Your finance hire arrives Monday morning. By Friday, they need to have registered your company for payroll tax, set up employee contribution withholding, and locked down the compliance calendar for the next 12 months. Miss a single deadline and you'll face penalties that dwarf their salary. The problem: Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia each have completely different playbooks. EPF deadlines don't line up with CPF filing windows. NPWP registration in Indonesia has gotchas that don't exist in either neighbor. A checklist built for one country will get you fined in another. We've helped dozens of founders and finance teams navigate this exact moment. Here's what your finance hire actually needs to know before day one—broken down by country, with the real deadlines and the actual forms. Malaysia: EPF, SST, and the 15-day clock In Malaysia, your compliance clock starts the moment you hire your first employee. The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) registration is not optional, and the deadlines are non-negotiable. What needs to happen immediately: EPF registration: You have 15 days from the first day of employment to register with EPF. Register online at https://www.kwsp.biz.my using your employer number. Late registration triggers penalties of up to RM5,000 plus monthly fines. SOCSO registration: Social Security Organization (SOCSO) is mandatory alongside EPF. Submit Form 1A within 30 days. This covers work injury and invalidity insurance. Delay here also carries cumulative penalties. SST registration: If your company's annual turnover exceeds RM500,000, you must register for Service and Sales Tax (SST). SST is charged at 6% on most services and 10% on digital services. Registration happens at https://www.myinvois.hasil.gov.my and integrates with the MyInvois e-invoicing system—which is mandatory for companies turning over RM3 million annually. Monthly payroll deductions and reporting: EPF contributions are 13% of gross salary (11% employee, 2% employer contribution). Must be remitted by the 10th of the following month. SST (if applicable) must be remitted quarterly on the 15th of the month following the quarter. Monthly employment information reports are mandatory—late submission draws RM100 per day penalties. If your company is over RM3 million revenue, MyInvois integration is now law. Your finance hire needs to confirm with your accounting software (or manually) that every invoice issued to B2B customers is submitted to LHDN within 24 hours. This is not a compliance nice-to-have. Singapore: CPF, IRAS, and 4 mandatory submission windows Singapore's system is tighter and more automated than Malaysia's. CPF (Central Provident Fund) registration is tied directly to IRAS (Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore) and happens the moment you hire. Day-one registration (happens automatically, but verify): CPF registration: This is automatic when you register your business with ACRA. Your finance hire must confirm the CPF registration is active by logging into www.cpf.gov.sg/employers . Do not assume it happened. IRAS e-services: Register at https://www.iras.gov.sg/e-services to file your monthly AR (Actuarial Return). This is mandatory for all employers. The compliance calendar (mandatory deadlines): Monthly CPF contributions: Due on the 4th of the following month. CPF is 37% of gross salary capped at ₹6,800 per month (employee + employer combined). Non-payment triggers penalties up to 5% per month plus statutory interest. Monthly AR submission: Due the 4th of the following month. This is the Actuarial Return showing gross salary, CPF contributions, and other statutory deductions. If you miss this, IRAS flags your account immediately. Year-end IR8A and IR21 forms: Due by 1 March every year. These are the annual CPF and income tax reconciliation forms. Errors here will result in reassessment notices. Annual employment records: Retain for 5 years. IRAS conducts random audits and will ask for proof of payments and employee records dating back years. Tax filing and income tax withholding: Singapore doesn't withhold income tax from salaries for CPF-registered employment. However, if you hire contractors or pay commissions, your finance hire needs to withhold 5–10% based on contract type and file Form IR21 monthly. Indonesia: NPWP, tax card, and the April-September window Indonesia's payroll compliance is tied to the tax ID system in ways that can trip up first-time filers. The deadlines are also compressed into specific filing windows that don't run year-round. Before you hire (pre-employment): Company NPWP (Tax ID): You must have your own NPWP (Nomor Pokok Wajib Pajak) before hiring anyone. Apply at https://www.pajak.go.id or visit your local KPP (tax office). This takes 1–2 weeks and is non-negotiable for any employment relationship. Business classification: Your finance hire needs to confirm your business classification code (KBLI) on the NPWP. This determines which income tax rates and employment regulations apply. Employ