Source: The Business Times, 15 October 2026
If you make it to 65 in Singapore, you can expect to live another 21.6 years on average, to 86.6. That's a long time for your savings to keep paying you. A financial advisory firm has launched a free retirement income planner to show whether your money lasts that long, The Business Times reported. It adds up your CPF, cash and investments and works out how long they could pay you an income. Here's what a planner like this measures, where CPF LIFE fits in, and how to check your own numbers on CPF Board's site.
The planner puts the money in your CPF accounts in one place. That's your Ordinary Account, Special Account and MediSave. It then adds your cash and your investments.
From there, it projects the income you could draw in retirement and sets out a plan for drawing your savings down. You can move your retirement age, up to 65, and compare CPF LIFE plans to see what each one does to the result.
It then scores your plan on three things the firm calls sufficiency, safety and flexibility. The tool is free, and the firm will also use it in the retirement workshops it runs for companies and individuals.
Here's the kind of gap a planner is built to show. In a guide on CPF Board's website, a writer in their mid-30s wants a retirement that would cost S$2,000 a month at current prices. With prices rising 2% a year, CPF's planner put the payout they'd need at 65 at S$3,560 a month.
The firm's view is that reaching a savings target is only part of the job. The rest is making the money last once you start living on it, while you can still cope with shocks and with needs you didn't plan for.
Its chief executive named two risks that people often underestimate:
For the bills you can't skip, such as your health insurance premiums, the firm puts sufficiency and safety first. Only then does it look at how your other savings can pay for extra lifestyle spending, with some money kept within reach for surprises.
Our guide on how to save for retirement in Singapore works in the same order, with CPF first and then the gap.
In 2025, life expectancy at birth in Singapore was 81.8 years for men and 86 for women, The Business Times reported. Across all residents it was 83.9 years, the Department of Statistics says.
For retirement, the number to watch is how long you live once you reach 65. On average, that's another 21.6 years, to 86.6. Among people who reach 65, 31% of men and 46% of women can expect to live past 90.
CPF LIFE is meant for this risk. CPF Board calls it a national longevity insurance annuity scheme. That means it pays you every month, no matter how long you live.
The new tool puts CPF LIFE at the base of your plan. The firm's chief executive said that's "because it provides dependable lifelong income for essential, non-negotiable expenses".
There are three CPF LIFE plans, and the main difference is how your monthly payout moves over time. On the Escalating Plan, your monthly payout rises 2% a year for life. The Standard Plan pays you a steady amount every month. The Basic Plan's payouts get lower once your combined CPF balances fall below S$60,000.
Whichever plan you're on, the payouts last as long as you do. When you die, any unused premium and leftover CPF savings go to your loved ones.
Rising prices are why the choice matters. At 2% inflation a year, a basket of goods that costs S$1,000 a month today would cost about S$1,500 in 20 years, a guide on CPF Board's site works out.
| Plan | How the payout moves | What CPF Board says it means |
|---|---|---|
| Escalating Plan | Starts lower, then rises 2% a year for life | You can keep your lifestyle as prices rise |
| Standard Plan | Stays the same every month | You may have to cut back as things cost more |
| Basic Plan | Falls once your CPF balances drop below S$60,000 | Be ready to buy less over time |
No. CPF Board says your payout eligibility age is 65, and it isn't linked to the retirement age or the re-employment age. Those two rose to 64 and 69 from 1 July 2026, and you can still start CPF LIFE from 65.
You can start your payouts any time from 65 to 70. Each year you wait raises your monthly payout by up to 7%. Start at 70 and it's up to 35% higher. To see what waiting adds to your own payout, use the CPF LIFE payout estimator.
If you haven't told CPF Board anything by 70, your payouts start then, on the Standard Plan. For the lump sum side, here's how much CPF you can withdraw at 55.
CPF Board has its own Retirement Payout Planner. You log in with Singpass, set the monthly payout you'd like and key in your salary. It then projects your CPF payouts and savings at 65 and shows any shortfall against your goal.
You can also try top-ups or transfers in the planner and see how they'd change your payouts. Our guide to topping up your CPF SA with cash has the tax relief rules.
Before you set a goal, CPF Board suggests working out three things:
To see where you stand today, compare your balance with CPF savings by age group or try our Financial Health Check.
Yes. The Business Times reported that the planner is free. It adds up your CPF, cash and investments, projects your retirement income and sets out a plan for drawing your savings down.
Any time from 65 to 70. CPF Board says each year you wait raises your monthly payout by up to 7%. If you haven't chosen by 70, payouts start then on the Standard Plan.
On average, another 21.6 years, to 86.6, The Business Times reported. Among those who reach 65, 31% of men and 46% of women can expect to live past 90.
Yes. CPF Board's Retirement Payout Planner lets you set a payout goal and projects your CPF payouts and savings at 65. You can also see how top-ups would change them. You log in with Singpass.
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.
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