 14 days if your activity has changed, or if the auto-mapped code is simply wrong. This is a standard entity-information filing under the Companies Act, and the first change in a calendar year is typically the lower-friction one to process.
5. If you’re incorporating a new company, you have no choice in the matter — SSIC 2025 codes are mandatory for every registration from 9 May 2026 onward.

Referral authorities haven’t changed with the version update. Codes tied to banking and financial holding companies still route to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, real estate agency codes still go to the Council for Estate Agencies, and education-related codes still go to the Ministry of Education. If your SSIC 2025 code lands in one of these categories, expect the same referral step you’d have hit under SSIC 2020.

Benefits of Using SSIC Codes for Businesses

An accurate SSIC code does more than satisfy a registration field — it actively works for your business in four ways.

It clarifies your licensing position. ACRA reads your SSIC code the moment you register and automatically flags whether your activity needs a licence before you can legally operate. Get the code right and you find out early; get it wrong and you find out later, usually as a delay.

It unlocks grants and tax incentives. IRAS, Enterprise Singapore, and EDB schemes — from the Pioneer Certificate to sector-specific SME grants — routinely check the applicant’s SSIC code before assessing eligibility. A business with a generic or inaccurate code can be filtered out of support it would otherwise qualify for, often without ever knowing why.

It strengthens your credibility with banks, investors, and partners. Corporate banks use your SSIC code as part of KYC review when you open an account, and a mismatch between your declared code, your website, and what you actually do is one of the most common reasons an application stalls. Investors and partners read the same code as a quick, official signal of what your business does.

It gives you access to industry data and benchmarking. Because SingStat compiles economic statistics by SSIC classification, an accurate code puts you in the right dataset for market research, industry surveys, and sector benchmarking — useful context when you’re pitching, planning, or simply trying to understand where you sit against competitors.

Popular SSIC 2025 Codes for Singapore SMEs (Quick Reference)

The full SSIC 2025 list runs to more than 1,500 codes, so we haven’t reproduced it here — SingStat’s official downloadable list and Grof’s SSIC Code Checker are the right tools for that. What’s genuinely useful is a shortlist of the codes we see Singapore SMEs actually use most often, organised by the categories our clients ask about most.

Technology & Digital

Professional & Consultancy Services

Holding, Investment & Family Office

Retail & E-commerce

Food & Beverage

New in SSIC 2025 — no SSIC 2020 predecessor

** Activities marked here commonly trigger a referral-authority review (for example, F&B licensing through the Singapore Food Agency) regardless of which SSIC version you’re filing under. Check the referral authority flagged on BizFile+ once you’ve selected your code.

Common Mistakes Businesses Make With SSIC Codes

Despite their importance, there are some common misconceptions about Singapore Standard Industrial Classification codes that need to be addressed.

Assuming “automatic” means “done.” ACRA’s remapping is a starting point, not a guarantee. If your old code was one of the ones that split into multiple new options, the system picked a default — check that it’s the right one for you, not just the closest one.

Choosing a code based on effort, not revenue. Regulators care about where the money comes from, not where the hours go. Get this backwards and your SSIC code misrepresents your business from day one.

Not updating after a pivot. If your revenue mix shifts materially — say, from product sales to a subscription service — your SSIC code needs to move with it. Companies that skip this step risk a mismatch between their declared activity and what shows up on invoices or bank statements.

Ignoring what the code touches beyond the label. Specific incentive schemes — the Pioneer Certificate, various Enterprise Singapore grants, sector-specific EDB programmes — reference particular SSIC ranges. A changed code, even one that looks like a minor renumbering, can quietly affect what you’re eligible for.

Skipping the referral-authority check. A code that looks generic on paper can still trigger a review by MAS, CEA, or another authority. Confirming this before you file saves weeks of unexpected delay.

How Grof Helps You Choose the Right SSIC Code (and Get Incorporated Faster)

SSIC 2025 didn’t just relabel a few categories — it reshuffled a section of the classification system and changed the definitions behind codes that looked stable on the surface. Getting this right matters more, not less, after a revision like this: your SSIC code still decides whether your bank account application sails through, whether you qualify for the grant you’re applying for, and whether your incorporation gets delayed for a referral you didn’t see coming.

This is exactly where Grof’s corporate secretarial team earns its keep. We check your business activity against the current SSIC 2025 list, confirm whether your auto-mapped code actually fits, and file the update with ACRA if it doesn’t — as part of handling your incorporation or ongoing compliance, not as a separate scramble every time the classification changes. If you’re setting up a new entity, we make sure you’re coded correctly from day one, so grant eligibility and licensing aren’t jeopardised by a rushed decision at registration.

Book a free consultation and we’ll walk through your business activity, confirm your SSIC code, and take the ACRA filing off your plate.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)