To make a CPF nomination, log in to the CPF website with Singpass, name the people who should receive your savings and their shares, and have two witnesses confirm it online. It is free and takes one sitting.
Before you start, there is one choice to make. CPF Board offers three types of nomination, and they pay your savings out in different ways.
The Three Types of CPF Nomination
| Cash nomination | Enhanced Nomination Scheme (ENS) | Special Needs Savings Scheme (SNSS) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How nominees are paid | One payout in cash, by GIRO or cheque | Into the nominee’s own CPF accounts | Fixed monthly payouts |
| Who it suits | Most members | Members who want the money kept as CPF savings for the nominee | Parents of a child with special needs |
| Who can be nominated | Any person or organisation | A person with a CPF account | Your child with special needs |
| Where to make it | Online or at a CPF Service Centre | At a CPF Service Centre | At a CPF Service Centre, after eligibility is confirmed |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free |
Cash Nomination
This is the default. Unless you choose otherwise, your nominees receive their share in cash.
You can name any person, of any age or nationality, or an organisation such as a charity. There is no limit on the number of nominees. You decide each one’s percentage.
If a nominee is below 18 when you die, CPF Board’s guide says the money is held in trust by the Public Trustee until the nominee turns 18.
Enhanced Nomination Scheme
Under the ENS, your savings are transferred to your nominees’ CPF accounts instead of being paid in cash.
The effect is that the money stays inside the CPF system. Your nominee cannot spend it freely. It follows the CPF rules that apply to that person, for housing, healthcare and retirement.
That can be the point. A member who wants to strengthen a spouse’s retirement savings, or who worries that a lump sum would be spent quickly, may prefer it. A nominee who needs cash for living costs after your death would be poorly served by it.
CPF Board’s nomination form says to visit a CPF Service Centre if you want all or some nominees to receive your savings in their CPF accounts. Ask there how the money is allocated across the nominee’s accounts.
CPF Board has also addressed a recurring rumour. Savings are not automatically placed in nominees’ CPF or MediSave accounts. That happens only if you choose the ENS.
Special Needs Savings Scheme
The SNSS is for parents who want their CPF savings to support a child with special needs over many years. Instead of one payout, the child receives a monthly sum that you set, until your savings are used up.
The main terms:
- Minimum payout. S$250 a month for each nominated child. You may choose more.
- Minimum duration. Your savings at death must fund at least one year of payouts, which is $3,000 at the minimum. If they cannot, the child receives a lump sum.
- Who receives the money. A child aged 18 or older with mental capacity is paid directly. If the child lacks capacity, payment goes to a donee under a Lasting Power of Attorney or a court-appointed deputy. For a child below 18, it goes to the legal guardian or deputy.
- No fees. The savings keep earning CPF interest while they are being paid out.
SG Enable’s criteria are that parent and child are Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents, and that the child attends or attended a Special Education school, or has a permanent disability.
Take an illustrative parent with $180,000 in CPF at death who set $500 a month. Before counting interest, that is 30 years of payouts.
One further point from CPF Board. A member who has joined CPF LIFE and made an SNSS nomination can stop the monthly CPF LIFE payouts, so that the money stays in the Retirement Account for the child.
How to Make a CPF Nomination Online
The online route covers the cash nomination. CPF Board lists what to prepare:
- Your Singpass.
- Your nominees’ details. NRIC or FIN, mailing address and email address.
- Two witnesses. The same details, plus a Singapore-registered mobile number. Each needs Singpass.
Then:
- Log in to the CPF website and start the nomination.
- Enter each nominee and the share each should receive. The shares must add up to 100%.
- Enter your two witnesses and submit.
- Your witnesses are notified by SMS or email. Each logs in within seven days to confirm that you intended to make the nomination.
- CPF Board processes it once both have confirmed, and notifies you.
Who Can Be a Witness
Two different people, each at least 21 and of sound mind. A witness cannot be one of your nominees. An organisation cannot be a witness.
Witnesses do not see who your nominees are. They confirm only that you made the nomination willingly.
Doing It in Person
Book an appointment at a CPF Service Centre at least one working day ahead. Bring your NRIC or passport and your nominees’ details. CPF staff can act as your two witnesses.
The ENS and the SNSS are arranged this way. For the SNSS, the eligibility letter comes first. SG Enable’s Future Care Planning Resource Centre takes the application, with proof of the child’s disability or school.
You can make a nomination from age 16.
The short version: Most members need only a cash nomination, made online with Singpass and two witnesses. Choose the ENS to keep the money in a nominee’s CPF, or the SNSS to pay a child with special needs monthly.
How to Change or Check Your Nomination
To change it, make a new nomination. It replaces the old one in full. There is no partial edit, so re-enter every nominee and share.
To check it, log in to the CPF website and view your nomination details.
Review it when your circumstances change. CPF Board names four events:
- Marriage. This revokes your nomination automatically. You must make a new one.
- Divorce. This does not revoke it. A former spouse stays a nominee until you change it.
- A birth. A new child is not added by default.
- A nominee’s death.
You can also authorise CPF Board to disclose your account and nomination details to a person you name after your death. This helps whoever settles your affairs.
What a Nomination Does and Does Not Cover
It covers savings in your Ordinary, Special, MediSave and Retirement Accounts, any unused CPF LIFE premium and discounted Singtel shares.
It does not cover a property bought with CPF, investments under the CPF Investment Scheme, or payouts from the Dependants’ Protection Scheme.
A nomination is also separate from your will. Our guide to CPF nomination versus a will explains why you need both. Without a nomination, your savings go to the Public Trustee, which charges a fee and distributes them under intestacy law.
What To Do Next
- Log in and check whether you have a nomination, and when you made it.
- If you have married since, make a new one. The old one no longer stands.
- Tell your two witnesses before you submit, so they confirm within the seven days.
- If you have a child with special needs, contact SG Enable about the SNSS eligibility letter before booking a CPF appointment.
- Work through the rest of your paperwork with our legacy readiness checklist.
- For advice on how a nomination fits with a will or a trust, speak to a lawyer.
