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44 guides and explainersTax
Explainer2 min
Singapore uses progressive tax rates for residents: higher income means a higher rate on each slice. Chargeable income is the amount those rates apply to.
Source: IRAS, Individual Income Tax rates · Checked
Explainer1 min
This reference lists the resident marginal bands for Year of Assessment 2026 and distinguishes gross tax on chargeable income from a final tax bill.
Source: IRAS, resident income tax rates · Checked
Explainer1 min
Singapore's standard GST rate is 9%. The effective date and the distinction between standard-rated, zero-rated and exempt sales matter when reading a price.
Source: IRAS, prevailing GST rate · Checked
Explainer1 min
Distinguish income reliefs from tax rebates, and understand the relief cap and the prior-year rules used for YA 2026.
Source: IRAS, personal tax reliefs · Checked
Retirement
Explainer2 min
CPF contributions are split between employer and employee at rates that rise with age, up to the Ordinary Wage ceiling. The rules are explained here.
Source: CPF Board, How much CPF contributions to pay · Checked
Explainer2 min
The SRS gives tax relief on contributions, lets investment returns grow tax-free, and taxes 50% of withdrawals at or after the prescribed retirement age.
Explainer1 min
The employee share falls across the CPF age bands. This reference separates it from the employer share and explains when a birthday changes the rate.
Source: CPF Board, current contribution rates · Checked
Explainer1 min
The Basic and Full Retirement Sums follow the year a member turns 55. The Enhanced Retirement Sum is a current-year top-up ceiling, not a fixed cohort amount.
Source: CPF Board, retirement sums · Checked
Housing
Explainer1 min
SORA is the Singapore Overnight Rate Average, derived from actual overnight interbank transactions. It is a reference rate that home loans add a spread to.
Source: MAS, Singapore Overnight Rate Average · Checked
Explainer3 min
HDB offers a concessionary loan with a pegged rate and its own LTV limit. A bank loan follows MAS rules on tenure and LTV. Two different frameworks.
Source: HDB, Housing Loan from HDB; MAS, Loan Tenure and Loan-to-Value Limits · Checked
Explainer1 min
Understand the progressive Buyer’s Stamp Duty schedule and the separate Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty rules for citizens.
Source: IRAS, Buyer's Stamp Duty · Checked
Explainer2 min
Separate grants for an eligible resale purchase from the levy that can arise when buying another subsidised home.
Source: HDB, CPF housing grants · Checked
Saving and banking
Explainer1 min
The coverage limit combines eligible deposits at each Scheme member, with separate treatment for certain CPF monies.
Source: SDIC, Deposit Insurance FAQs · Checked
Explainer1 min
Savings Bonds combine a published interest schedule with monthly redemption, subject to investment limits and transaction fees.
Source: MAS, Singapore Savings Bonds · Checked
Benefits and family
Explainer1 min
Understand the MediSave balance limit, the age-65 cohort rule and why total CPF contributions are different from MediSave allocations.
Source: CPF Board, Basic Healthcare Sum · Checked
Explainer1 min
Workfare eligibility depends on work income and household conditions, while the published annual maxima are labelled by work year.
Source: CPF Board, Workfare Income Supplement · Checked
Explainer1 min
MediShield Life premiums follow age bands, while coverage depends on treatment, ward class and the scheme's claim limits.
Source: CPF Board, MediShield Life premium table · Checked
Explainer1 min
CareShield Life provides monthly payouts for assessed severe disability, with enrolment and premium rules that depend on age and cohort.
Source: CPF Board, CareShield Life · Checked
Work and pay
Explainer1 min
The monthly ceiling limits Ordinary Wages subject to CPF. The annual ceiling covers both Ordinary and Additional Wages, rather than the contribution amount.
Source: CPF Board, Ordinary Wage ceiling · Checked
Explainer1 min
Self-employed MediSave rates depend on annual net trade income, age and pensioner status, with a phased income band and annual caps.
Source: CPF Board, MediSave contribution rates for self-employed persons in 2026 · Checked
Explainer1 min
SkillsFuture Credit has base and mid-career tiers with different course coverage, while an earlier one-off top-up had a separate expiry date.
Source: MySkillsFuture, SkillsFuture Credit · Checked
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