- If you are self-employed in Singapore, the only compulsory CPF contribution you owe is MediSave. Contributions to your Ordinary and Special Accounts are voluntary.
- MediSave becomes compulsory once your net trade income for the year is more than S$6,000. The amount is based on the net trade income IRAS assesses, not your revenue.
- The MediSave rate rises with age and is capped once your MediSave balance reaches the Basic Healthcare Sum, which is S$79,000 in 2026.
- Compulsory MediSave contributions are eligible for tax relief, so the real cost is lower than the headline figure, but the contribution itself cannot be opted out of.
If you are self-employed in Singapore, a sole proprietor, partner, freelancer or platform worker, the only compulsory CPF contribution you owe is MediSave. Contributions to your Ordinary and Special Accounts are voluntary. MediSave becomes compulsory once your net trade income for the year is more than S$6,000, and the amount is worked out from the net trade income IRAS assesses, not your revenue. Compulsory MediSave contributions also qualify for tax relief, so the real cost is lower than the sticker figure.
That single distinction, MediSave yes, the rest optional, is what most people get wrong when a MediSave bill lands after their first tax filing. This guide covers who has to pay, how the figure is calculated, a worked example, and how to claim the relief.
Just filed your taxes and hit with a MediSave bill you didn’t budget for?
Do self-employed people have to contribute to CPF in Singapore?
Partly. As an employee, CPF is deducted across all your accounts, and your employer contributes too. As a self-employed person, there is no employer, and the only account you must pay into is MediSave, your national medical savings account. Your Ordinary and Special Accounts receive nothing unless you choose to top them up voluntarily.
This is exactly the point people conflate with employer CPF. If you also run a company and pay yourself a salary, that is a different regime entirely, covered in our guide to what CPF is for employers. As a self-employed individual, think MediSave, not full CPF.
Who counts as self-employed for MediSave?
You are self-employed if you earn a living through trade, business, profession or vocation rather than under a contract of employment. That covers sole proprietors, partners in a partnership, freelancers and gig or platform workers. Our guide on choosing a business structure as a freelancer explains how these fit together.
You can also be both at once. If you draw a salary as an employee and freelance on the side, CPF applies to your employment income through your employer, and MediSave applies separately to your self-employed net trade income. From work year 2025, earnings from platform work that your platform operator already reports to the CPF Board are excluded from your self-employed MediSave calculation, so they are not counted twice.
What is net trade income, and where do you find yours?
Net trade income is the figure your MediSave is calculated on, and it is not your revenue. The CPF Board defines it as your gross trade income minus all allowable business expenses, capital allowances and trade losses, as assessed by IRAS (CPF Board, net trade income for MediSave).
In practice, that means IRAS is the authoritative source for the number. It comes from your income tax assessment, so if your bookkeeping is loose, your net trade income can be overstated, and you end up paying MediSave on profit you never really made. This is where accurate books pay for themselves; our guide on how freelancers and self-employed are taxed covers the filing side.
How much MediSave do you contribute?
The rate depends on your age and your net trade income, and it is capped each year. The structure works like this:
- If your net trade income is S$6,000 or below, you owe nothing.
- Between S$6,000 and S$18,000, the contribution phases in on a sliding scale.
- At S$18,000 and above, the full percentage rate applies, up to the annual income ceiling.
| Age band | MediSave rate (net trade income S$18,000 and above) | Maximum annual contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Below 35 | Refer to CPF Board 2026 rate card | Refer to CPF Board 2026 rate card |
| 35 to below 45 | Refer to CPF Board 2026 rate card | Refer to CPF Board 2026 rate card |
| 45 to below 50 | Refer to CPF Board 2026 rate card | Refer to CPF Board 2026 rate card |
| 50 and above | Refer to CPF Board 2026 rate card | Refer to CPF Board 2026 rate card |
The rate rises with each age band, and the maximum annual contribution is set against the year’s CPF income ceiling. Rather than risk an out-of-date figure, use the CPF Board’s self-employed MediSave contribution calculator, which returns your exact amount from your age and net trade income. Whatever the calculation, contributions stop once your MediSave balance reaches the Basic Healthcare Sum (see below).
A worked example
Take Fiona, 34, a freelance designer. After her allowable expenses, IRAS assesses her net trade income for the year at S$60,000. Because that is well above the S$18,000 mark, the full rate for her age band applies to her income up to the annual ceiling, and the CPF Board issues her a Notice of Computation telling her exactly what she owes.
Two things make her bill feel smaller than it first looks. The contribution goes into her own MediSave account, so it funds her future medical costs rather than disappearing as a tax. And it is claimable as tax relief, which lowers her income tax for the same year. It is a real cash outflow, but it is not money lost.
