Topping up your retirement savings refers to the Retirement Sum Topping-Up Scheme (RSTU). RSTU helps you build up your own or your loved ones’ retirement savings through higher monthly payouts/extending duration of your payout.
For Applicant
1. The top-up recipient must be a Singaporean or Singapore Permanent Resident.
2. The transfer made using my CPF savings are irreversible, i.e. transfers made using my CPF savings cannot be transferred back to my originating CPF Account(s).
3. Top-ups will be made to the Special Account (SA) if the recipient is below 55 years old and the Retirement Account (RA) if the recipient is 55 years old or above.
4. The maximum amount of CPF savings that you can transfer to your spouse’s CPF account is:
5. The maximum amount of CPF savings that you can transfer to your parents’ and/or grandparents’ CPF accounts is:
6. The maximum amount of CPF savings that you can transfer to your siblings’, parents-in-law’s and/or grandparents-in-law’s CPF accounts is:
7. You may be required to submit supporting documents if you are making a CPF transfer to another’s CPF account. Please refer to point 1 of Important Notes for the document(s).
1 BRS can be set aside using your OA savings, SA savings, RA savings6 (if you are 55 years old or above), and net amounts withdrawn for investments4.
2 FRS can be set aside using your OA savings, SA savings, RA savings6 (if you are 55 years old or above), and net amounts withdrawn for investments4.
3 Your OA savings will be transferred first, followed by your SA and then your RA savings, if applicable. You can write to CPF Board to specify the CPF accounts from which to transfer to your spouse, parents and/or grandparents. Please note that if you use your RA savings6 for the transfer, the sum of your RA savings and property5 may be less than your FRS. As a result, when you make a withdrawal from your OA and SA, a portion of the savings will be used to meet your FRS in the RA.
4 Refers to net amounts withdrawn for (i) an active investment account under the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS)-OA, and (ii) investments under the CPFIS-SA and discounted Singtel shares that have not been completely disposed of.
5 Property refers to the CPF savings used for property, including accrued interest (P+I). If you have set aside the BRS and own a property bought using CPF savings, the P+I can be considered towards meeting the FRS for making CPF transfers to your parents and/or grandparents. The property you own must have remaining lease that can last you to at least 95 years old. If you have previously pledged your property for purposes of setting aside part of your retirement sum or to withdraw your retirement savings, the amount secured by the property can be considered towards meeting the FRS for this CPF transfer.
6 RA savings refer to the cash set aside in the RA (excluding amounts such as interest earned, any government grants received), plus retirement withdrawals.
For Recipient
8. The top-up monies in the recipient’s SA and the interest earned will be transferred to his RA when he turns 55 years old.
9. The top-up limit is the maximum top-up amount a recipient can receive in his CPF account. The limit is computed based on the recipient’s CPF savings:
10. Top-up monies are meant to build up the recipient’s retirement savings and will be paid as monthly payouts from reaching payout eligibility age. In line with this, the top-up monies cannot be withdrawn for other purposes and will be excluded from the withdrawable/usable amounts under the following:
- Other CPF schemes for education, investment, insurance, housing, CPF transfers, etc;
- Withdrawals from RA (including property owners); and
- Via exemption from setting aside a retirement sum in the RA.
11. Top-ups to the RA will increase the recipient’s retirement sum, and may reduce the CPF property pledge/charge in their RA, if any.
12. In the event of the recipient's death, any remaining top-ups will be paid to his nominees based on his CPF nomination. If there is no nomination, any remaining CPF transfers will be transferred to the Public Trustee for distribution in accordance with the intestacy laws or inheritance certificate (for Muslims) in Singapore. If the recipient is leaving Singapore permanently and closes his CPF account, any remaining top-ups will be paid to him.
13. If there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the CPF transfer was made with the intent of the giver having access to his CPF monies prematurely, CPF Board will have the discretion to require the refund of CPF transfers to the giver's CPF account.
14. Generally, top-up monies deducted from the RA for payment of annuity premium, including CPF LIFE premium, are no longer considered as top-up monies. Hence, any refund to the RA arising from the termination or surrender of the annuity are not considered top-up monies.
15. Top-ups received by a CPF LIFE member will automatically be used to increase his CPF LIFE premium, latest by the following month, so that he will receive higher CPF LIFE monthly payouts for life. The member will receive his revised monthly payouts the following month after his premium has increased.
16. For a recipient who is not on CPF LIFE and receives top-up, he will receive higher payouts and/or payouts for a longer period.
Important Notes
1. If you are making a CPF transfer to your recipient(s) for the first time, please send us a copy of the following documents together in your application form:
a. Your marriage certificate for transfer to spouse*;
b. Your birth certificate for transfer to parent(s);
c. Your and your parent(s)’s birth certificates for transfer to grandparent(s);
d. Your and your sibling(s)’s birth certificates for transfer to sibling(s);
e. Your marriage certificate* and your spouse’s birth certificate for transfer to parent(s)-in-law; and/or
f. Your marriage certificate*, your spouse’s and your spouse’s parent(s)’s birth certificates for transfer to grandparent(s)-in-law.
Note: If you have previously made a CPF transfer to your recipient, you are not required to submit the supporting documents again to make another CPF transfer to the same recipient.
* Required only if your marriage is registered overseas.
2. Transfers made using CPF savings are not entitled to any tax relief. Cash top-ups are eligible for tax relief, subject to conditions. Cash top-ups can also be made using cash withdrawn from your CPF accounts, if you are eligible to do so.
Status of your Retirement Sum Topping-Up application
3. You can view the transaction online once your application is processed. Log on to myCPF Online Services and view the top-up transaction in your Transaction History.
4. Your application will generally be processed within 5 working days upon receipt of the application and all relevant documents by CPF Board.