Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 3 company types, its taxes, banking and business environment, and what it is known for.
Forming a company
Company types in Bangladesh
The 3 forms a founder can choose here, each with its own figures. Open one for its sources.
What it is known for
Where Bangladesh is in the world’s top 10 on a measure anyone can check, the best rank first. Only the top is shown; a low rank is never stated.
- World’s2ndWorld-leading exports T-shirts and vests, knittedT-shirts, singlets and other vests, knitted or crochetedUS$8.5 bn · 17.0% of world exports of 226 exporters · 2024 CEPII BACI, January 2026 release See the top 10
- World’s2ndWorld-leading exports Men's and boys' suits, jackets and trousersMen's or boys' suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts (other than swimwear)US$8.3 bn · 17.2% of world exports of 219 exporters · 2024 CEPII BACI, January 2026 release See the top 10
- World’s2ndWorld-leading exports Jumpers, cardigans and similar, knittedJerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and similar articles, knitted or crochetedUS$7.3 bn · 11.4% of world exports of 223 exporters · 2024 CEPII BACI, January 2026 release See the top 10
A rank is among everything the source reports for that year, so it moves when the source adds or drops economies. Exports include goods passing through for re-export. Nothing here is a recommendation.
Doing business here
Business accounts
Providers whose own published list of countries names Bangladesh. A listing means a company formed here may apply, not that it will be accepted.
Not in our records No provider's country list has been read for Bangladesh.
EU listings
Two lists a bank checks when it opens an account for a company or its owner.
- EU high-risk third countries (AML)
- Not listed
- EU non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes
- Not listedOfficial EUR-Lex, 52026XG01465, Annex I as of 2026-02-17
Official sites
The authorities’ own sites for Bangladesh: where to register, file and check.
Blocs and agreements
The trade arrangements Bangladesh belongs to, as each arrangement’s own texts state them: since when, and what each covers. What a membership means for a business is for you to judge.
- South Asian Free Trade Area
- Free trade area · since 1 January 2006
Covers goods.
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Member States comprising the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Kingdom of Bhutan, the Republic of India, the Republic of Maldives, the Kingdom of Nepal, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
- Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
- Has asked to join
Listed by the RCEP Support Unit among five economies that have submitted formal requests to accede; the page does not say any accession has been agreed.
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1 January 2022 Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Japan, Lao PDR, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam
Regional and customs arrangements only, 36 of them; bilateral trade agreements are not yet in our records.
Tax
Company tax
Tax, and what the company owes the registry each year.
- Corporate income tax
- 27.5%Official nbr.gov.bd as of 2026-10-14 · the rate for the Private company
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আয়কর আইন, ২০২৩ এ সংজ্ঞারয়ত ২৭.৫%
- Distributions
- Not in our records
- Audit
- Every company appoints one or more auditors at each annual general meeting (Companies Act 1994 s.210(1)); no small-company exemption found in the Act.Official The registry or ministry page as of 2026-10-14
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প্রত্যেক কোম্পানী উহার প্রত্যেক বার্ষিক সাধারণ সভায় এক বা একাধিক নিরীত্মগককে উক্ত সভার সমাপ্তি হইতে পরবর্তী বার্ষিক সাধারণ সভার সমাপ্তি পর্যন্ত সময়ের জন্য নিয়োগ করিবে
- Small-company relief
- Not in our records
- Annual obligations
- Not in our records
- Annual registry fee
- Not in our records
VAT
The tax on what the company sells in Bangladesh, and when it must register, as the tax authority states it.
- Standard rate
- 15%
Exports are zero-rated; reduced-base rates of 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 4%, 5%, 5.5%, 6%, 7.5%, 9% and 10% apply to some services.
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The standard rate of VAT is 15%. Applicable rate of VAT in case of import and supply is 15% and in case of export is 0%.
- Other rates
- 0% Exports of goods and services
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The standard rate of VAT is 15%. Applicable rate of VAT in case of import and supply is 15% and in case of export is 0%.
