2026 Edition: How to earn credit card miles on IRAS income tax

The YA 2026 income tax season is now underway, and individuals will need to file their taxes by 18 April 2026.

Tax bills, otherwise known as Notice of Assessments (NOAs), will then be sent in batches between mid-March and September 2026. If you haven’t received yours yet, don’t worry— I promise they haven’t forgotten about you!

While I don’t think anyone particularly relishes receiving their NOA, here’s the good news: if you don’t mind paying a small admin fee, tax season is a great opportunity to earn some extra miles.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the various methods of doing so, as well as the all-important cost per mile.

Tax Season 2026

💰 The MileLion’s Income Tax Guide 2026

How do I pay income taxes with a credit card? What are the fees involved? What’s changed for YA 2026? What promotions are available? What’s the cost per mile? Other important things

How do I pay my income tax bill with a credit card?

IRAS does not accept credit card payments. In their own words:

Credit card payments are not offered by IRAS directly because of the high transaction costs charged by the credit card service providers. This is to keep the cost of collection low to preserve public funds.

-IRAS

However, this doesn’t mean you can’t use your credit card to pay taxes. Banks and bill payment platforms offer tax payment facilities, which allow cardholders to earn rewards on taxes in exchange for a small fee.

I divide these into two categories: indirect and direct.

Indirect Payment Facilities	Direct Payment Facilities
Standard Chartered Income Tax Payment Facility UOB Payment Facility	Citi PayAll CardUp DBS My Preferred Payment Plan SC EasyBill

Both indirect and direct facilities work the same in the sense that your credit card is charged for the tax amount plus an admin fee, earning miles in the process.

Where they differ is that:

• An indirect payment facility deposits the amount due into your designated bank account, in cash. You are still responsible for paying IRAS
• A direct payment facility pays IRAS on your behalf

Whether it’s better to use an indirect or direct facility all comes down to the cost per mile: the admin fee, divided by the miles earned.

What are the fees involved?

Here’s a list of the various payment facilities and the applicable fees. 

🧾 List of Payment Facilities
Bank	Applicable Cards	Admin Fee
Link Direct	All cards except BOC, HSBC	1.75%
Payment Facility Link Indirect	UOB PRVI Miles, Visa Infinite Metal, Reserve, KF UOB	1.6-1.8%
Link Direct	All StanChart cards	1.9%
Income Tax Payment Facility Link Indirect	StanChart Beyond, Visa Infinite	1.9%
Link MP3 for Income Tax Direct	All DBS cards	2.5%
Link Direct	All Citi cards	2.6%
There is an additional option called ipaymy, but for reasons outlined in this post, I neither endorse nor comment on their services. However, I’ll mention them in the cost per mile table later on to the extent it offers the lowest cost per mile for a given card.

While I’ve sorted the table above on the basis of admin fees, that’s only half the story. A lower fee doesn’t necessarily mean cheaper miles; you need to also consider the earn rate.

This can be confusing, because banks may offer different earn rates for income tax payments as opposed to regular retail spend. For example:

• All UOB cards earn a flat 1 mpd for payments via the UOB Payment Facility, instead of their usual rates
• All DBS cards earn a flat 1.5 mpd for income tax payments, instead of their usual rates

To illustrate why it’s insufficient to compare options on the basis of admin fees alone, consider the following example:

While Citi PayAll (2.6%) has a higher admin fee than DBS MP3 (2.5%), the cost per mile when paired with a Citi ULTIMA Card (1.63 cents) is lower than DBS MP3 (1.67 cents).

If this is too complicated for you, I’ve done the calculations later on in this article for every major miles-earning card.

What’s changed for YA 2026?

Here’s a summary of the key changes that have taken place since last year’s article.

BOC: No more miles for CardUp/ipaymy

On 1 July 2025, the BOC Elite Miles Card was overhauled to offer 1.4 mpd on local spend (up from 1 mpd) and 2.8 mpd on FCY spend (up from 2 mpd), without any minimum spend or cap.

Unfortunately, this came at the expense of CardUp and ipaymy, both of which were added to the exclusion list on the same day.

CardUp: No more points for DBS/UOB-issued AMEX cards

From 1 April 2026, DBS- and UOB-issued AMEX cards no longer earn rewards with CardUp. 

