A MediSave top-up lets you add cash to your MediSave Account up to the Basic Healthcare Sum, which is S$79,000 in 2026. It earns the 4% interest floor and shares the $8,000 a year tax relief with retirement top-ups, but the money can only ever be spent on healthcare.
It is the quieter cousin of the Special Account top-up.
That restriction is why it gets less attention. It is also why it deserves a careful look before you use it.
MediSave Top-Up Limit: How Much You Can Put In
You can top up your MediSave Account (MA) in cash up to the Basic Healthcare Sum (BHS). In CPF Board’s words, the limit is the difference between your BHS and your current MediSave balance.
The BHS is $79,000 in 2026 for members below 65, up from $75,500 in 2025, according to the Ministry of Health. It is adjusted every January. Once you turn 65, your BHS is fixed for life at that year’s figure.
The 2027 BHS had not been announced at the time of writing. It is usually published in December.
So a member with $70,000 in MediSave in 2026 has room for $9,000. A member already at $79,000 has none until the BHS rises.
The top-up form on the CPF website shows the exact amount you can receive.
What the Money Earns
MediSave savings earn the same rate as the Special and Retirement Accounts. That is 4% a year, a floor the Government has extended to 31 December 2027.
MediSave balances also count towards the extra interest paid on the first $60,000 of combined CPF balances.
As an illustration, $8,000 left at a constant 4% for 20 years grows to about $17,500. This is not a guarantee. The floor is confirmed only to the end of 2027 and rates are reviewed quarterly.
The Tax Relief, and Its Shared Cap
Cash top-ups to your own MediSave qualify for CPF Cash Top-up Relief. The rules to know:
- One shared cap. The $8,000 a year covers top-ups to your own Special or Retirement Account and your MediSave together. It is not $8,000 each.
- A second $8,000 for family. Top-ups to the MediSave of parents, grandparents (including in-laws), a spouse or siblings count towards the separate $8,000 family cap. A spouse or sibling must have had income of $8,000 or less in the previous year, unless they have a disability.
- Relief stops at the BHS. IRAS measures it as the BHS minus the MediSave balance before the top-up.
- The deadline is 31 December. CPF Board must receive the money by then for relief in the next Year of Assessment.
The IRAS page gives a helpful example. A member below 55 has $2,000 of room in his Special Account and $7,000 of room in his MediSave. He tops up both fully, $9,000 in all. His relief is capped at $8,000.
Our top-up tax relief calculator handles the shared cap for you.
What Happens Once MediSave Is Full
This is the part many people miss. When your MediSave holds the BHS, your regular MediSave contributions from work do not stop. CPF Board redirects them:
| Your situation | Where MediSave contributions above the BHS go |
|---|---|
| Below 55, Special Account below the Full Retirement Sum | Special Account |
| 55 and above, Retirement Account below the Full Retirement Sum | Retirement Account |
| Full Retirement Sum already set aside | Ordinary Account |
So filling your MediSave early changes where later contributions land. For a member under 55, they flow to the Special Account. For a member who also holds the Full Retirement Sum, they flow to the Ordinary Account, which can be used for housing and, from 55, can be withdrawn.
Take an illustrative employee aged 40 earning $6,000 a month. About $540 a month of her CPF contributions goes to MediSave. If her MediSave is at the BHS all year, most of that $6,480 flows on to her Special Account. Each January, the rise in the BHS opens a little new room in MediSave first.
A voluntary top-up itself cannot take you past the BHS. CPF Board caps top-ups at the BHS, and the online form shows how much room you have left.
The short version: A MediSave top-up earns the 4% floor and shares the $8,000 a year tax relief with retirement top-ups. It is capped at the BHS, $79,000 in 2026, and can only be spent on healthcare.
Matching Grants for Lower Balances
A pilot Matched MediSave Scheme runs from 2026 to 2030. The Government matches cash top-ups dollar for dollar, up to $1,000 a year, for eligible members.
For 2026, the criteria are: Singapore Citizen aged 55 to 70, MediSave balance below $39,500 (half the BHS), average monthly income of not more than $4,000, a home with an Annual Value of not more than $21,000, and no more than one property.
Top-ups that attract the matching grant do not qualify for tax relief. For an eligible parent, a matched dollar is usually worth more than the relief would have been. The retirement version is covered in our guide to the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme.
The Trade-Offs
It is healthcare money only. MediSave pays for approved medical expenses and for premiums such as MediShield Life, Integrated Shield Plans and CareShield Life, within limits. It cannot be withdrawn as cash for other needs.
It is irreversible. A top-up cannot be taken back.
It competes with the Special Account for the same relief. A dollar of relief used on MediSave is a dollar not available for a retirement top-up, and the other way round. Retirement top-ups become monthly income from 65. MediSave top-ups do not.
You may never need all of it. A member who stays healthy may leave a large MediSave balance unspent. Like other CPF savings, it passes to your nominees on death. Our article on CPF nominations explains how.
The top-up tends to suit people who have already used their Special Account room, or who expect to pay shield plan premiums from MediSave for decades. It suits less well anyone short of cash savings.
What To Do Next
- Check your MediSave balance against the current BHS on your CPF dashboard.
- Decide how to split your $8,000 of relief between retirement and MediSave before topping up either.
- If you are topping up a parent’s MediSave, check whether they qualify for the Matched MediSave Scheme first.
- Self-employed readers must settle any MediSave payable, or be on an instalment plan, before a voluntary top-up is accepted. See CPF for the self-employed.
- Look out for the 2027 BHS announcement in December, and see the full list of CPF strategies by age.
