Exampleson Additional Wage Ceiling Computation
Exampleson Additional Wage Ceiling Computation
The AW Ceiling determines the maximum amount of AW subject to CPF contributions for the year. An employee’s AW Ceiling is computed on a
per employer, per year basis. The Ceiling applies to all Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR).
AW Ceiling Calculation
$102,000* - Total Ordinary Wages (OW) subject to CPF for the year
Step 1: At the start of the year, employers should first estimate the AW ceiling by using the current year’s estimated monthly OW.
Step 2: At the end of the year, upon an employee’s resignation or if there are changes in the employee’s salary, employers are to re-calculate
the AW ceiling of the year based on the OW paid.
Any shortfall in contributions should be paid together with the CPF contributions at the end of the year in December or in the employee’s last
month of employment.
If excess CPF contributions were paid, employers should apply for a refund via the online application.
The applicable AW Ceiling depends on the due and payable date of the AW. For example, if the 2017 bonus is due and payable to the employee
in 2018, then the employer should contribute according to the 2018 AW Ceiling.
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1. Employee earns more than $6,000 of Ordinary Wage (OW)
My employee who is below 55 years old, earned a monthly salary of $7,000. He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
In this case, the maximum AW that is subject to CPF in 2018 would be $30,000. The remaining AW of $70,000 would not be subject to CPF, if
your employee works till the end of the year.
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2. Employee earns less than $6,000 of Ordinary Wage (OW)
My employee who is below 55 years old, earned a monthly salary of $4,500. He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
In this case, the maximum AW that is subject to CPF in 2018 would be $48,000. The remaining AW of $52,000 would not be subject to CPF, if
your employee works till the end of the year.
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3. Employee’s Ordinary Wage (OW) increased during the year
My employee who is below 55 years old, earned a monthly salary of $4,500 from Jan to Mar 2018. His salary then increased to $6,000 from
Apr to Dec 2018. He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
With the increment of your employee’s OW in Apr 2018, his AW subject to CPF in 2018 would be $34,500 instead of $48,000. The remaining
AW paid of $65,500 would not be subject to CPF, if your employee works till the end of the year.
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4. Employee’s Ordinary Wage (OW) decreased during the year
My employee who is below 55 years old, earned a monthly salary of $7,000 from Jan to Jun 2018. His salary decreased to $5,000 from Jul to
Dec 2018. He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
With the decrease in your employee’s OW in Jul 2018, his AW subject to CPF in 2018 would be $36,000 instead of $30,000. The employer is
required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling at the end of the year and pay the CPF shortfall on AW of $6,000 in Dec 2018.
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5. Employee joined the company during the year
My employee who is below 55 years old, earned a monthly salary of $7,000 starting from Jun 2018. He received a total Additional Wage (AW)
of $100,000 in 2018.
Your employee’s AW subject to CPF in 2018 would be $60,000. The remaining AW paid of $40,000 would not be subject to CPF, if your
employee works till the end of the year.
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6. Employee left employment during the year
My employee who is below 55 years old, earned a monthly salary of $7,000. He subsequently resigned in Aug2018. He received a total
Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling in the employee’s last month of employment and pay the CPF shortfall on AW of
$24,000 in Aug 2018.
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7. Employee left employment during the year
My employee who is below 55 years old, earned a monthly salary of $7,000. He resigned in early Jun 2018 and his salary was prorated at
$1,500. The company then paid him a bonus of $54,000 in Jul 2018. He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
Jun 2018: The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling in the employee’s last month of employment and pay the CPF shortfall on
AW of $16,000. This is because the AW given to the employee up to Jun 2018 was only $46,000, which is below the AW Ceiling.
Jul 2018: The employee was given another AW of $54,000 (after his resignation). Hence, the employer needs to re-calculate the AW Ceiling
and pay another CPF shortfall on AW of $24,500.
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8. Employee left employment during the year
My employee who is below 55 years old, earned a monthly salary of $4,000. He resigned in May 2018 and the company paid a bonus of
$18,500 in Jun 2018. He therefore received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
May 2018: The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling in the employee’s last month of employment and pay CPF on the AW
shortfall of $27,500. This is because the AW given to the employee up to May 2018 was only $81,500, which is below the AW Ceiling.
Jun 2018: The employee was given another AW of $18,500 (after his resignation). The employer would therefore need to re-calculate the AW
Ceiling and pay another CPF shortfall on AW of $500.
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9. Employee left employment during the year
My employee who is below 55 years old, earned a monthly salary of $7,000. He resigned in Jun 2018 and the company paid a bonus of
$62,372.64 in Jul 2018. He therefore received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
Jun 2018: The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling in the employee’s last month of employment and pay the CPF shortfall on
AW of $7,627.36 ($604.92 + $7,022.44). This is because the AW given to the employee up to Jun 2018 was only $37,627.36, which is below
the AW Ceiling.
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Total CPF payable in Jun 2018 should be calculated as follows:
AW Subject to Month in which CPF is Total CPF payable Employer Share Employee Share
CPF payable of CPF payable of CPF payable
24,000.50 Refer to (i) & (ii) 8,880 4,080 4,800
(i) (23,395.58) Mar 2018 (capped at $30,000) (8,656) (3,977) (4,679)
(ii) 604.92 Jun 2018 (re-calculation) 224 103 121
7,022.44 Jun 2018 (re-calculation) 2,598 1,194 1,404
Total Contributions Payable on AW in Jun 2018 2,822 1,297 1,525
Jul 2018: Although the employer had paid the CPF shortfall on AW in Jun 2018, there was another AW of $62,372.64 paid to the employee
after his resignation. The employer would therefore need to pay another CPF shortfall on AW of $28,372.64.