It’s worth noting that this is not a bank-initiated nerf. You won’t find any announcement about it on the DBS or UOB websites. Rather, it’s a network-initiated restriction, one that I imagine CardUp doesn’t like, but has little choice but to abide by. 

This removes the possibility of using CardUp with the DBS Altitude AMEX, DBS Treasures Black Elite AMEX and UOB PRVI Miles AMEX.

OCBC VOYAGE Payment Facility: Retired

Last year, OCBC officially retired the VOYAGE Payment Facility. This “pay anything” facility allowed OCBC VOYAGE Cardholders to purchase miles from 1.9 to 1.95 cents each, no questions asked (similar to the UOB Payment Facility). 

It’s been clear for several years now that OCBC has been pivoting towards CardUp as a bill payment solution, so it’s unsurprising that the VOYAGE Payment Facility has been sunset. It’s no big loss, if you ask me, given the relatively high cost per mile and the devaluation of VOYAGE Miles for airfare offsets.

SC EasyBill: One payment per category per month

In December 2025, Standard Chartered quietly nerfed its SC EasyBill payment service by capping customers at one bill payment per category, per month.

This means you can no longer use SC EasyBill to pay both personal income tax and property tax in the same month, or personal income tax and corporate income tax (for those who own a company and pay themselves a salary).

This usage cap will be particularly significant for StanChart Beyond Cardholders, as one of the card’s key attractions is the ability to buy miles at 0.95 cents each via SC EasyBill (1.9% fee, 2 mpd for Priority Banking and Priority Private clients). Moreover, SC EasyBill transactions count towards the S$20,000 minimum spend for the 100,000 miles welcome offer.

What promotions are available?

CardUp

Code	MLTAX26R
Limit	2x redemptions per user; no overall redemption cap
Admin Fee	1.75%
Min. Spend	None
Cap	None
Schedule By	12 June 2026, 6 p.m (SGT)
Due Date	7 May to 17 June 2026
Eligible Cards	Visa, UnionPay
Eligibility	New & Existing users
MLTAX26R T&Cs

New and existing CardUp customers can use the promo code MLTAX26R to enjoy a 1.75% fee for recurring income tax payments.

This code is valid for up to two redemptions per user, for payments that are:

• Scheduled by 12 June 2026, before 6 p.m
• With due dates between 7 May and 17 June 2026

The second bullet point isn’t a typo— while this is described as a promotion for recurring payments, it really covers only two payments: one in May (for June 2026’s instalment), and one in June (for July 2026’s instalment).

CardUp will roll out another offer after June for users who want to continue with recurring income tax payments. So for now, you can just schedule recurring payments for May and June, and reassess the situation when the new promo code is unveiled.

If you have a tax payment that is S$40,000 or larger, you can contact CardUp at hello@cardup.co for special pricing.

Citi PayAll

Citi PayAll has yet to launch its income tax promotion for 2026.

In 2025, Citi PayAll offered 1.8 mpd on tax payments, though customers also had to spend a minimum of S$6,000 on non-tax payments at 1.6 mpd. Depending on the overall mix of tax and non-tax payments, the cost per mile ranged from 1.44 to 1.63 cents.

Standard Chartered Payment Facility & EasyBill

From 1 April to 30 June 2026, the Standard Chartered Income Tax Payment Facility is offering a 100% rebate of the administrative fee for Beyond and Visa Infinite cardholders, capped at S$200 per cardholder. This is equivalent to free miles on a tax payment of up to S$10,526. 

However, this is capped at just 25 participants per month, so you’ll want to apply as early in the month as possible, preferably just after midnight on the 1st of each month. Honestly, it’s a gamble more than anything.

Standard Chartered offering S$200 cashback on income tax payments for Beyond and Visa Infinite

We have yet to see an offer for SC EasyBill so far. 2025’s offer featured a 100% rebate of the administrative fee for tax payments, capped at S$200 per cardholder for the first 50 applicants each month.

UOB GIRO promotion

While you can’t earn miles this way, it’s still worth noting that from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, UOB customers can enjoy a 6% rebate tax and other bill payments made through GIRO.

