If you are self-employed in Singapore and your net trade income for the year is more than $6,000, you have to pay into your MediSave Account. It is the law, not a choice. The amount is 4% to 10.5% of your net trade income depending on your age and how much you earn, capped at the prevailing salary ceiling. For 2026 the rate is computed on income up to $96,000 a year. The contribution is due 30 days after CPF sends you the notice, you get full tax relief on it, and skipping it can cost you late interest plus problems renewing trade licences. This guide walks through the exact 2026 figures, who counts as self-employed, how platform work changes things, and how to plan for the bill.
MediSave is the only part of CPF that is compulsory for the self-employed. If you carry on a trade, business, profession or vocation and your annual net trade income (NTI) is more than $6,000, you must contribute to your MediSave Account. This covers freelancers, sole proprietors, partners in a partnership, private-hire and taxi drivers, hawkers, commission agents, tutors, and anyone declaring trade income to IRAS rather than a salary.
Net trade income is your gross trade income minus allowable business expenses, capital allowances and trade losses. It is the figure IRAS assesses, not your turnover. If your NTI is $6,000 or below, you owe nothing. Above that, MediSave kicks in on the income from $6,000 upward.
Contributions to your Ordinary Account and Special Account stay voluntary for the self-employed. Only MediSave is mandatory. If you want to build retirement and housing savings too, you can make voluntary CPF contributions on top, and those come with their own tax relief, but nobody forces you to.
Your MediSave rate rises with both age and income. Younger, lower-earning self-employed pay 4%; older, higher-earning ones pay up to 10.5%. The percentage applies to your net trade income, and for 2026 it is computed on income up to the annual salary ceiling of $96,000 (that is the new $8,000 monthly Ordinary Wage ceiling times 12). Income above $96,000 does not add to your MediSave bill.
The table below is the standard schedule for those aged 50 and below. For income between $12,000 and $18,000 the rate phases up gradually between the lower and upper figures, which is why CPF tells you to use its calculator for the exact dollar amount rather than eyeballing it.
Once your NTI passes $18,000, you simply pay the top rate for your age band on income up to the $96,000 ceiling. So a 40-year-old freelancer earning $70,000 pays 9% of $70,000, which is $6,300. A 30-year-old earning $50,000 pays 8% of $50,000, which is $4,000.
| Net trade income (NTI) | Below 35 | 35 to below 45 | 45 to below 50 | 50 and above |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $6,000 to $12,000 | 4.0% | 4.5% | 5.0% | 5.25% |
| Above $12,000 to $18,000 | 4.0% to 8.0% | 4.5% to 9.0% | 5.0% to 10.0% | 5.25% to 10.5% |
| Above $18,000 (up to $96,000) | 8.0% | 9.0% | 10.0% | 10.5% |
Rates step down once you pass 65 because you are closer to drawing on the savings rather than building them. For NTI above $18,000, those aged 65 to 69 pay 8% and those 70 and above pay 7%. The lower bands and the $6,000 floor work the same way as for younger members.
Because the rate is capped at income of $96,000, there is a ceiling on the dollar amount. Multiply the top rate by $96,000: a 50-year-old at 10.5% caps out around $10,080 for the year, while someone below 35 at 8% caps out around $7,680. For reference, the 2025 caps (computed on the old $88,800 ceiling) were $7,104 below 35, $7,992 for 35 to 44, $8,880 for 45 to 49, and $9,324 for 50 and above. CPF has not published the final 2026 dollar caps as a single table, so confirm your own figure with the official calculator below before you budget for it.
There is a second ceiling: you cannot push your MediSave Account past the Basic Healthcare Sum, which is $79,000 in 2026 for members below 65. If you have already hit the Basic Healthcare Sum, any compulsory MediSave that would overflow is redirected to your other CPF accounts instead, so the money is not lost.
The phased band between $12,000 and $18,000 makes manual maths fiddly, and the exact rounded dollar figure matters because it determines your tax relief. CPF runs a free Self-Employed MediSave Contribution Calculator where you enter your age and net trade income and it returns the precise amount payable for the year.
If you want to model the bigger picture, including voluntary top-ups across all three accounts, our CPF contribution calculator lets you see how mandatory MediSave sits alongside any extra you choose to put in. For the wider system, the CPF pillar guide explains how the Ordinary, Special, MediSave and Retirement accounts fit together.
