# CPF in Singapore: Who Contributes, the 2026 Rates, and What Happens When You Leave > Singapore CPF: who must contribute (citizens and PRs; EP/S Pass/Work Permit holders exempt), the 2026 employer/employee rates by age band, the S$8,000 wage ceiling, and what happens to CPF when you leave Singapore. Last modified: 2026-08-19T00:43:00.000Z Canonical: https://wiki.private.law/en/singapore-cpf Topics: investments, migration Jurisdictions: singapore Semantic tags: wealth-planning, residence-permit --- ## Concept The Central Provident Fund \(CPF\) is Singapore's mandatory social-savings scheme: employer and employee both pay a percentage of wages into the employee's CPF accounts every month, funding retirement, healthcare and housing. It applies to Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents โ€” and deliberately not to foreign work-pass holders, which is why it sits at the centre of every salary comparison between a local hire and an expatriate package. > ๐Ÿ’ก **Short answer. **CPF is mandatory for Singapore citizens and PRs employed in Singapore: the employer adds its share on top of salary, the employee's share is withheld from it. From 1 January 2026 the headline rates are 20% employee + 17% employer \(37% total\) for those aged 55 and below, tapering by age band to 5% + 7.5% above 70, computed on ordinary wages up to the S$8,000 monthly ceiling \(per the CPF Board schedule; the 2026 senior-rate increase is in MOM's COS 2025 factsheet โ€” verified 2026-08-19 at mom.gov.sg\). Foreigners on an Employment Pass, S Pass or Work Permit do not contribute at all. On leaving: a foreigner has nothing in CPF to withdraw; a citizen or PR's balances stay in the fund, with withdrawal on permanent departure available in defined cases \(verify the mechanics at cpf.gov.sg\). ## Who Is In, Who Is Out - **In: **Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents employed in Singapore. Both sides contribute โ€” the employer's share is on top of the wage, the employee's share is deducted from it. - **PRs in their first two years: **graduated \(lower\) rates apply in the year of obtaining PR and the following year โ€” the full rates apply from the third year \(verify the graduated schedule at cpf.gov.sg\). - **Out: **foreigners on work passes \(EP, S Pass, Work Permit\) โ€” no CPF on either side. This is a real cost difference between a local and an expatriate hire, not a paperwork detail. - **Self-employed: **no employer-employee CPF; MediSave contributions apply to self-employed citizens and PRs above an income threshold \(verify current rules at cpf.gov.sg\). ## The 2026 Rates by Age Band Rates from 1 January 2026, for monthly wages above S$750 \(CPF Board schedule; the senior-worker increase was announced in the MOM COS 2025 factsheet, read 2026-08-19 at mom.gov.sg; the age band changes from the month after the employee's birthday month, per AskGov/CPF\): | Age band | Employee share | Employer share | Total | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 55 and below | 20% | 17% | 37% | | Above 55 to 60 years | 18% | 16% | 34% | | Above 60 to 65 years | 12.5% | 12.5% | 25% | | Above 65 to 70 | 7.5% | 9% | 16.5% | | Above 70 years | 5% | 7.5% | 12.5% | - **Ceilings: **the Ordinary Wage ceiling is S$8,000 per month from 1 January 2026 \(the final step of the phased increase announced in Budget 2023\); an annual salary ceiling of S$102,000 caps total CPF-liable wages. - **Accounts: **contributions are allocated across the Ordinary, Special, MediSave and \(from 55\) Retirement accounts; the Special Account closed for members aged 55+ from early 2025 \(MOF Budget 2024, Annex F-1 โ€” verified at mof.gov.sg\), and the 2026 senior-rate increase is allocated fully to the Retirement Account \(MOM COS 2025 factsheet\). ## Leaving Singapore A foreigner who never contributed has no CPF position at all โ€” there is nothing to close or withdraw. For citizens and PRs the money does not travel: balances remain in CPF and continue to earn interest. Withdrawal on leaving is the exception, not the rule: permanent departure with renunciation of PR \(or citizenship\) opens an application to close the account and withdraw; otherwise the ordinary rules apply โ€” withdrawal rights from age 55 subject to the retirement sums, and CPF LIFE payouts later \(verify the current withdrawal-on-departure mechanics at cpf.gov.sg\). ## Q/A ### Do foreigners on an EP pay CPF? No. CPF covers Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents only; Employment Pass, S Pass and Work Permit holders are outside it, and their employers pay no CPF for them. The expatriate package replaces it with contractual benefits โ€” which is precisely why total-cost comparisons must add the employer CPF share to a local hire's salary. ### What happens to CPF when leaving Singapore? Depends on status. A foreign employee: nothing โ€” no contributions were ever made. A citizen or PR who leaves: balances stay in CPF under the ordinary withdrawal rules \(from 55, against the retirement sums\). A person who renounces PR or citizenship on permanent departure can apply to close the account and withdraw โ€” mechanics and current conditions at cpf.gov.sg \(verify\). ### How much do employers and employees contribute? From 1 January 2026, for employees aged 55 and below on wages above S$750 a month: 20% employee + 17% employer = 37% of ordinary wages up to S$8,000 a month. The rates taper by age band down to 5% + 7.5% above 70 \(CPF Board schedule; 2026 senior increase per MOM COS 2025 factsheet โ€” verified 2026-08-19\). *\*Reviewed: 2026-08-19 ยท Sources: *[*MOM โ€” COS 2025 Factsheet on Senior Employment \(2026 CPF rate increase\)*](https://www.mom.gov.sg/-/media/mom/documents/budget2025/cos-2025-factsheet-on-senior-employment.pdf)*; *[*MOF โ€” Budget 2024 Annex F-1 \(SA closure, retirement sums\)*](https://www.mof.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider3/budget2024/download/pdf/annexf1.pdf)*; AskGov/CPF Board answer on age-band timing \(ask.gov.sg\); CPF Board โ€” cpf.gov.sg \(rates schedule; graduated PR rates and departure-withdrawal mechanics โ€” verify\).\** Cite as: wiki.private.law โ€” "CPF in Singapore: Who Contributes, the 2026 Rates, and What Happens When You Leave", https://wiki.private.law/en/singapore-cpf \(reviewed 2026-08-19\). --- ## Sources - [Ministry of Manpower โ€” COS 2025 Factsheet on Senior Employment Announcements](https://www.mom.gov.sg/-/media/mom/documents/budget2025/cos-2025-factsheet-on-senior-employment.pdf) \(read 2026-08-19\) - [Ministry of Finance โ€” Budget 2024 Annex F-1 \(CPF system adjustments\)](https://www.mof.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider3/budget2024/download/pdf/annexf1.pdf) \(read 2026-08-19\) - [AskGov โ€” CPF contribution rate age-band timing](https://ask.gov.sg/cpf); CPF Board โ€” cpf.gov.sg \(rates, PR graduation, departure mechanics โ€” verify current details\) --- ## FAQ ### Do foreigners on an EP pay CPF? No. CPF covers Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents only; Employment Pass, S Pass and Work Permit holders are outside it, and their employers pay no CPF for them. The expatriate package replaces it with contractual benefits โ€” which is precisely why total-cost comparisons must add the employer CPF share to a local hire's salary. ### What happens to CPF when leaving Singapore? Depends on status. A foreign employee: nothing โ€” no contributions were ever made. A citizen or PR who leaves: balances stay in CPF under the ordinary withdrawal rules (from 55, against the retirement sums). A person who renounces PR or citizenship on permanent departure can apply to close the account and withdraw โ€” mechanics and current conditions at cpf.gov.sg (verify). ### How much do employers and employees contribute? From 1 January 2026, for employees aged 55 and below on wages above S$750 a month: 20% employee + 17% employer = 37% of ordinary wages up to S$8,000 a month. The rates taper by age band down to 5% + 7.5% above 70 (CPF Board schedule; 2026 senior increase per MOM COS 2025 factsheet โ€” verified 2026-08-19). *Reviewed: 2026-08-19 ยท Sources: MOM โ€” COS 2025 Factsheet on Senior Employment (2026 CPF rate increase); MOF โ€” Budget 2024 Annex F-1 (SA closure, retirement sums); AskGov/CPF Board answer on age-band timing (ask.gov.sg); CPF Board โ€” cpf.gov.sg (rates schedule; graduated PR rates and departure-withdrawal mechanics โ€” verify).* Cite as: wiki.private.law โ€” "CPF in Singapore: Who Contributes, the 2026 Rates, and What Happens When You Leave", https://wiki.private.law/en/singapore-cpf (reviewed 2026-08-19).