SSM (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia, the Companies Commission of Malaysia) only processes applications on its operating days. If your name search or incorporation submission lands on a weekend or public holiday, SSM simply processes it on the next working day, and that next working day becomes your actual incorporation date. The confusion usually comes from mixing… Continue reading Weekend or Public Holiday Before Your Incorporation Date: Does It Delay Your Sdn Bhd Registration
Author: Boss Boleh
What Your Company Secretary Can and Can’t Decide For You: Drawing the Line Between Advisory and Statutory Duties
A company secretary in Malaysia has two very different jobs wrapped into one title. One job is statutory: things the Companies Act 2016 requires, with deadlines and fines attached. The other job is advisory: guidance and suggestions the secretary offers, which the board is free to accept or ignore. The statutory job is non-negotiable; the… Continue reading What Your Company Secretary Can and Can’t Decide For You: Drawing the Line Between Advisory and Statutory Duties
What Happens to Your Company Secretary When You Change Your Registered Address Across States
Moving your Sdn Bhd’s registered office from, say, Penang to Kuala Lumpur does not change your company secretary’s appointment, duties or qualification status. What it does change is the paperwork: your board must pass a resolution approving the new address, your company secretary lodges a Notice of Change of Registered Office with the Companies Commission… Continue reading What Happens to Your Company Secretary When You Change Your Registered Address Across States
How to Choose a Tax Agent for Your Sdn Bhd in Malaysia: 6 Questions Before You Sign
Before you sign an engagement letter with a tax agent, ask about their license number, their experience with companies your size, how they charge, and what happens if the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN) queries your filing. Get these answers in writing. A tax agent who signs your Form C is legally putting their… Continue reading How to Choose a Tax Agent for Your Sdn Bhd in Malaysia: 6 Questions Before You Sign
Malaysian Business Glossary: 30 Compliance Terms Every Baby Boss Should Know Before Their First Board Meeting
You’re about to sit in your first board meeting. Your company secretary mentions “Annual Return” and “Beneficial Owner” in the same sentence, and you nod along without asking what either one actually means. This glossary breaks down the 30 compliance terms a first-time Malaysian company director (a “Baby Boss”) needs to understand before signing anything,… Continue reading Malaysian Business Glossary: 30 Compliance Terms Every Baby Boss Should Know Before Their First Board Meeting
How to Track Your Sdn Bhd’s Compliance Deadlines Online: A Digital Calendar Every Baby Boss Needs
Your Sdn Bhd must meet at least four recurring compliance deadlines every year: Annual Return, Financial Statement lodgement, Beneficial Owner (BO) updates, and tax filing. Missing any one of them triggers automatic late fees, and in serious cases, director disqualification or the company being struck off the register at the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).… Continue reading How to Track Your Sdn Bhd’s Compliance Deadlines Online: A Digital Calendar Every Baby Boss Needs
First-Time Boss Checklist: 10 Government Registrations Beyond SSM You Might Be Missing in Malaysia
Registering your company with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) is step one, not step ten. A new Sdn Bhd also needs a Tax Identification Number (TIN) with the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN), a corporate bank account, general business licenses from your local council, and, once you hire staff, registration with the Employees Provident Fund… Continue reading First-Time Boss Checklist: 10 Government Registrations Beyond SSM You Might Be Missing in Malaysia
Hiring a Foreign Specialist Doctor or Developer: How Company Structure Affects Employment Pass and Work Permit Applications
If you want to hire a foreign specialist doctor or a foreign developer in Malaysia, your company structure decides whether you can sponsor them at all. A private limited company, known in Malaysia as a Sdn Bhd, can register with the Expatriate Services Division to sponsor an Employment Pass. An ordinary enterprise, meaning a sole… Continue reading Hiring a Foreign Specialist Doctor or Developer: How Company Structure Affects Employment Pass and Work Permit Applications
Who Owns the Code? IP Assignment Clauses Every Tech Founder Needs the Moment They Incorporate a Sdn Bhd
If you write code before your Sdn Bhd exists, or your co-founder or early developer writes it without a signed agreement, the company does not automatically own that code. Under Malaysian law, software is protected as a literary work under the Copyright Act 1987, and ownership sits with whoever created it, unless a written assignment… Continue reading Who Owns the Code? IP Assignment Clauses Every Tech Founder Needs the Moment They Incorporate a Sdn Bhd
Raising Your First Round Funds as a Malaysian Tech Startup: Why Investors Want a Sdn Bhd, Not an Enterprise, Before Due Diligence
If you are pitching investors while registered as an Enterprise (a sole proprietorship or conventional partnership), most Malaysian venture capital firms will not start due diligence until you convert to a Sdn Bhd (Sendirian Berhad, Malaysia’s private limited company structure). This is not a formality. An Enterprise has no legal mechanism to issue or transfer… Continue reading Raising Your First Round Funds as a Malaysian Tech Startup: Why Investors Want a Sdn Bhd, Not an Enterprise, Before Due Diligence