Retirement age 65 in Singapore: what changes for you from 1 January 2029

If your mum or dad is still working and starting to talk about retirement, this one's for the family chat. On 1 January 2029, Singapore's retirement age goes up to 65 and the re-employment age to 70, a year ahead of the old schedule. The Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment set out the change on 26 October. It's made up of MOM, NTUC and SNEF, and the Government accepted all six of its measures. So what does it mean for your parents? More time at work if they want it. A bigger safety net if there's no role for them. And a bigger tax relief for those who work past those ages. Here's each change, who it reaches and what to check now.

What's changing, and when?

The age change is the headline, but it isn't the only part that touches a worker's own job and pay. These are the parts you'd want to know about if a parent is still working:

The rest of the package helps employers create flexi-load roles, replaces a wage offset that employers get, and lifts the pay of lower-wage seniors. Most of the amounts aren't set yet. They'll come in the first half of 2027, at the Committee of Supply debates, where the Manpower Ministry presents its budget plans.

Does a retirement age of 65 mean stopping work at 65?

No. It's the minimum retirement age, and employers aren't allowed to dismiss a worker because of their age.

Today, a worker born on or after 1 July 1963 retires on the day they turn 64. It's 62 for workers born from 1 July 1958 to 30 June 1960. It's 63 for those born from 1 July 1960 to 30 June 1963.

Whatever their retirement age, employers must offer re-employment to those who qualify, up to age 69. From 1 January 2029, the retirement age becomes 65 and the re-employment age 70.

The ages last went up on 1 July 2026, when the retirement age rose to 64 and the re-employment age went from 68 to 69.

The contract lasts at least a year and renews each year up to the re-employment age. Pay can change for reasonable reasons, like new duties, and that's agreed when the new contract is signed. Our guide on what happens to your CPF when you keep working past 64 covers the CPF side.

Your parent qualifies for re-employment if they:

are a Singapore citizen or permanent resident
have worked for their employer for at least 2 years before turning 64, if they were hired at 55 or older
do their job well enough, in their employer's view
are medically fit to keep working

The catch: what if the employer has no role to offer?

Then a worker who qualifies for re-employment gets a one-off Employment Assistance Payment, but only as a last resort. It's there to tide them over while they look for another job.

Before that, the employer can ask another company to re-employ the worker instead. Both the new employer and the worker have to agree, and a worker who turns that offer down still gets the payment.

So how much is the payment today? It's 3.5 months' salary, with a minimum of S$6,250 and a maximum of S$14,750. If you've been re-employed for at least 30 months since 64, it can be 2 months' salary instead, between S$4,000 and S$8,500.

Re-employed part-time? Then both the minimum and the maximum can be scaled down by the hours worked each week, compared with a full-time worker.

Those amounts were last updated in 2022. The workgroup wants both raised to keep up with wage growth. The new figures come out in the first half of 2027.

The Employment Assistance Payment today, for a full-time worker
Who gets it	Months of salary	Minimum	Maximum
The usual amount	3.5	S$6,250	S$14,750
Re-employed 30 months or more since 64	2	S$4,000	S$8,500

Will your parents pay less tax if they keep working?

Some will, if they work past the retirement and re-employment ages and earn enough to pay income tax. The workgroup wants a bigger Earned Income Relief for them, so they take home more of their pay.

How much bigger the relief gets isn't decided yet. That's part of the details due in the first half of 2027.

Bea nods off hugging a pillow, then jerks awake — Me, waiting for the actual relief amounts

Today, the first S$20,000 of a tax resident's chargeable income isn't taxed at all. On top of that, Earned Income Relief is up to S$1,000 below 55, S$6,000 at 55 to 59 and S$8,000 at 60 and above. Your age is taken as of 31 December of the year before.

There's a higher version for a permanent disability that badly limits your ability to work. It's up to S$4,000 below 55, S$10,000 at 55 to 59 and S$12,000 at 60 and above.

Most people don't need to claim the relief, since IRAS grants it on its own. The exception is a first claim for the disability version, when you enter the disability details in your tax return. After that, IRAS grants it each year while you still qualify.

Our guide to cutting income tax with CPF cash top-ups covers another relief you can claim.

What's flexi-load work, and why is there a new programme for it?

Flexi-load means taking on a lighter workload, like part-time work, for pay that's cut to match.

