Apple saved over $5 billion in taxes through Singapore and Ireland in 2026

What the filing revealed

Apple saved more than $5 billion in taxes in its 2026 financial year by shifting profits through Singapore and Ireland, according to a Financial Times report covered by 9to5 Mac. The figures come from the company's annual Form 10-K, a document that Apple must file with the US securities regulator, the SEC.

The disclosure was possible because of new US accounting rules. Publicly traded companies must now state when their taxes on foreign profits differ significantly from the 21% US federal corporate tax rate.

Under those rules, Apple reported savings of $2.7 billion through Singapore and $2.6 billion through Ireland. Singapore has therefore overtaken Ireland as the company's largest source of tax reductions.

Singapore moves ahead of Ireland

Ireland has long been the focus of scrutiny over Apple's tax arrangements. That scrutiny led to a 2024 ruling by the European Union's top court, which ordered the company to pay €13 billion in back taxes. Apple completed that payment in 2025.

Singapore's rise is the notable change in 2026. The FT noted that Apple's effective tax rate in the country fluctuated around 10% between 2023 and 2025, and is expected to move closer to 15% under new global rules. Singapore's standard corporate tax rate is 17%.

Ireland adopted the new international tax framework in 2024, and Singapore followed in 2025.

The global minimum tax is starting to bite

More than 130 countries have agreed to a minimum corporate tax rate of 15% for large multinational companies. The initiative, coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, was agreed in 2021 and aims to discourage companies from moving profits to low-tax countries.

Under the agreement, a company that pays less than 15% in a given country may owe extra tax to cover the difference. Apple says this produced an additional $2.5 billion in taxes in Singapore in 2026, according to its SEC filing.

That figure suggests the new rules are already reducing the benefit Apple gains from booking profits in lower-tax jurisdictions.

The scale of the reduction

The figures show how significant the arrangement remains. If Apple had been taxed on all of its worldwide profits at the 21% US federal rate, the Financial Times calculated the total bill would have reached $33 billion. The company instead paid $27 billion in corporation taxes for the year.

The gap of roughly $5 billion comes largely from the structures in Ireland and Singapore. The savings reported in the filing cover only those two countries, so other jurisdictions may also play a role in Apple's overall tax position.

Why it matters

The new US disclosure rules give investors and regulators a clearer view of how multinational companies lower their tax bills. Apple's filing is one of the most visible examples of what those rules reveal.

The OECD minimum tax is also changing the economics of profit shifting. Apple's rising tax rate in Singapore, and the extra $2.5 billion it recorded there, indicate the deal is having an effect. Readers should expect the balance between Ireland, Singapore and other hubs to keep shifting as the 15% floor is enforced more widely.