You do not calculate and pay MediSave upfront. The sequence runs through IRAS first. You declare your trade income when you file your tax return, IRAS assesses it, and CPF then issues a notice of CPF contributions for self-employed persons telling you what you owe. Your payment is due 30 days from the date that notice is issued.
You can pay in one lump sum or spread it out. Lump-sum options include PayNow, eNETS and AXS. If cash flow is tight, you can set up a GIRO instalment plan and split the amount over the year, which many self-employed people prefer because trade income is lumpy.
Pay late and CPF charges late-payment interest that compounds, currently 1.5% per month. Keep ignoring it and the consequences widen: you can be barred from renewing certain trade or vocational licences (relevant for private-hire and taxi drivers, and some professions), lose access to some government support schemes, and face enforcement under the CPF Act.
The single biggest cash-flow problem with self-employed MediSave is timing. You earn through the year, then a four-figure bill lands months later after IRAS assesses you. Contribute-As-You-Earn (CAYE) fixes that by taking a slice of each payment as you get paid, so the money goes into your MediSave Account in real time instead of piling up into one lump.
CAYE is automatic when your client is a government agency: ministries, departments, organs of state and statutory boards. The moment you take on a contract for service with one of these buyers, a portion of each service fee is routed straight to your MediSave and the rest lands in your bank account. CPF sets the rate using a simple formula, your age-and-income MediSave rate multiplied by your estimated net trade income, divided by your estimated revenue, and you can adjust it yourself any time. For private (non-government) clients, CAYE is opt-in rather than automatic.
CAYE contributions are only an estimate. You still declare your actual net trade income to IRAS the following year, and CPF reconciles. Contribute too little through the year and you top up the shortfall; contribute too much and the excess is refunded automatically after clearing any outstanding MediSave from earlier years. Either way the money sits in MediSave earning interest sooner, which is the point. If you have no outstanding MediSave owing, you can also make advance contributions ahead of the notice, again to start earning interest earlier.
Lower-income self-employed people can turn the MediSave obligation into a net gain through the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS). It is government money on top of your own savings, and for the self-employed it is deliberately tied to making your MediSave contribution. Pay your MediSave, and Workfare pays you.
To qualify for a work year you must be a Singapore Citizen, at least 30 years old (any age if you have a disability), earn a gross monthly income between $500 and $3,000, live in a property with an annual value of $21,000 or below, and own no more than one property. If married, your spouse's assessable income for the prior Year of Assessment cannot exceed $70,000 and the two of you together own at most one property. The catch for the self-employed: you must declare your net trade income and pay your MediSave for that work year in full before the payout is released.
The payout scales with age and is split 10% cash, 90% into MediSave. The deadline matters, you have to settle the MediSave by the cut-off (for work done in a given year, by 31 December two years later) or you forfeit that year's Workfare. Declare income by 31 March and pay the MediSave, and self-employed Workfare for the previous work year is typically credited by end April.
| Age as at 31 Dec of work year | Maximum annual WIS (self-employed) |
|---|---|
| 30 to 34 | $1,633 |
| 35 to 44 | $2,333 |
| 45 to 59 | $2,800 |
| 60 and above (and persons with disabilities) | $3,267 |
From work year 2025, platform workers (delivery riders, private-hire drivers and similar, working through platform operators) are treated differently. The platform operator now pays CPF contributions on your net earnings from platform work, the same way an employer does. So those earnings are carved out of your self-employed MediSave calculation.
In practice, CPF computes your self-employed MediSave on your net trade income after excluding net earnings from platform work. That is why the net trade income on your CPF notice can look lower than the income figure on your IRAS Notice of Assessment. The difference is the platform portion, which is already being handled by the operator.
If platform work is your only source of trade income, you may have little or no self-employed MediSave to pay because the contributions are coming through the platform. If you mix platform work with other freelance income above $6,000, the non-platform slice is still yours to settle as a self-employed person. There is also Platform Workers CPF Transition Support running from 2025 to 2028 while platform CPF rates are phased up toward the standard employee contribution rates.
Compulsory MediSave is not a sunk cost. You get full tax relief on the mandatory amount you contribute, and IRAS grants it automatically based on the figure CPF reports, so you do not need to claim it manually in your tax return. The relief lowers your chargeable income, which lowers your tax. You can model the effect on your income tax calculator or read the wider Singapore income tax guide.
