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CPF Year-End Check: Highlights from Jan–Sep 2025 and What’s Changing in 2026

ByBrian

Okay, let’s do a quick end-of-year check-in — not on your streaming stats, but on your CPF. Think of this as your financial playlist wrap-up: the beats (contributions), the steady chorus (interest), the featured tracks (home, healthcare), and the long-play finale (retirement payouts). Here’s how your CPF quietly supported you from January to September 2025 and what to expect into 2026. Nothing too stuffy, just the highlights you’ll actually care about.

Your contributions: the steady beat

Between January and September 2025, CPF members contributed a total of $43.9 billion. That’s your monthly paychecks, your employer’s share, government grants, dividends and interest all doing the behind-the-scenes work. When you’re grinding at work, your CPF is quietly stacking up contributions of up to 37% of wages for employees aged 55 and below — a simple, automatic way to build towards housing, healthcare and retirement.

What’s changing in 2026?

From 1 January 2026, contribution rates for employees aged above 55 to 65 will rise to help boost retirement adequacy. If you’re earning more than $750 a month, here’s the quick snapshot of total contribution rates by age group:

  • 55 and below: total 37% (employer 17%, employee 20%)
  • Above 55 to 60: total 34% (employer 16%, employee 18%) — small increases apply
  • Above 60 to 65: total 25% (employer 12.5%, employee 12.5%) — increases apply
  • Above 65 to 70: total 16.5% (employer 9%, employee 7.5%)
  • Above 70: total 12.5% (employer 7.5%, employee 5%)

If you fall in those age bands, your CPF contributions will slowly nudge up — a deliberate move to make sure your retirement nest egg keeps pace with what you might need later on.

Interest: the longest running track

Here’s the part you should definitely smile at. In 2024, CPF members received $22.4 billion in interest credits — $20.5 billion from base interest and $1.9 billion in extra interest. That extra interest is the one that rewards smaller balances and older members: an additional 1% on the first $60,000 of combined balances (with up to $20,000 from the Ordinary Account), and for those aged 55 and above, an extra 1% on the first $30,000 as well.

Interest is computed monthly and credited yearly, so even when you’re on holiday binge-watching, your CPF balances keep working. From 1 October to 31 December 2025, the base interest rates were 2.5% for the Ordinary Account and 4% for the Special, MediSave and Retirement Accounts — steady, risk-free returns that form the backbone of your long-term plans.

Home ownership: the foundation

From January to September 2025, CPF withdrawals for housing totalled $9.4 billion. That breaks down to roughly $5.8 billion for public housing (HDB) and $3.6 billion for private properties. Your Ordinary Account (OA) is built to help with downpayments, monthly mortgages, stamp duty and legal fees — basically everything that gets you from browsing listings to turning the keys.

Pro tip: balance how much OA you use versus cash. Using too much OA today can reduce what’s left to compound for retirement, and that affects your future CPF LIFE payouts. It’s a trade-off worth thinking about before signing on the dotted line.

Healthcare: the heartbeat

Healthcare withdrawals between January and September 2025 came to $4.2 billion. That includes claims and payouts across the health protection suite: MediShield Life claims of about $1.2 billion, CareShield Life claims of $13.2 million, and ElderShield claims around $21.3 million.

MediSave chips in for everyday medical costs and approved procedures, MediShield Life helps cover large hospital bills, and CareShield Life supports long-term severe disability needs. Together they’re the system that keeps medical shocks from wrecking your finances — a quiet but crucial safety net.

Retirement and CPF LIFE: press play

From January to September 2025, $4.1 billion in monthly payouts were paid out under retirement schemes. CPF LIFE is the national longevity insurance annuity that gives you monthly payouts for life — pretty much the playlist you want on repeat when you’re enjoying retirement.

You’ll be automatically included in CPF LIFE if you’re a Singapore Citizen or PR, were born in 1958 or later, and have at least $60,000 in retirement savings when monthly payouts begin. Over the years your contributions, interest and withdrawals (like for housing) all shape how big those monthly payouts will be — so it matters how you use your CPF during your working life.

Ready to take action?

Want to see how this all comes together for you personally? Check your personalised CPF dashboard and Yearly Statement of Account. They show everything — inflows like interest and employer contributions, and outflows like housing and healthcare withdrawals. It’s the best way to see your own numbers and make decisions with clarity.

Also give PLAN with CPF a try if you want hands-on tools to plan and track your goals. There are simple planners and quick tips to help you improve your financial fitness beyond the raw CPF numbers.

End-of-year takeaway: your CPF is doing a lot of the heavy lifting — growing with interest, helping you buy and keep a home, covering healthcare needs, and setting you up for regular retirement payouts. It’s worth a short scroll through your dashboard to see how your own balances have moved this year and to plan the next step. Not flashy, but dependable — and honestly, that’s the kind of background track you want for life.

Information in this article is accurate as at the date of publication.

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