What is the CPF Annual Limit?

The CPF Annual Limit is the most that can go into a member’s CPF accounts in a calendar year from all contributions, mandatory and voluntary: SGD 37,740. It is one of three ceilings — with the SGD 8,000 monthly Ordinary Wage ceiling and the SGD 102,000 annual salary ceiling — that together cap how much CPF a salary attracts.

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Singapore · 2026 · CPF Annual Limit
SGD 37,740
Ordinary Wage ceilingSGD 8,000 / month
Annual salary ceilingSGD 102,000
Derived as37% × 102,000
Excess voluntary top-upsrefunded
CPF Annual LimitSGD 37,740all contributions, per calendar year
OW ceilingSGD 8,000per month, from 1 January 2026
Annual salary ceilingSGD 102,000OW + AW that attract CPF
AW ceiling102,000 − OWOrdinary Wages already subject to CPF
Max monthly CPF on OWSGD 2,96037% × 8,000, aged 55 and below
Next change1 Jan 2027rates for above 55 to 65 rise again
On this pageThe three ceilingsWorked exampleWhat it means for youMisconceptionsRelated termsSources

Key takeaways

  • The CPF Annual Limit is SGD 37,740: 37% of the SGD 102,000 annual salary ceiling. Mandatory contributions from employment and voluntary contributions both count towards it.
  • Monthly salary attracts CPF only up to the Ordinary Wage ceiling of SGD 8,000; the employee’s 20% and employer’s 17% stop at that line, so the most a month of salary can add is SGD 2,960.
  • Bonuses and other Additional Wages attract CPF up to an AW ceiling of SGD 102,000 minus the Ordinary Wages already subject to CPF that year.
  • Voluntary top-ups to all three accounts cannot exceed the Annual Limit once the year’s mandatory contributions are counted; any excess is refunded in the following year.
  • Cash top-ups to the Special or Retirement Account under RSTU and to MediSave sit outside this limit and have their own ceilings (the Full or Enhanced Retirement Sum, the Basic Healthcare Sum).
Definition

Three ceilings, one limit

People search for “the CPF cap” and mean one of three different numbers. Each answers a different question about the same salary.

Ordinary Wage ceilingSGD 8,000 / moThe most monthly salary that attracts CPF. Above it, neither employer nor employee contributes on the excess.
Annual salary ceilingSGD 102,000Caps the total of Ordinary and Additional Wages (bonuses) that attract CPF in a year. Sets the AW ceiling by subtraction.
CPF Annual LimitSGD 37,74037% of the annual salary ceiling: the ceiling on all contributions, mandatory plus voluntary, in a calendar year.

The contribution rate itself is not capped as a percentage — it is set by age band, 37% for employees 55 and below and lower for older bands — but applying it to capped wages produces these ceilings. The contribution rates page lists every band.

Worked example

How the ceilings bite at three salaries

For an employee aged 55 and below at the combined 37% rate. The last column is the room left for a bonus to attract CPF that year.

Monthly salaryOW subject to CPFMonthly CPF (both shares)AW ceiling left
SGD 5,000 / monthSGD 5,000SGD 1,850SGD 42,000
SGD 8,000 / monthSGD 8,000SGD 2,960SGD 6,000
SGD 10,000 / monthSGD 8,000SGD 2,960SGD 6,000

A SGD 10,000 salary with a SGD 30,000 bonus

OW subject to CPF, full yearSGD 96,000
AW ceilingSGD 6,000
Bonus attracting CPFSGD 6,000
Total mandatory CPF for the yearSGD 37,740

Mandatory contributions here reach SGD 37,740, exactly the Annual Limit — which is why the limit equals 37% of the SGD 102,000 ceiling. Any voluntary contribution on top would be refunded.

What it means for you

Who runs into the limit

Higher earnersCPF calculator
Salary above SGD 8,000 a month adds nothing to CPF; take-home pay rises one for one instead. The calculator shows where the ceiling starts to bind.
Bonus monthsCPF contribution rates
A year-end bonus attracts CPF only up to the AW ceiling, which employers compute after the year’s Ordinary Wages are known and reconcile at year end.
Voluntary contributionsCPF calculator
A voluntary contribution to all three accounts is accepted only up to the room left under the Annual Limit; the excess is refunded in the following year. Targeted top-ups (RSTU, MediSave) are governed by other ceilings.
More than one employerCPF contribution rates
Each employer applies the OW ceiling separately, so two jobs can together exceed it; the Annual Limit then caps the year’s total and any excess is refunded in the following year.
Tax reliefIncome tax calculator
CPF Relief on the tax return is limited to contributions on wages up to the same ceilings, so CPF cannot be used to shelter income above them.
Common misconceptions

Five things people get wrong

The CPF cap is SGD 6,000.
That was the Ordinary Wage ceiling before September 2023. It has risen in steps to SGD 8,000 from 1 January 2026.
The Annual Limit caps my salary contributions.
Salary contributions are capped by the wage ceilings; the Annual Limit only binds once voluntary contributions are added, because 37% of the annual salary ceiling already equals it.
Everything I top up counts towards the limit.
Cash top-ups to the Retirement or Special Account and to MediSave are outside the Annual Limit and have their own ceilings.
The employer share is capped separately.
Both shares stop at the same wage ceilings. The Annual Limit is a combined figure for employer plus employee plus voluntary contributions.
The limit is per account.
It is per member per calendar year across all accounts. How the money is split between OA, SA and MediSave follows the age-band allocation ratios.
Sources: CPF Board

This page is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice. All figures and worked examples are estimates for illustrative purposes, are subject to change, and do not reflect any individual’s circumstances. Always refer to the CPF Board and seek independent professional advice before making any financial decisions.