To earn this rebate, customers will need to complete the following three steps:

1. Register their mobile number for PayNow on UOB TMRW
2. Activate Money Lock on UOB TMRW (minimum S$1 lock amount)
3. Apply for the GIRO monthly payment plan through the relevant organisation, selecting an eligible account for deduction

Eligible accounts are defined as the following:

• KrisFlyer UOB Account
• UOB One Account
• UOB Lady’s Savings Account
• UOB Uniplus Account

If these criteria are met, customers will receive a 6% rebate on the deducted GIRO amount, with the monthly cap determined by the MAB in the account. 

For example, if a UOB One Accountholder with a MAB of S$150,000 pays an eligible GIRO bill worth S$800, he can expect to receive a S$48 cash rebate.

If you have multiple eligible accounts, you are entitled to earn multiple payment rebates, subject to each account satisfying its own eligibility conditions. 

UOB offering 6% rebate for taxes, utilities, telco and insurance bills paid via GIRO

UOB Payment Facility

From 1 March to 31 May 2026, the UOB Payment Facility is running a promotion that allows cardholders to purchase unlimited miles from 1.6 to 1.8 cents each, depending on card. As this is a “pay anything” facility, however, UOB doesn’t really care what you use the funds for, and it doesn’t matter what size your tax bill is. 

Think of this as a way of topping up your account further, after you’ve exhausted the cheaper options.

UOB Payment Facility offering unlimited miles at 1.6-1.8 cents each

What’s the cost per mile?

In the table below, I’ve ranked credit cards by the lowest possible price you can pay for miles, denoted by CPM (cost per mile, in cents).

I’m not displaying any AMEX options at the moment (except the UOB PRVI Miles AMEX), as there are no ongoing offers for tax payments.

💰 Summary of Tax Payment Options
Card	Pay Via	Fee  (MPD)	CPM
StanChart Beyond (PB/PP) Apply	SCB	1.9% 2 mpd	0.95¢
Citi ULTIMA Visa Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.6 mpd	1.07¢
DBS Insignia Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.6 mpd	1.07¢
OCBC VOYAGE Premier, PPC, BOS Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.6 mpd	1.07¢
UOB Reserve Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.6 mpd	1.07¢
DBS Vantage Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.5 mpd	1.15¢
Citi ULTIMA MC Apply	IPM	1.99% 1.6 mpd	1.22¢
UOB PRVI Miles Visa Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.4 mpd	1.23¢
UOB Visa Infinite Metal Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.4 mpd	1.23¢
StanChart Visa Infinite Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.4 mpd*	1.23¢
StanChart Beyond Card (Regular) Apply	SCB	1.9% 1.5 mpd	1.26¢
DBS Altitude Visa Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.3 mpd	1.32¢
OCBC VOYAGE Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.3 mpd	1.32¢
OCBC 90°N MC Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.3 mpd	1.32¢
OCBC 90°N Visa Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.3 mpd	1.32¢
OCBC Premier Visa Infinite Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.28 mpd	1.34¢
UOB PRVI Miles MC Apply	IPM	1.99% 1.4 mpd	1.40¢
Citi Premier Miles Visa	CardUp	1.75% 1.2 mpd	1.43¢
Maybank Visa Infinite Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.2 mpd	1.43¢
StanChart Journey Apply	CardUp	1.75% 1.2 mpd	1.43¢
Citi Prestige Apply	IPM	1.99% 1.3 mpd	1.50¢
KrisFlyer UOB Apply	IPM	1.99% 1.2 mpd	1.63¢
Citi Premier Miles MC Apply	IPM	1.99% 1.2 mpd	1.63¢
UOB PRVI Miles AMEX Apply	UOB	1.8% 1 mpd	1.80¢
*With a minimum spend of S$2,000 in a statement month. Minimum spend includes CardUp payments (and SC EasyBill/StanChart Tax Payment Facility for that matter).

Of course, the lower the cost per mile the better, but everyone will have to decide for themselves what “ceiling price” they’re willing to pay, based on their personal mile valuation.

Other important points

Apply for as many facilities as you want

There’s nothing stopping you from applying for multiple tax payment facilities in order to buy more miles (otherwise known as churning).