If Fiona had instead earned S$5,000 for the year, she would owe no compulsory MediSave at all, because she is below the S$6,000 threshold.
Do you still contribute once you hit the Basic Healthcare Sum?
No. The Basic Healthcare Sum (BHS) is the ceiling on MediSave, and for 2026 it is S$79,000 for members below 65 (CPF Board, BHS for 2026). Once your MediSave balance reaches the BHS, you are not required to make further MediSave contributions that year, and any excess flows to your other CPF accounts instead. The BHS is reviewed annually, so the figure changes each year.
When and how do you pay?
The CPF Board issues a Notice of Computation after IRAS assesses your income, and payment is due as stated on that notice. If you would rather not face a single annual bill, the Contribute-As-You-Earn (CAYE) scheme lets you pay MediSave in instalments as you receive income through the year, which smooths the cash-flow hit. You can pay through the CPF Board’s e-Cashier.
Do not ignore the notice. Unpaid MediSave becomes an enforceable arrear, and it does not disappear because a later year was leaner.
Can you claim tax relief on your MediSave contributions?
Yes. Compulsory MediSave contributions made as a self-employed person are eligible for tax relief, and voluntary contributions can also attract relief subject to CPF Board and IRAS caps (IRAS, compulsory and voluntary MediSave contributions). The relief reduces your assessable income for the year, so part of the contribution comes back to you as lower income tax. It offsets the cost; it does not cancel it. For where this sits among your other deductions, see IRAS personal income tax rates.
What changes if you incorporate a Pte Ltd?
If your income has grown to the point where you are weighing incorporation, the CPF treatment changes. As a director drawing a salary from your own private limited company, you are an employee of that company, so full employer and employee CPF applies to your wages instead of self-employed MediSave.
Self-employed MediSave versus director CPF, side by sideThat is one input into a bigger structural decision, not the whole of it. Our guide on how to pay yourself as a sole director and the wider accounting and tax resources cover the rest, and if the numbers point that way you can incorporate a Singapore company with Sleek.
What can go wrong
- Using revenue instead of net trade income. Paying MediSave on gross income rather than the IRAS-assessed figure means overpaying. Get the net figure right.
- Ignoring the Notice of Computation. Unpaid MediSave becomes an arrear the CPF Board will pursue; it is not optional.
- Assuming a loss year means nothing is owed. Confirm your position rather than assuming, because the obligation follows the assessed figure.
- Forgetting the transition year. The year you move from employment to self-employment, both regimes can touch different slices of your income.
How Sleek helps
Most MediSave surprises trace back to a net trade income figure that was never worked out properly. Sleek’s accounting services for small businesses keep your books clean so the figure IRAS assesses, and therefore the MediSave you owe, is right the first time. If you decide to incorporate, the same team handles the transition.
Get the number right before IRAS does.
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FAQs: How Much CPF Do Self-Employed People Pay in Singapore?
Do self-employed people have to contribute to CPF in Singapore?
Only to MediSave. As a self-employed person, you must make compulsory MediSave contributions once your net trade income exceeds S$6,000 a year. Contributions to your Ordinary and Special Accounts are voluntary.
What is the minimum CPF contribution for a self-employed person?
If your net trade income is S$6,000 or below for the year, there is no compulsory contribution at all. Above S$6,000, the MediSave amount phases in, reaching the full rate for your age band once net trade income passes S$18,000.
How is my MediSave contribution calculated?
It is based on your age and your net trade income as assessed by IRAS, not your revenue. The CPF Board’s self-employed MediSave calculator returns the exact figure, and it issues a Notice of Computation after your income is assessed.
What if I'm both employed and freelancing?
CPF applies to your employment income through your employer, and MediSave applies separately to your self-employed net trade income. From work year 2025, platform-work earnings your operator already reports to the CPF Board are excluded from the self-employed calculation.
Do I still pay MediSave once I've reached the Basic Healthcare Sum?
No. Once your MediSave balance reaches the Basic Healthcare Sum, which is S$79,000 in 2026 for members below 65, you are not required to make further MediSave contributions that year.
Can I claim tax relief on my MediSave contributions?
Yes. Compulsory MediSave contributions are eligible for tax relief, and voluntary contributions may also qualify subject to caps. The relief lowers your assessable income, so part of the cost returns to you as reduced income tax.
What happens if I don't pay my MediSave contributions?
Unpaid MediSave becomes an enforceable arrear that the CPF Board will pursue, and a leaner following year does not clear it. Pay against the Notice of Computation, or use Contribute-As-You-Earn to spread it across the year.