Flexi-time and flexi-place are fairly common for older workers, and the workgroup found a big gap in flexi-load options for seniors. In 2024, 85.5% of full-time resident employees aged 50 to 64 were offered flexi-time and 78.7% were offered flexi-place. For flexi-load, it was 74.5%.

Full-time resident employees aged 50 to 64 offered each kind of flexible work, 2024

Full-time resident employees aged 50 to 64 offered each kind of flexible work, 2024
Arrangement	2024
Flexi-time	85.5%
Flexi-place	78.7%
Flexi-load	74.5%

Source: MOM data for 2024, in The Straits Times, 26 October 2026

A new Flexi-Load Programme will help employers pay to redesign jobs and systems built around full-time work. The money is tied to the extra flexi-load roles they create.

It replaces the Part-Time Re-employment Grant when that grant ends in end-2027. The grant has supported about 68,500 seniors and 7,800 employers.

There's also a new programme office, led by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency with NTUC and SNEF. It'll help workers plan their next job and skills, and help employers make work fit older staff.

What happens to the Senior Employment Credit?

It ends after 2027, and a new Re-Employment Credit takes over from 2028.

Today's credit gives employers wage offsets of up to 7% for Singaporean workers aged 60 and above who earn below S$4,000 a month. The new one is meant to help employers hire and keep seniors beyond the retirement and re-employment ages.

What changes for lower-wage seniors?

The Workfare Income Supplement will be improved, and the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme updated. The aim is better pay for lower-wage senior workers, and enough savings to retire on.

The wage credit side gives employers more support to raise wages in a way they can keep up. The amounts for both schemes are part of the details due in 2027.

Who does each change reach?

It mostly reaches older workers and the firms that hire them, like this:

Singapore citizens and PRs: the retirement age rules apply to them.
Workers who qualify for re-employment: the re-employment age rises to 70 on 1 January 2029.
Workers who qualify for re-employment but whose employer can't find them a role: they get the Employment Assistance Payment, with higher limits to come.
Seniors who want a lighter workload: the Flexi-Load Programme funds employers that create more of these roles.
Employers of Singaporeans aged 60 and above earning below S$4,000 a month: the Senior Employment Credit runs until end-2027.
Older workers on low pay: the Workfare Income Supplement and the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme change for them.

What can your family check now?

Until the 2027 details land, here's what to check with a parent who's still working.

Start with their company's own retirement and re-employment ages. Employers are encouraged to set them above the legal minimum and put them in writing.

Then find out when the re-employment talk should start. For a worker whose retirement age is 64, the employer should start it at least 6 months before they turn 64. The offer should come at least 3 months before the retirement date.

Think a parent was let go because of their age? They can appeal in writing to the Minister for Manpower within 1 month of the dismissal.

Not offered re-employment at all? They can tell the Commissioner for Labour within 1 month after their last day of work.

If the re-employment terms or the payment amount seem unreasonable, they go to TADM, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management. They have 6 months after their last day of work to do it.

For your own long game, our guide on how to save for retirement in Singapore starts with CPF and then the gap.

This week, ask your mum or dad when their employer plans to start the re-employment talk, and put that month in the family calendar.

Frequently asked questions

When does Singapore's retirement age go up to 65?

On 1 January 2029. The re-employment age goes from 69 to 70 on the same day, a year ahead of the 2030 schedule. The two ages last went up on 1 July 2026, to 64 and 69.

Do you have to stop working at the retirement age?

No. The retirement age is 64 for those born on or after 1 July 1963. A worker who reaches it can keep working for the same employer if they meet the re-employment criteria. The employer must offer re-employment up to 69 today, and up to 70 from 1 January 2029.

How much is the Employment Assistance Payment?

Today it's 3.5 months' salary, with a minimum of S$6,250 and a maximum of S$14,750. For part-time re-employment, both limits can be scaled down by the hours worked each week. The workgroup wants both limits raised for wage growth, and the new amounts come in the first half of 2027.

What replaces the Senior Employment Credit?

The Re-Employment Credit, a new credit for employers, takes over from 2028. It's meant to help employers hire and keep older workers past the retirement and re-employment ages.

Do older workers need to claim Earned Income Relief?

Mostly no. IRAS grants it automatically, based on age and earned income in the year before. Today it's up to S$6,000 at 55 to 59 and up to S$8,000 at 60 and above. A first claim for the higher disability version is the exception: you enter the disability details in your tax return.

Sources

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This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change, so verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.

Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).