If you want one number: the average CPF member had about $155,000 across all their accounts at the end of 2025. But that average hides a wide spread by age. A 27-year-old sits near $59,000, someone in their early 50s is past $314,000, and balances then fall as people withdraw and start drawing payouts. Here is the full picture by age group, where the figures come from, and how to read your own number against the 2026 retirement sums instead of against the crowd.
The table below is the average net CPF balance per member in each age band, as at 31 December 2025. It is computed from the CPF Board's own published figures: total net balances by age group divided by the number of members in that group. Net balance means what is actually sitting in your Ordinary, Special, MediSave and Retirement Accounts right now, before any money you have already taken out for housing or investments.
Balances climb steeply from your late 20s, peak in the early-to-mid 50s, then taper as members hit 55 (when part of the savings can be withdrawn) and 65 (when CPF LIFE payouts begin).
| Age group | Members | Average balance |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 20 | 739,000 | $4,300 |
| Above 20 to 25 | 215,000 | $13,500 |
| Above 25 to 30 | 271,000 | $59,100 |
| Above 30 to 35 | 327,000 | $114,400 |
| Above 35 to 40 | 337,000 | $161,300 |
| Above 40 to 45 | 323,000 | $214,500 |
| Above 45 to 50 | 315,000 | $268,300 |
| Above 50 to 55 | 316,000 | $315,100 |
| Above 55 to 60 | 296,000 | $312,200 |
| Above 60 to 65 | 304,000 | $289,800 |
| Above 65 to 70 | 282,000 | $191,400 |
| Above 70 to 75 | 224,000 | $160,400 |
| Above 75 to 80 | 163,000 | $98,700 |
| Above 80 | 159,000 | $47,000 |
| All members | 4,271,000 | $154,800 |
Older guides you may have seen used CPF's 2021 annual report and quoted median balance bands, like '$200,000 to under $220,000' for those aged 35 to 40. Two things have changed.
First, the data is newer. Total CPF net balances grew from $505.7 billion at end-2021 to $661.3 billion at end-2025, driven by contributions, the 4% floor on Special, MediSave and Retirement Account monies, and members topping up. So the 2021 bands understate where balances sit today.
Second, average and median are not the same thing. The figures above are averages, which get pulled up by high savers. A median (the middle person) would be lower in most bands because CPF balances are skewed: a minority of members hold a lot. CPF's own distribution shows roughly 654,000 members with regrossed balances of $500,000 or more at end-2025, while about 1.2 million sit below $20,000 (many of them young or low-activity members). Treat the average as a benchmark, not as 'what a normal person your age has'.
CPF publishes its balance data split by sex, and the gap is smaller than most people assume. Across all 4.27 million members at end-2025, the average man held about $161,100 and the average woman about $148,900, an 8% difference. The headline gap traces back to the working years, when men tend to earn more, take fewer career breaks and so contribute more.
The part that surprises people is the start of the curve. Young women out-save young men. In the band above 25 to 30, the average woman held about $66,900 against a man's $51,300, and women stay ahead through their early 30s. Women enter the workforce slightly younger on average and a chunk of male contributions are paused during full-time national service, so the female balance builds first. Men overtake from the 40s as wage differences compound, and they hold a wider lead by the early 50s, roughly $333,900 to $295,500.
If you are a woman planning around a career break or a stretch of lower income, the CPF contribution calculator shows what a pause does to the curve, and a Retirement Sum Topping-Up transfer from a spouse's account is one way to keep both Retirement Accounts on track for the Full Retirement Sum.
| Age group | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Above 25 to 30 | $51,300 | $66,900 |
| Above 50 to 55 | $333,900 | $295,500 |
| Above 55 to 60 | $330,000 | $295,200 |
| All members | $161,100 | $148,900 |
Two different balance figures float around, and mixing them up is the most common reason readers think the table is wrong. The averages above are net balances: the money physically in your accounts today. Some guides instead quote regrossed balances, which add back everything you have already taken out under CPF schemes, mainly money used to pay for your HDB flat or private property, plus any investments and education withdrawals.
Regrossed balances run much higher because most Singaporeans pour a large slice of their Ordinary Account into housing. A 40-year-old who has spent $180,000 of OA on a flat shows a modest net balance but a far larger regrossed one. That gap is also a quiet liability: the OA money used for property accrues CPF accrued interest at 2.5% a year, which you must return to your CPF when you sell. So a high regrossed figure is not free wealth, part of it is owed back to yourself.
When you read your own number, match like for like. The net balance on your CPF dashboard is what maps to the table here. If a chart you saw online looks far higher for your age, it is almost certainly showing regrossed balances, not the cash sitting in your accounts.
The shape of the curve is structural, not a sign that older Singaporeans are worse savers. Three forces push it down after the early 50s.
At 55, a Retirement Account is created from your Special and Ordinary Account savings, and you can withdraw the amount above your retirement sum (everyone can take out at least $5,000 regardless). At 65, CPF LIFE payouts start, so the Retirement Account is gradually paid out as monthly income. And contribution rates step down as you age past 55, so less new money flows in. That is why the 'Above 65' bands show smaller average balances. Money has moved from your CPF into your bank account and your monthly payouts.
Comparing yourself to the average is a vanity metric. The figure CPF actually holds you to is the retirement sum you set aside at 55. For members turning 55 in 2026, the three benchmarks are the Basic Retirement Sum of $110,200, the Full Retirement Sum of $220,400 (double the BRS) and the Enhanced Retirement Sum of $440,800. From 1 January 2026 the ERS was raised to double the current year's FRS, which is also four times the BRS.
Roughly, the BRS gives a basic monthly payout if you own property to cover housing, the FRS gives a higher payout with no property pledge, and the ERS is the maximum you can top up to for the largest CPF LIFE payout. The retirement sums rise about 3.5% a year through 2027, so the targets move: BRS is $114,100 for those turning 55 in 2027.
