By MoneyBees
Compare holding SGX shares in your own CDP account with a broker's custody account. Enter your broker's custody, dividend and trading fees and see what each costs a year, and what the fees take from your portfolio over the years, against CDP's own fee schedule.
CDP charges nothing to hold the shares.
As a share of each dividend.
Custody costs you
$1,498
more over 10 years
Custody fees, year one
$134.58
on today's portfolio
CDP account fees, year one
$120.00
commissions only
After 10 years the CDP-linked account ends at $185,825 and the custody account at $184,327, a difference of $1,498.
In the custody account, the 0.1% fee takes $1,463 and the dividend fee $589 with growth lost on both, and commissions and flat fees come to $646. In the CDP-linked account, commissions come to $1,200.
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| Fee, GST included | |
|---|---|
| Keeping shares in your own CDP account | Nil |
| SGD dividends paid to your bank (Direct Crediting Service) | No fee listed |
| Foreign currency dividends converted to SGD | Waived |
| E-statements on CDP Internet | Free |
| Paper statements, a year | S$26.16 |
| Transfer to immediate family or a joint account, per counter | S$10.90 |
| Off-market transfer, per counter | 0.0327%, min S$163.50 |
| Settlement instruction for a trade settled to a depository agent | $0.382 |
From SGX's depository fee schedule, retail fee table and CDP FAQs, read 4 Oct 2026. SGX shows no effective date. The settlement instruction fee is charged to brokers' custodians; your broker decides whether to pass it on.
You hold S$50,000 of SGX shares with a 4% dividend yield and trade 12 times a year. A custody account at 0.1% a year, a 1% dividend fee and S$5 commissions plus CDP's S$0.382 costs S$50 + S$20 + S$64.58 = S$134.58 in year one.
A CDP-linked account at S$10 a trade costs S$120 in commissions and nothing to hold. The gap grows with your portfolio, because a % fee rises as it does.
No. SGX's depository fee schedule lists the maintenance of securities accounts held with CDP directly as nil. You pay your broker's commission and SGX's trading fees when you buy or sell.
A fee some brokers charge to hold your shares in their custody account instead of your own CDP account, usually a % of your holdings a year or a flat monthly amount. Each broker publishes its own fee schedule.
With a CDP-linked account your shares are held in your own CDP securities account and SGD dividends go straight to your bank through CDP's Direct Crediting Service. With a custodian account they sit in a sub-account held through your broker, and the broker's fee schedule sets what you pay.
CDP charges S$0.382, GST included, for each settlement instruction when an SGX trade is settled between a clearing member and a depository agent, such as a broker's custodian. Your broker decides whether to pass it on to you.
Some do, as a share of each dividend or a flat fee per payout. Check your broker's fee schedule. CDP lists no fee for crediting SGD dividends to a CDP account holder's bank account.
S$50 a year on S$50,000, charged on the value of your holdings. Because it is a %, it grows as your portfolio grows, and the fees also lose the growth they would have earned.
Ask your broker. CDP's FAQs say transfers between a CDP account and a custody account are applied for through the broker, which may charge a transfer fee.
Not always. Custody accounts often come with lower commissions, which can outweigh a small custody fee if you trade often. This calculator compares both on your own fees.
These calculators provide general estimates for educational purposes only and are not personalised financial advice. Results may rely on rates and rules that change over time, so verify against official sources (IRAS, CPF Board, HDB, MAS) or consult a licensed financial adviser before making decisions.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).