For example, someone with a S$24,000 tax bill and a StanChart Visa Infinite Card could set up an arrangement with both the Standard Chartered Income Tax Payment Facility and CardUp.

• With the Standard Chartered Income Tax Payment Facility, he could earn 33,600 miles (S$24,000 x 1.4 mpd) at a cost of S$456 (1.9% x S$24,000).
• With CardUp, he could pay his taxes in 12-month installments of S$2,000 each, earning 2,849 miles per month (S$2,000 x 1.0175 x 1.4 mpd) at a cost of S$35 (1.75% x S$2,000).

There is no interaction between the two here, because the Standard Chartered Income Tax Payment Facility is indirect, and CardUp is direct. 

However, take care if you’re applying for two or more direct payment facilities, because overpaying your tax bill can create issues. Over the years, there have been many people who overpaid their taxes to buy additional miles, in the knowledge that IRAS will refund the excess anyway. However, this creates additional administrative work, and IRAS has made its displeasure at such activity known.

You can still use GIRO

IRAS allows taxpayers to split their payment into 12 interest-free instalments via GIRO. This is great for maximising your cashflow, and something I opt for each year.

Setting up GIRO for income tax can be done instantly via myTax Portal for the following banks:

• Bank of China
• Citibank
• DBS/POSB
• HSBC
• ICBC
• Maribank
• Maybank
• OCBC
• Standard Chartered
• UOB

Otherwise, you’ll need to submit a request for a manual GIRO form, which will take up to three weeks to process.

Once your GIRO arrangement has been approved, you can view the monthly instalment by logging in to myTax Portal, selecting Account > View Payment Plan > View Plan.

There are no issues using GIRO if you opt for an indirect payment facility, as the bank simply credits the cash to your account, and how you go about paying IRAS after that is up to you.

It’s also possible to use GIRO when you’re paying via a direct payment facility, though you’ll want to make manual payments well in advance of each month’s scheduled deduction (on the 6th of each month) to avoid double payment. 

To illustrate, suppose your tax bill is S$12,000 and you opt for GIRO. IRAS will split your tax bill such that S$1,000 comes due each month. 

Suppose you make a manual payment of S$400 in respect of July 2026. According to your payment schedule, you were supposed to pay S$1,000 in July, so GIRO will automatically adjust to deduct S$600 instead of S$1,000 for that month. 

Then suppose you make a manual payment of S$1,500 in respect of September 2026. According to your payment schedule, you only needed to pay S$1,000 in September, so GIRO won’t take any deduction for this month. 

When October 2026 comes round, assuming you make no further manual payment, GIRO will deduct S$500 to put you “back on schedule” with S$6,000 paid off by the end of October 2026.

Now, it’s important to keep in mind that IRAS GIRO deductions take place on the 6th of the month the tax is due (or the next working day if that happens to be a weekend or public holiday). If your manual payment is made too close to this date, it’s possible the full GIRO deduction will still take place. 

Therefore, I would recommend making all manual payments at least two weeks in advance to avoid a double deduction (but if a double deduction happens it’s not the end of the world, since that amount goes towards offsetting the following month’s payment). In any case, the CardUp system won’t let you schedule tax payments during the last few and first few days of each month. 

For more instructions on how to set up a recurring income tax payment series with CardUp, refer to this link.

What type of points are you earning?

When evaluating two cards with similar cost per mile figures, it’s helpful to think of qualitative factors as well.

For example, Citi Miles would be superior to DBS Points or UOB UNI$, thanks to the sheer number of transfer partners available. Likewise, non-expiring Citi Miles and 90°N Miles would be more useful than expiring UNI$ or HSBC Rewards Points.

For the full analysis, refer to my guide below.

Which bank offers the best credit card points currency?

Conclusion

Income tax season presents an opportunity to buy miles at attractive rates, especially if you plan to redeem First or Business Class flights.

The all-important cost per mile, which I’ve highlighted for every major card with an ongoing promotion, boils down to the admin fee and earn rate available to you. Needless to say, we want to minimise fees and maximise earn rates, but don’t forget about qualitative factors like the range of transfer partners, points expiry and transfer times.

I’ll be updating this article as new tax payment promotions are announced, so be sure to bookmark it for future reference!