Home Office Guide: What you can and cannot do under the URA Scheme

31 Jan 2025 Guide

Want to work from home in Singapore but worried about the rules? Let’s break down URA’s Home Office Scheme in simple terms. This scheme lets you use your home for work – but there’s a catch (actually, several catches).

What exactly is the Home Office Scheme?

Think of it as URA’s way of saying “yes, you can work from home” but with clear boundaries. It’s designed to let residents run small-scale office operations from their homes without turning residential areas into business districts.

What You CAN Do

  1. Run your business from home, whether it’s HDB, private property, or even a rented place
  2. Have up to 2 non-resident employee
  3. Handle computer work, paperwork, and phone calls
  4. Store small amounts of documents (nothing industrial!)
  5. Register your business at your home address

What You CAN’T Do

  1. Hire more than 2 staff to work at your home
  2. Have clients or customers visiting
  3. Put up any business signage
  4. Create noise or disturbance for your neighbors

Is Registration Needed?

For private properties, you have to register with URA, while HDB will be with HDB.

But there is another simpler scheme for Home-Based Businesses, which does not require any registration with URA or HDB.

Home-Based Businesses Scheme

The biggest difference is that you cannot have any non-resident employee. So it’s for the resident employee(s) only.

It’s automatically allowed under the scheme, for such scenarios:

  1. Freelancers doing digital work
  2. Online business owners handling administrative tasks
  3. Remote workers
  4. Writers, designers, and other creative professionals
  5. Consultants (but remember, no client meetings at home!)

Some Practical Tips

  • Keep your workspace professional but subtle
  • Invest in good home office equipment since you’ll be there a lot
  • Set boundaries between your work and living spaces
  • Be extra mindful of noise during work hours
  • Consider a virtual office service if you need a business meeting space

The Future of Home Offices

With remote work becoming more common, the Home Office Scheme makes perfect sense for many Singaporeans. Just remember - it’s meant for small-scale, quiet operations that won’t change how your neighborhood looks or feels.

The URA Home Office Scheme is pretty straightforward once you understand the basics: keep it small, keep it quiet, and keep it to yourself. As long as you stick to these guidelines, you’re free to work from home without worrying about breaking any rules.