CPF allocation rates decide how each dollar of your contribution is divided between your accounts. At 35 and below, about 62 cents of every dollar goes to the Ordinary Account (OA), 16 cents to the Special Account (SA) and 22 cents to the MediSave Account (MA). As you age, the OA share shrinks and more goes to retirement and healthcare.
The contribution rate tells you how much goes in. The allocation rate tells you where it lands. Here are both, side by side, for 2026 and 2027.
CPF Allocation Rates by Age: The Table
CPF Board publishes the split as a ratio of your total contribution. The ratios below are from its tables for 1 January 2026 and 1 January 2027, shown as percentages.
| Age | Ordinary Account | Special or Retirement Account | MediSave |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 and below | 62.17% | 16.21% (SA) | 21.62% |
| Above 35 to 45 | 56.77% | 18.91% (SA) | 24.32% |
| Above 45 to 50 | 51.36% | 21.62% (SA) | 27.02% |
| Above 50 to 55 | 40.55% | 31.08% (SA) | 28.37% |
| Above 55 to 60, in 2026 | 35.30% | 33.82% (RA) | 30.88% |
| Above 55 to 60, in 2027 | 33.82% | 36.61% (RA) | 29.57% |
| Above 60 to 65, in 2026 | 14.00% | 44.00% (RA) | 42.00% |
| Above 60 to 65, in 2027 | 13.47% | 46.15% (RA) | 40.38% |
| Above 65 to 70 | 6.07% | 30.30% (RA) | 63.63% |
| Above 70 | 8.00% | 8.00% (RA) | 84.00% |
The four bands up to age 55, and the two bands above 65, are the same in both years.
The Same Split as a Share of Your Wages
Ratios are hard to picture. Multiplying each ratio by the total contribution rate for the age band gives the share of your wage that reaches each account. The figures below are our arithmetic from CPF Board’s tables, rounded to the nearest 0.5 point, for wages above S$750 a month.
| Age | Total contribution | To OA | To SA or RA | To MediSave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 and below | 37% | 23% | 6% | 8% |
| Above 35 to 45 | 37% | 21% | 7% | 9% |
| Above 45 to 50 | 37% | 19% | 8% | 10% |
| Above 50 to 55 | 37% | 15% | 11.5% | 10.5% |
| Above 55 to 60, in 2026 | 34% | 12% | 11.5% | 10.5% |
| Above 55 to 60, in 2027 | 35.5% | 12% | 13% | 10.5% |
| Above 60 to 65, in 2026 | 25% | 3.5% | 11% | 10.5% |
| Above 60 to 65, in 2027 | 26% | 3.5% | 12% | 10.5% |
| Above 65 to 70 | 16.5% | 1% | 5% | 10.5% |
| Above 70 | 12.5% | 1% | 1% | 10.5% |
Read across the 2026 and 2027 rows for ages above 55 to 65. The OA and MediSave shares of your wage do not move. Only the Retirement Account (RA) share rises, which is how CPF Board’s statement that the 2027 increase is “fully allocated” to the RA shows up in the numbers.
The short version: When you are young, most of your CPF goes to the Ordinary Account for housing. From your late forties the balance tips towards retirement and MediSave. After 65, most of a smaller contribution goes to MediSave.
How the Split Is Calculated
CPF Board works out the allocation in a fixed order: MediSave first, then the Special or Retirement Account, and whatever remains goes to the OA.
Take an illustrative worker earning $6,000 a month. Up to age 55 the total contribution is 37%, which is $2,220.
| Age | To OA | To SA | To MediSave |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | About $1,380 | About $360 | About $480 |
| 40 | About $1,260 | About $420 | About $540 |
| 52 | About $900 | About $690 | About $630 |
Same salary, same $2,220, but the 52-year-old receives about $480 a month less in the OA than the 30-year-old. That matters if a home loan is still being paid from the OA.
At 58 in 2027, the same $6,000 salary attracts 35.5%, or $2,130: about $720 to the OA, $780 to the RA and $630 to MediSave.
Our CPF contribution calculator does this for any wage and age. The contribution rates themselves are in CPF contribution rates for 2026 and 2027.
Why the Allocation Shifts With Age
The pattern follows what each account is for.
In your twenties and thirties, the OA takes the largest share because that is when most people buy a home and start a loan.
From your late forties, the SA share climbs steeply. Between the bands either side of 50, it rises from about 22% to about 31% of each contribution. These are the last years before the Retirement Account is formed at 55.
MediSave’s share rises throughout, from about 22% to 84% of each contribution, as healthcare needs grow. As a share of wages it is steadier: 8% at the start, then about 10.5% from age 50 onwards.
For what each account can be used for, see CPF accounts explained.
When an Account Is Full: The Overflow Rules
The table assumes none of your accounts has hit a limit. Two limits redirect the flow.
MediSave at the Basic Healthcare Sum. MediSave cannot exceed the Basic Healthcare Sum, which is $79,000 in 2026. Once you reach it, the MediSave share of your contributions goes to your SA, or your RA from 55. If that account already holds the Full Retirement Sum, it goes to your OA. See MediSave top-ups and the Basic Healthcare Sum.
Retirement Account at the Full Retirement Sum. From 55, the RA share is paid into the RA only until it holds your Full Retirement Sum. After that, CPF Board’s allocation table says these contributions are channelled to your OA.
So two workers of the same age and salary can see different splits. A 58-year-old with a full RA and full MediSave would receive the entire contribution in the OA, where it earns 2.5% and can be withdrawn.
What It Means for Planning
- Home loans. Your OA inflow falls at 35, 45, 50, 55 and 60 even if your pay does not. If your monthly instalment is close to your OA inflow now, check it against the next band.
- Retirement. The SA share is small early on, which is why some people add to it voluntarily. The two routes are compared in cash top-ups versus OA-to-SA transfers.
- After 55. More of each contribution goes to the RA from 2027, which raises future monthly payouts for those still working. See the CPF changes from January 2027.
What To Do Next
- Find your age band in the table and note when you next move up a band.
- Check your CPF transaction history to see the actual split of last month’s contribution. How to read your CPF statement shows where it is.
- If you pay your home loan from your OA, compare the instalment with your OA inflow in the next age band.
- Use the CPF interest projector to see how the three balances could grow.
- See CPF strategies by age for what you can do at each stage.
