Division of CPF assets

Since 19 January 2025, CPF members’ Special Accounts are closed if members are aged 55 and above. If you turn age 55 after 19 January 2025, your Special Account will be closed on your 55th birthday.

If the CPF Board receives a court order for it to make a transfer or payment from your Special Account, the Board will not be able to carry out such a court order once your Special Account is closed. In such a scenario, you and your ex-spouse may wish to consider settling the matter privately.

Alternatively, parties may apply to the Court to vary the court order, so that the transfer or payment is made from a different CPF account. We strongly recommend parties seek legal advice so that both of you understand the application process and its implications.

If CPF savings are to be divided as part of the divorce, the court order will need to specify how this will be done:

Transfer order

Under a transfer order, the CPF Board transfers savings directly from 1 party's CPF accounts to the receiving party's CPF accounts. Generally, money is transferred to corresponding CPF accounts: from Ordinary Account to Ordinary Account, MediSave Account to MediSave Account, and so on.

For a transfer order to work, the receiving party must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident. The receiving party can use the CPF savings immediately for approved CPF schemes such as housing and investment. They may also withdraw the savings when they are eligible. 

Transfer orders can be enforced even if the party transferring the savings has yet to meet their Full Retirement Sum.

Charging order

Under a charging order, the CPF Board pays 1 party's CPF savings to the receiving party in cash. A charging order is generally possible only if the paying party is aged 55 or above, and eligible to withdraw their CPF savings.

How the court order is executed depends on the receiving party's citizenship status:

• If the receiving party is a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident: Generally, the charge can only be imposed on savings in the paying party’s Ordinary Account. Only withdrawable savings in the paying party’s Ordinary Account (after setting aside the Full Retirement Sum in the Retirement Account) can be paid to the receiving party.
• If the receiving party is a non-Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident: The charge can be imposed on all of the paying party’s CPF accounts’ savings. There's no requirement that the paying party must meet the Full Retirement Sum for the payment to be made.

Court order on the division of property

If you and your ex-spouse are co-owners of a property financed using CPF savings, the court order may specify either

• a transfer of one party’s ownership to the other party, or
• a sale of the property so that the sales proceeds can be divided.

Deciding who should own the matrimonial home

If you’re considering whether to become the sole owner of the property, i.e. your ex-spouse gives up ownership of the property, consider these details:

• The outgoing owner’s CPF savings used to finance the property needs to be refunded. The remaining owner may use cash and/or their Ordinary Account savings to make the required funds to the outgoing owner’s CPF account.
• As the remaining owner of the property, you will need to service monthly instalments of the home loan by yourself. Consider your income and finances before you apply to retain the property.

Buying your next home

If your home is sold or transferred after a divorce, you may need to buy a new home. You should take into account your financial situation post-divorce, such as your ability to service the monthly instalments if you are taking over ownership. 

You may also use the Home Purchase Planner to estimate your budget for your next property.