If you want to do more, you can make voluntary contributions on top of the mandatory MediSave, either to MediSave specifically or across all three CPF accounts, and claim relief on those too. The total relief for compulsory plus voluntary self-employed CPF is capped at the lowest of three numbers: 37% of your net trade income, the CPF Annual Limit of $37,740 (which is 37% of $102,000), or the actual amount you put in.
Two caveats. The CPF Cash Top-up relief for topping up your own or a loved one's account is a separate $8,000-per-recipient track. And every relief you claim counts toward the overall personal income tax relief cap of $80,000 per Year of Assessment, so high earners stacking multiple reliefs can hit that wall.
MediSave money is not idle. It earns 4% a year (the floor rate, with extra interest on the first tranche of combined balances), and you can use it for hospital bills, MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plan premiums, approved chronic-disease treatment and more. From 2027 the renamed MediSave Chronic and Preventive Care scheme raises the annual withdrawal limit for chronic conditions, so the account is becoming more useful for outpatient costs too.
Beyond the compulsory bit, voluntary top-ups are a judgement call. Self-employed income has no employer CPF and no automatic Ordinary or Special Account building, so your retirement pot can lag an employee earning the same. Voluntary contributions or a top-up to your Retirement Account help close that gap and earn CPF interest, but the money is locked until your payout age. If you would rather keep liquidity or invest elsewhere, weigh it against options like the Singapore Savings Bonds or a Supplementary Retirement Scheme contribution, which also gives tax relief but stays investible.
A reasonable order for most self-employed people: pay the mandatory MediSave, build a cash emergency fund covering several lean months, then decide between voluntary CPF, SRS, and ordinary investing based on your tax bracket and how much liquidity you need. The SRS versus CPF top-up comparison lays out the trade-offs side by side.
The most expensive error is treating MediSave as optional because nobody deducts it from a payslip. It is enforceable, it accrues interest when late, and it can block licence renewals. Set the money aside as you earn, the same way you would set aside income tax.
No. Compulsory MediSave only applies when your net trade income for the year is more than $6,000. At or below that, you owe nothing, though you can still make voluntary contributions if you want the savings and tax relief.
Between 4% and 10.5% of your net trade income, depending on age and income, computed on income up to the $96,000 annual ceiling. A 30-year-old earning $50,000 pays 8%, or $4,000. Use the CPF Self-Employed MediSave Contribution Calculator for your exact figure.
Yes. The CPF your employer deducts covers your salary only. On top of that, if your separate net trade income exceeds $6,000 you owe MediSave as a self-employed person. You can apply to cap the total if your combined income exceeds the maximum annual income used for CPF.
CPF charges late-payment interest of 1.5% per month, compounded. Beyond that you can be barred from renewing certain trade or vocational licences, lose access to some government schemes, and face enforcement under the CPF Act. It is not a penalty you can quietly ignore.
Yes, full relief on the compulsory amount, and IRAS applies it automatically. Voluntary contributions also qualify, but total self-employed CPF relief is capped at the lowest of 37% of net trade income, $37,740, or what you actually contributed.
Thirty days from the date CPF issues your notice of CPF contributions for self-employed persons, which comes after IRAS assesses the trade income you declared. You can pay in full or set up a GIRO instalment plan over the year.
From work year 2025, your platform operator pays CPF on your net platform earnings, so those are excluded from your self-employed MediSave calculation. If platform work is your only trade income, you may have little or no self-employed MediSave to pay yourself.
Yes, the Basic Healthcare Sum, which is $79,000 in 2026 for members below 65. Once you reach it, compulsory MediSave that would overflow is channelled to your other CPF accounts instead, so it is not wasted.
CAYE diverts a slice of each service payment into your MediSave as you get paid, so you avoid one big year-end bill. It is automatic when your client is a government agency and opt-in for private clients. The amounts are estimates; you still declare your actual net trade income to IRAS the next year, and CPF tops up a shortfall or refunds any excess.
If you are a Singapore Citizen aged 30 or older earning a gross monthly income between $500 and $3,000, live in a home with an annual value of $21,000 or below, and own no more than one property, you can qualify for the Workfare Income Supplement. You must declare your trade income and pay your MediSave in full to receive it. The payout runs from $1,633 to $3,267 a year by age band, split 10% cash and 90% to MediSave.
Yes. If you have no outstanding MediSave owing, you can make advance contributions ahead of the notice. The money starts earning MediSave interest sooner, and it counts toward the contribution CPF later calculates from your assessed net trade income.
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.