In this course · 7 of 7
Course 2
File your profits tax return
7 lessons · 8 min
- 1When will a new Hong Kong company receive its first profits tax return?
- 2Must I tell the IRD I'm chargeable to tax if I got no tax return?
- 3What is the filing deadline for the Hong Kong profits tax return?
- 4Hong Kong Block Extension Scheme: profits tax return dates for 2025/26
- 5Can I e-file my Hong Kong profits tax return, and is it compulsory?
- 6What documents must I submit with my Hong Kong profits tax return?
- 7Do I need audited accounts to file a Hong Kong profits tax return?
The short answer
Usually yes. Most Hong Kong companies must be audited under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622), so their profits tax return normally includes the auditor's report. Sole proprietors and partnerships have no statutory audit, and a private company that has validly declared itself dormant may file without audited statements.
The profits tax return asks for the financial statements and, where applicable, the auditor's report. The Inland Revenue Department's (IRD's) circular says to include it where required by Hong Kong or foreign law, or if one has otherwise been prepared.
- Most companies: the Companies Ordinance requires an annual audit, so you file audited statements with the return.
- Sole proprietors and partnerships: there is no statutory audit requirement as such, but you still submit accounts and a tax computation if you have gross income.
- Dormant companies: if a private company has delivered a special resolution to the Registrar that it is dormant (section 5 of the Companies Ordinance), it is exempt from audited financial statements under section 447, and the IRD says it will accept returns without them.
An audit and a tax computation are different things. A tax computation adjusts accounting profit to taxable profit; it is not a substitute for statutory audit work, and a tax filing does not satisfy audit duties.
Legal basis and sources
The law
- Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112), s.51(1)
- Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622), ss.5, 447
General information for business owners, not legal, tax or professional advice. Rules change, so check the sources or ask a licensed professional before you act.
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