If you want to see what a given balance turns into as monthly income from 65, run the figures through the CPF LIFE payout calculator rather than guessing from the average table.
| Year you turn 55 | BRS | FRS | ERS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $106,500 | $213,000 | $426,000 |
| 2026 | $110,200 | $220,400 | $440,800 |
| 2027 | $114,100 | $228,200 | $456,400 |
Two engines fill your CPF: mandatory contributions from salary, and compounding interest. For employees aged up to 55, the total contribution is 37% of monthly wages (20% from you, 17% from your employer), capped at the monthly wage ceiling, which rises to $8,000 from 1 January 2026. After 55 the rates step down by age band.
Interest does the quiet heavy lifting. The Ordinary Account earns 2.5% a year. The Special, MediSave and Retirement Accounts earn 4.0% in 2026, with the 4% floor extended to 31 December 2026. On top of that, members under 55 get an extra 1% on the first $60,000 of combined balances, and members 55 and above get an extra 2% on the first $30,000 plus an extra 1% on the next $30,000. That means a young saver can earn up to 5% on part of their balance and 6% on part of their Retirement Account later. Compounding at 4% to 6% is why a $59,000 balance at 27 becomes six figures by the mid-30s without you adding anything extra.
If you want to model how contributions stack over a career, the CPF contribution calculator breaks down the split by account, and you can see the effect of compounding over decades.
One reason a mid-career balance grows slower than the contribution rate suggests is the MediSave ceiling. MediSave is capped at the Basic Healthcare Sum, set at $79,000 for 2026. Once your MediSave hits that cap, the contributions that would have gone there overflow into your Ordinary or Special Account instead, so your total CPF still grows, but the routing changes.
The Basic Healthcare Sum rises each year until you turn 65, then it freezes for life at whatever level applied that year. Someone turning 65 in 2026 has their MediSave cap fixed at $79,000 from then on. This is why the MediSave slice of older members' balances stops climbing while the rest of CPF keeps earning interest.
MediSave still earns the same 4% floor as the Special and Retirement Accounts, so money parked there is not idle. It is simply ring-fenced for hospital bills, MediShield Life premiums and approved treatments rather than retirement income. Read the MediSave Account entry for what it can and cannot pay for.
If your balance is below the average for your age and you want to close the gap, there are a few legitimate levers. None of them are exciting, which is the point.
Voluntary top-ups to your Special Account (or Retirement Account after 55) under the Retirement Sum Topping-Up scheme earn the 4% floor and can give you tax relief of up to $8,000 a year for topping up yourself, plus up to $8,000 for topping up family members. Topping up your own MediSave also counts toward that personal cap. Cash tops-ups compound for decades, so a 30-something who adds even a few thousand a year meaningfully shifts their balance by 55. Just remember CPF top-ups are effectively locked until retirement, so only commit money you will not need.
Log in to the CPF website or app and look at three things, in order. First, your total balance across OA, SA, MA and RA, which is the figure that maps to the table above. Second, your Retirement Account progress against the BRS, FRS or ERS if you are nearing 55. Third, your projected CPF LIFE payout from 65, which is what your balance is really for.
Do not over-index on beating the average. A 35-year-old with $120,000 is above the average for their band, but if most of that is locked behind a large home loan accruing CPF accrued interest, the headline number flatters reality. Conversely, someone below average but on track for the FRS by 55 is fine. The average is a thermometer, not a target. Your retirement sum and your projected payout are the targets.
Across all 4.27 million CPF members, the average net balance was about $155,000 at the end of 2025, based on CPF Board figures. The median is lower because a minority of high savers pull the average up.
Use the 2025 averages as a rough gauge: roughly $59,000 by your late 20s, $114,000 by your early 30s, $214,000 by your early 40s and over $300,000 by your early 50s. But the real benchmark is whether you are on track for your retirement sum at 55, not whether you beat the average.
At 55 you can withdraw savings above your retirement sum, at 65 CPF LIFE starts paying out your Retirement Account as monthly income, and contribution rates step down with age. So balances naturally fall as money moves out of CPF into your pocket and your payouts.
For members turning 55 in 2026, the Full Retirement Sum is $220,400, the Basic Retirement Sum is $110,200, and the Enhanced Retirement Sum is $440,800. The sums rise about 3.5% a year through 2027.
The table shows averages (total balances divided by members). CPF balances are skewed, so the median member in most age bands holds less than the average. Treat the average as a benchmark rather than as the typical person's balance.
Through monthly salary contributions (37% of wages up to age 55, capped at the wage ceiling) plus interest. The OA earns 2.5%, the SA, MA and RA earn 4% in 2026, and extra interest of 1% to 2% applies on the first tranches of your balance.
You can withdraw any amount above your retirement sum once it is set aside in your Retirement Account, and everyone can take out at least $5,000 regardless of how much they have. The rest stays to fund CPF LIFE payouts from 65.
On average men hold slightly more, about $161,100 versus $148,900 for women at end-2025, an 8% gap driven by higher working-age earnings. But women out-save men early: in the late 20s the average woman holds about $66,900 against a man's $51,300, and women stay ahead into their early 30s.
Some charts quote regrossed balances, which add back money you withdrew for housing, investments and education. Your CPF dashboard shows net balance, the cash actually in your accounts, which is what the tables in this article measure. If an online figure looks far higher for your age, it is likely showing regrossed balances.
The Basic Healthcare Sum, which caps how much your MediSave can hold, is $79,000 for 2026. It rises each year until you turn 65, then freezes for life. Once MediSave hits the cap, further contributions overflow into your Ordinary or Special Account.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.