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Amid the uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, 36 per cent more Central Provident Fund (CPF) members made account top-ups under the Retirement Sum Topping-Up Scheme, putting in a total of $3 billion in their or their loved ones accounts.
The Board yesterday said $1.2 billion of top-ups were made in the fourth quarter of last year alone.
In total, about 140,000 members boosted CPF savings last year.
More than one in three were first-timers, an increase of more than 50 per cent compared with the previous year, said the CPF Board.
The total top-ups last year were also 40 per cent more than the amount in 2019. Experts said the increase was probably spurred by rising awareness of the benefits of using CPF to save.
Benefits of MediSave Account top up
If you have not yet hit the BHS, doing a voluntary cash top up to your MediSave Account provides two benefits:
Benefit 1: Enjoy a risk-free 4 per cent p.a. interest rate on your MA savings
Benefit 2: Income tax relief at your marginal tax rate (see below table)
Do note that for the income tax relief, your chargeable income is reduced by the amount you topped up. For instance, if you earned $60K a year and you topped up $5K, your tax savings will be equal $5K x 7 per cent.
Maximum limit for MediSave Account top up
12.5 per cent
Note on CPF contributions for 55 & above: Over the next 10 years, CPF contributions for older workers will be gradually adjusted upwards to meet the full contribution rate of 37per cent (employee + employer). The CPF contribution rates will only drop after age 60.
By the way, if you’re self-employed, none of the above applies to you. Any CPF contributions are voluntary EXCEPT Medisave contributions, which you’ll be prompted to pay after filing your taxes each year.
Example
Let’s say you are a 30-year-old earning a monthly salary of $5,000.
Every month, your employee’s contribution to CPF will be 20 per cent of your wage. That means that $1,000 will be deducted from your salary every month and deposited into your CPF accounts.
January 10, 2021
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In Singapore, we’re trained to think about our long-term future and retirement from the day we start working. This is when we see regular contributions from our monthly wage going into our CPF, namely the Special Account (SA).
While our CPF contributions also go into our Ordinary Account (OA) and Medisave Account (MA), these accounts can be used to pay for the downpayment and mortgage of our home, tuition fees for our loved ones and certain insurances such as the Home Protection Scheme (HPS) and Dependent Protection Scheme (DPS) via our OA and medical treatments and procedures as well as MediShield and Integrated Shield Plans (IP) via our MA.
January 02, 2021
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When we retire, we can rely on CPF LIFE to provide us with a monthly payout – for as long as we live – so we never run out of money in our old age. This is what makes CPF LIFE such a unique, powerful and important retirement planning tool for Singaporeans and PRs.
Compared to investments, which can be risky and have unpredictable or uneven returns, CPF LIFE is administered by the government. This makes it virtually risk-free.
In addition, while building up towards our CPF LIFE payouts, we earn a minimum of 4.0 per cent (and up to 5.0 per cent) per annum on our Special Account savings and 4.0 per cent (and up to 6.0 per cent) per annum on our Retirement Account savings.