As an employer, you are required to make CPF contributions at the monthly rates stated in the CPF Act. You can recover your employee's share of the contribution by deducting it from their wages.
Employees who require CPF contributions
You must pay CPF contributions for your employees who are Singapore citizens or Singapore permanent residents (SPRs).
An employee is any person who is employed in Singapore. This includes any Singaporean seaman who is employed under a contract of service or other agreement entered into in Singapore.
The following employees are also eligible for CPF contributions:
- Company directors.
- Part-time or casual employees.
- Operationally Ready NSmen on in-camp training. You have to pay CPF contributions on an NSman’s wages, including makeup pay from MINDEF. You can recover the employee’s share of the contributions from his wages.
- Family members of the business owner, if they are receiving wages for work done for the owner.
- Employees concurrently employed by another employer.
When to pay CPF contributions
CPF contributions are due at the end of the month.
You must:
- Ensure that CPF contributions are paid on time.
- Communicate payment dates to your employees.
Your employees have the right to check with you if you don’t pay their CPF on time. They can ask for an explanation and when you’ll be paying if you’re late.
Unable to pay CPF contributions on time
If you’re unable to pay on time, you must:
- Pay your employees’ outstanding CPF as soon as possible.
- Prioritise CPF contributions among your company’s outstanding payments.
You should also:
- Inform your employees beforehand if you’re unable to pay them their CPF contributions on time.
- Inform your employees the reasons for being late and when they can expect their payment.
Penalties for not paying CPF
If you don’t pay by 14th of the following month, you may be liable to:
- Late payment interest charged at 18% per annum (1.5% per month), starting from the first day of the following month after the contributions are due. The minimum interest payable is $5 per month.
- A fine of up to $5,000 and no less than $1,000 per offence, up to 6 months jail, or both.
- For repeat offenders, a fine of up to $10,000 and no less than $2,000 per offence, up to 12 months jail, or both.
- A fine of up to $10,000, up to 7 years jail, or both if you deduct your employee’s share of CPF contributions but fail to pay the contributions to CPF Board.
Recovering your employee's share of CPF contributions
You must pay both the employer’s and employee’s share of the monthly CPF contribution. However, you can recover your employee’s share by deducting it from their wages when the contributions are paid for that month.
If you did not recover the money by then, and it was not due to negligence, you can still do so. This is provided you have:
- Paid the CPF contributions.
- Forwarded your employee’s written consent to the Board, or obtained the Board’s written permission.
You need to recover the employee’s share within 6 months of the time the contributions should have been recovered.
Migrant workers and CPF
If you are paying the foreign worker levy for your migrant workers, you do not have to pay CPF contributions for them. However, you are required to pay the Skills Development Levy (SDL).
Work Permit holders will come under the CPF scheme if they become Singapore permanent residents. This takes effect from the day are granted permanent residency.
For more information on an employer’s CPF obligations, refer to: