CPF Housing Withdrawal Planner
Plan how much of your CPF Ordinary Account you can use toward an HDB flat or private property purchase in Singapore. This planner shows your OA balance at the purchase date, the down payment you can cover with CPF, the monthly mortgage amount drawn from CPF, accrued interest over time, and your projected OA balance at age 55 — so you can see the full retirement impact before you commit. All calculations run entirely in your browser. No data is sent anywhere.
Between 21 and 54
Typical for ~$5,000 salary (OA portion only)
How long before you complete the purchase
Min 10% for HDB (5% cash + 5% CPF/cash)
Max 25 years for HDB loan
HDB concessionary rate: 2.6%. Bank rates: 3–4%
How CPF Can Be Used for Housing in Singapore
Your CPF Ordinary Account (OA) is the most flexible of the three CPF accounts and earns a guaranteed 2.5% per annum. It can be used for two key housing purposes: paying the down payment at the point of purchase and servicing the monthly mortgage instalments for both HDB flats and approved private residential properties. For an HDB flat purchased with an HDB Concessionary Loan (pegged at 0.1% above the OA rate, currently 2.6%), you can use CPF for all eligible portions. For bank-financed purchases, the Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio determines how much you need upfront in cash, and CPF can cover the remainder of the down payment. The CPF Housing Grant (EHG, Family Grant, or Singles Grant) is paid directly into your OA and can also be applied toward the purchase — boosting what is available without additional saving.
As at 2026, the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) is SGD 106,500, the Full Retirement Sum (FRS) is SGD 213,000, and the Enhanced Retirement Sum (ERS) is SGD 426,000. These benchmarks govern how much of your OA and SA must be preserved for retirement when you choose to use CPF for housing above the property's Valuation Limit.
CPF Withdrawal Limits and Retirement Impact
CPF's housing withdrawal framework is designed to protect your retirement adequacy. The primary rule is the Valuation Limit: you may use CPF up to the lower of the purchase price or property valuation. Once your total CPF housing withdrawals (across all properties you have ever owned) exceed this limit, you enter the Withdrawal Limit tier — here you can continue using CPF only if your CPF OA and SA combined still meet at least the Basic Retirement Sum of SGD 106,500. This ensures a floor of retirement savings is preserved regardless of how much property you buy. Using CPF for housing reduces your OA balance available at age 55, which affects the Retirement Account set-aside and ultimately your CPF LIFE monthly payout from age 65. This planner quantifies that retirement gap so you can decide whether to top up via the Retirement Sum Topping-Up Scheme (RSTU) or simply pay more of the mortgage in cash. MAS guidelines emphasise that Singaporeans should treat CPF housing withdrawals as a deliberate trade-off between today's cash flow and future retirement income, not as a free resource.
Accrued Interest — The Hidden Cost of Using CPF for Housing
Every dollar you withdraw from your CPF OA for housing continues to attract 2.5% per annum in accrued interest, as though the money were still sitting in your account earning the OA rate. This accrued interest compounds over the years you hold the property. When you eventually sell, the CPF Board requires you to refund both the original principal withdrawn AND all the accrued interest back into your OA before you receive any sale proceeds. For example, if you withdrew SGD 200,000 over 10 years, the accrued interest alone at 2.5% compounding could amount to approximately SGD 55,000 — meaning you must return SGD 255,000 to CPF from your sale proceeds. Understanding this mechanism prevents surprises at the point of sale and is essential for financial planning accuracy. The refund replenishes your retirement savings and restores the compounding power that was redirected to housing.
CPF Housing Withdrawal vs Cash — Which Is Better?
The CPF-versus-cash debate depends on what you would do with the money you save each month by not paying cash toward the mortgage. Your CPF OA earns 2.5% per annum risk-free, and the accrued interest is charged at the same 2.5% rate. In theory, the net cost of using CPF for housing is zero — the interest you lose in OA equals the interest you are charged on the housing withdrawal. However, the opportunity cost matters: if you invest the freed-up cash in a diversified portfolio returning 5–7% annually, using CPF for the mortgage is financially superior. If instead you leave the freed cash in a savings account earning 0.05%, using CPF at 2.5% effective cost is still better than most cash savings. For most Singaporeans, a blended strategy works best — use CPF for the down payment and a portion of monthly instalments, while keeping enough cash liquidity for emergencies (three to six months of expenses). Regularly reviewing your OA balance and making voluntary top-ups when you can helps close the retirement gap created by housing withdrawals, ensuring your CPF LIFE payout remains adequate when you retire.