- Registration threshold
- BDT 8,000,000
turnover, excluding exempt supplies, capital asset sales, sale of the business and supplies on permanent closure; 12 months (the preceding 12 months, or the succeeding 12 months on an estimate)
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the limit of Taka 80 (eighty) lakh as turnover of an economic activity of any person
- Voluntary registration
- Yes
A person making a taxable supply who is not required to be registered may apply voluntarily to the Commissioner for VAT registration.
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Any person, making a taxable supply in the process of economic activities are not required to be registered, may voluntarily make, within such time, on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed, an application to the Commissioner for VAT registration.
- A foreign company
- needs a local tax representative
A non-resident individual who operates an economic activity from a particular place in Bangladesh does so by appointing a VAT agent; the FAQ does not state whether the registration threshold applies or from which supply registration runs.
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If any non-resident individual likes to operate economic activity from a particular place in Bangladesh, he will operate his economic activity or business by appointing a VAT agent.
- Returns filed
- Monthly
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in relation to VAT and supplementary duty, one month of the Christian Calendar
- Tax authority
- Registration page read 2026-10-22
Tax calendar
When the main returns and payments fall due in Bangladesh, tax year 2025-2026, as the tax authority states it.
- Corporate tax return
- 6 months and 15 days after the end of the accounting period · each year
a company files its annual return by the 15th day of the seventh month following the end of its income year, or 15 September following the income year where the 15th day of the seventh month falls before 15 September. For the standard 30 June income year that is 15 January; for a 31 December year end the 15 September floor applies. The rule records the 15th of the seventh month after period end (six months plus fifteen days); the September floor and the June year-end convention are in this note. If Tax Day is a holiday it falls on the next working day. NBR extended the corporate filing to 15 April 2026 by notification for the most recent period.
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in the case of a company, the 15th (fifteenth) day of the seventh month following the end of the income year or the fifteenth day of September following the end of the income year where the said fifteenth day falls before the fifteenth day
- Corporate tax, final payment
- 6 months and 15 days after the end of the accounting period · each year
any balance of tax after advance tax and withholding credits is paid on a self-assessment basis before the return is filed, so the payment date is the company's Tax Day — the 15th day of the seventh month following the end of the income year (or 15 September where that day falls before 15 September), for the standard 30 June income year 15 January. The rule mirrors the filing rule; the payment and the return are simultaneous obligations. The same next-working-day rule applies where Tax Day is a holiday.
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in the case of a company, the 15th (fifteenth) day of the seventh month following the end of the income year or the fifteenth day of September following the end of the income year where the said fifteenth day falls before the fifteenth day
- Corporate tax, instalments
- 15 September · each quarter
advance income tax is paid in four equal quarterly instalments on 15 September, 15 December, 15 March and 15 June of the financial year. The record takes the first date, 15 September. Section 155(3) of the Income Tax Act 2023 provides that where the date falls on a public holiday the instalment is paid on the next working day. The threshold and the estimate provisions are in sections 154-156.
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Every taxpayer is required to pay advance tax in four equal installments falling on 15th September; 15th December; 15th March and 15th June of each year if the latest assessed income exceeds Taka four lakh.
- Personal income-tax return
- 30 November · each year
for an assessee other than a company the Tax Day is 30 November following the end of the income year (for the standard 1 July to 30 June income year, 30 November of that calendar year). A first-time individual filer has until 30 June following the income year, and an individual residing abroad may have 90 days from returning to Bangladesh. Where Tax Day is a holiday it moves to the next working day. NBR extended the individual filing date by notification to 31 March 2026 for the most recent period.
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in the case of an assesse other than a company, the 30th (thirtieth) day of November following the end of the income year
- Personal income tax, final payment
- 30 November · each year
an individual pays the balance of tax on a self-assessment basis before or when filing the return, so the payment date is the individual's Tax Day, 30 November following the income year. The rule mirrors the filing rule. Any extension of the filing date (the most recent extended to 31 March 2026) also carries the payment. Where Tax Day is a holiday it moves to the next working day.