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10. Employee change of age group during the year
My employee who turned 55 years old in Jun 2018 earned a monthly salary of $10,000. He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000
in 2018.
Your employee’s AW subject to CPF in 2018 would be $30,000. The remaining AW paid of $70,000 would not be subject to CPF, if your
employee works till the end of the year.
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11. Employee change of Original Wage (OW) and age group during the year
My employee who turned 55 years old in Jun 2018, earned a monthly salary of $7,000 from Jan to Jun 2018 and $5,000 from Jul to Dec 2018.
He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling and pay the CPF shortfall on AW of $6,000 in Dec 2018. The CPF shortfall on AW
should be paid using the contribution rate as at Apr 2018 (37%) instead of Dec 2018 (26%), as the CPF shortfall arises from the AW paid in Apr
2018 (before change of age group).
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12. Employee change of Ordinary Wage (OW) and age group during the year
My employee who turned 55 years old in Jun 2018, earned a monthly salary of $10,000 from Jan to Jun 2018 and $5,000 from Jul to Dec 2018.
He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling and pay the CPF shortfall on AW of $6,000 in Dec 2018.
Do note that the CPF shortfall on AW should be paid based on the following:
a) Balance of $2,000 paid in Jun 2018 should use the contribution rate as at Jun 2018 (37%)
b) Balance of $4,000 paid in Oct 2018 should use the contribution rate as at Oct 2018 (26%)
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13. Employee change of age group and left employment during the year
My employee who turned 55 years old in Jun 2018 earned a monthly salary of $7,000. He resigned in Aug 2018. He received a total Additional
Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling in the employee’s last month of employment and pay the CPF shortfall on AW of
$24,000 in Aug 2018.
Do note that the CPF shortfall on AW should be paid based on the following:
a) Balance of $10,000 paid in Jan 2018 should use the contribution rate as at Jan 2018 (37%)
b) Balance of $14,000 ($54,000 - $40,000) should use the contribution rate as at Aug 2018 (26%)
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14. Employee change of age group and left employment during the year
My employee who turned 55 years old in Jun 2018 earned a monthly salary of $7,000 from Feb 2018. He resigned in early Nov 2018 and his
salary was prorated to $2,000. The company paid an AW of $60,000 in Dec 2018. He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in
2018.
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Nov 2018: The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling in the employee’s last month of employment and pay the CPF shortfall on
AW of $4,000. This is because the AW given to the employee up to Nov 2018 was only $40,000.
Dec 2018: The employee was given another AW of $60,000 (after his resignation). The employer would therefore need to re-calculate the AW
Ceiling and pay another CPF shortfall on AW of $6,000.
Please note that the CPF shortfall on AW should be paid based on the following:
a) Balance of $4,000 paid in Feb 2018 should use the contribution rate as at Feb 2018 (37%)
b) Balance of $6,000 ($46,000 - $40,000) should use the contribution rate as at Dec 2018 (26%)
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15. Employee change of age group and left employment during the year
My employee who turned 55 years old in Mar 2018 earned a monthly salary of $7,000. He resigned in Jun 2018 and the company paid an AW of
$62,372.64 in Jul 2018. He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
Jun 2018: The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling in the employee’s last month of employment and pay the CPF shortfall on AW
of $7,627.36. This is because the AW given to the employee up to Jun 2018 was only $37,627.36, which is below the AW Ceiling.
The total CPF payable in Jun 2018 should be calculated as follows:
AW Subject to Month in which CPF is Total CPF payable Employer Share Employee Share
CPF payable of CPF payable of CPF payable
24,000.50 Refer to (i) & (ii) 8,880 4,080 4,800
(i) (23,395.58) Mar 2018 (capped at $30,000) (8,656) (3,977) (4,679)
(ii) 604.92 Jun 2018 (re-calculation) 224 103 121
7,022.44 Jun 2018 (re-calculation) 1,826 914 912
Total Contributions Payable on AW in Jun 2018 2,050 1,017 1,033
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Please note that the CPF shortfall on AW should be paid based on the following:
a) Balance of $604.92 paid in Mar2018 should use the contribution rate as at Mar 2018 (37%)
b) Balance of $7022.44 paid in Apr 2018 should use the contribution rate as at Apr 2018 (26%)
Jul 2018: There was another AW of $62,372.64 paid to the employee after his resignation. The employer would therefore need to pay the CPF
shortfall on AW of $28,372.64.
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16. Employee left and re-joined the company
My employee who is below 55 years old earned a monthly salary of $10,000 from Jan to Apr 2018. He received Additional Wages (AW) of
$50,000 in Feb 2018. He then resigned in Apr 2018.
Subsequently, he re-joined the company in Sep 2018 with a monthly salary of $11,000. He also received another AW of $50,000 in Dec 2018.
He received a total Additional Wage (AW) of $100,000 in 2018.
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Total 84,000 48,000 8,160 9,600 100,000 54,000 9,180 10,800
Apr 2018: The employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling in the employee’s last month of employment and pay the CPF shortfall on
AW of $20,000.
Dec 2018: As the employee re-joined the company in Sep 2018, the employer is required to re-calculate the AW Ceiling and pay the CPF on
the balance AW of $4,000.
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