CPF Allocation (OA, SA, MA) in Singapore: Your Questions Answered
These are the questions people ask most often about cpf allocation (oa, sa, ma). Each answer is short; follow the links for the full detail.
What does a cpf allocation (oa, sa, ma) calculation tell me?
Shows how each month's 37% CPF contribution is split between your Ordinary, Special and MediSave accounts by age group.
What is the formula?
Each account receives a fixed percentage of wages: for 35 and below it is 23% OA, 6% SA and 8% MA, with more shifting to SA and MA as you get older.
What do I need to enter?
Monthly salary (S$), Age group.
Are these figures exact?
They follow the published CPF and MOM formulas, but your employer's payroll may round slightly differently or include allowances in a different way. Your payslip is the final reference.
Can you show an example?
For example, with these inputs:
- Monthly salary (S$): 5,000
- Age group: 35 and below
the calculator returns:
- Ordinary Account: S$1,150.00
- Special Account: S$300.00
- MediSave Account: S$400.00
- Total: S$1,850.00
Any tips?
- Keep a copy of your payslips: MOM requires employers to issue itemised payslips, which makes checking deductions easy.
- Use your basic salary plus fixed allowances as the ordinary wage; bonuses are additional wages with their own ceiling.
- Remember the S$8,000 monthly Ordinary Wage ceiling from January 2026: salary above it does not attract CPF.
Background
CPF distinguishes between ordinary wages, which are paid for work in the month such as basic salary and fixed allowances, and additional wages, such as annual bonuses and leave encashment. Ordinary wages are capped at S$8,000 a month from January 2026, while additional wages are capped by an annual ceiling of S$102,000 minus the ordinary wages already subject to CPF in the year.
Payslips must be itemised, showing basic pay, allowances, overtime, deductions and CPF. Comparing a payslip against an independent calculation is the easiest way to catch mistakes, especially in the first month of a new job, after a pay rise, or when you cross an age band.
The Central Provident Fund is Singapore's mandatory savings scheme for citizens and permanent residents. Contributions are shared between employee and employer and flow into the Ordinary Account for housing, education and investment, the Special Account for retirement, and MediSave for healthcare. Because the money is locked up for specific purposes, many people underestimate how much of their total pay it represents.
Related calculations
- Pro-Rated Annual Leave Calculator: Calculates leave earned for part of a year.
- Salary Converter (Annual, Monthly, Hourly): Converts an annual package into monthly, weekly, daily and hourly figures.
- CPF OA Interest Calculator: Projects your CPF Ordinary Account balance with the 2.5% floor rate and regular contributions.
- CPF Special Account Interest Calculator: Projects Special Account growth at the 4% floor rate.
Try it yourself with the CPF Allocation Calculator (OA, SA, MA).
Run your own numbers: CPF Allocation Calculator (OA, SA, MA)