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in the case of an assesse other than a company, the 30th (thirtieth) day of November following the end of the income year
- Personal income tax, instalments
- 15 September · each quarter
an individual pays advance income tax in four equal quarterly instalments on 15 September, 15 December, 15 March and 15 June. The record takes the first date, 15 September. The NBR's Income Tax at a Glance states the liability arises where the latest assessed income exceeds Taka four lakh; other NBR guidance and the Act put the threshold higher (around Taka ten lakh) for individuals, so the threshold should be checked against the Act in force. Section 155(3) moves an instalment falling on a public holiday to the next working day.
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Every taxpayer is required to pay advance tax in four equal installments falling on 15th September; 15th December; 15th March and 15th June of each year if the latest assessed income exceeds Taka four lakh.
- VAT return
- Day 15 of the following month · each month
tax is paid, and the VAT return filed, by the 15th day of the month following each tax period; a business may hold the tax up to 45 days. The record takes the monthly case stated on the NBR's own VAT page. The NBR VAT compliance guide (Bengali) repeats that the tax is computed at month end and paid and the return filed by the 15th of the following month. From 1 July 2026 the Finance Act 2026 was reported to make the quarterly return the default for standard taxpayers (within 15 days of the quarter end), with monthly filing on election; the NBR page here still states the monthly rule, so the monthly case is recorded and the possible 2026 change is flagged.
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Tax has to be paid within 15 days of the following month of each Tax Period.
- Payroll withholding
- Day 25 of the following month · each month
a withholding agent (an employer withholding tax on salaries among them) files the monthly return of withholding tax for the preceding month by the 25th of each month, and deposits the withheld tax with it. The Finance Act 2024 substituted the 25th for the former 15th. Where the 25th is a weekly or public holiday the return is filed on the following working day. The record takes the monthly return date as the payroll-withholding deadline.
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the applicable return for the preceding month shall be filed by the 1[25th (twenty fifteenth) of every month
Running the company
Running a company here
Not in our records The authorities’ pages on running a company have not been read for Bangladesh yet.
Economy and trade
What it exports
Goods Bangladesh exported, by product, as a share of its goods exports each year. Exports include goods passing through for re-export. A share describes Bangladesh’s own trade; it does not compare places.
| Product (HS heading) | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Value, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-shirts, singlets and other vests, knitted or crocheted HS 6109 | 14.1% | 14.4% | 14.5% | US$8.5 bn |
| Men's or boys' suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts (other than swimwear) HS 6203 | 13.7% | 14.0% | 14.2% | US$8.3 bn |
| Jerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and similar articles, knitted or crocheted HS 6110 | 12.4% | 12.4% | 12.4% | US$7.3 bn |
| Women's or girls' suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, dresses, skirts, divided skirts, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts (other than swimwear) HS 6204 | 10.3% | 10.3% | 10.6% | US$6.2 bn |
| Women's or girls' suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, dresses, skirts, divided skirts, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts (other than swimwear), knitted or crocheted HS 6104 | 6.4% | 5.7% | 5.7% | US$3.3 bn |
| Men's or boys' shirts HS 6205 | 4.0% | 4.6% | 4.3% | US$2.6 bn |
| Women's or girls' slips, petticoats, briefs, panties, nightdresses, pyjamas, négligés, bathrobes, dressing gowns and similar articles, knitted or crocheted HS 6108 | 2.7% | 2.4% | 2.5% | US$1.5 bn |
| Men's or boys' shirts, knitted or crocheted HS 6105 | 2.2% | 2.4% | 2.3% | US$1.4 bn |
| Men's or boys' overcoats, car-coats, capes, cloaks, anoraks (including ski-jackets), wind-cheaters, wind-jackets and similar articles, other than those of heading 6203 HS 6201 | 2.2% | 2.4% | 2.3% | US$1.4 bn |
| Women's or girls' overcoats, car-coats, capes, cloaks, anoraks (including ski-jackets), wind-cheaters, wind-jackets and similar articles, other than those of heading 6204 HS 6202 | 1.8% | 2.0% | 2.2% | US$1.3 bn |
Total goods exports, 2024: US$58.8 bn. The ten largest headings are shown.