Singapore CPF Special Account Closure 2026 Calculator
From January 2026, Singapore CPF members aged 55+ have had their Special Account closed and savings redirected. Calculate where your SA went — into Retirement Account up to FRS, then to Ordinary Account — and how this affects CPF LIFE payouts.
| Account Reallocation | |
| SA → RA (filled to FRS first) | — |
| SA → OA (remainder) | — |
| RA Balance After Transfer | — |
| OA Balance After Transfer | — |
| Interest Rate Impact | |
| Old SA Rate | 4.08% (long-term) |
| RA Rate (going forward) | 4.08% |
| OA Rate (on SA portion moved to OA) | 2.5% |
| Annual Interest Difference (vs old SA) | — |
| CPF LIFE Projection | |
| Est. CPF LIFE Monthly Payout | — |
| RA Headroom Toward ERS | — |
What Happened to CPF Special Account in 2026?
From January 2026, the CPF Special Account (SA) was closed for members aged 55 and above. This was announced in Budget 2024 and confirmed in subsequent CPF Board guidance. Existing SA balances were automatically reallocated: amounts needed to fill the Retirement Account (RA) up to the Full Retirement Sum (FRS) went there first, with any remainder moving to the Ordinary Account (OA) (source: cpf.gov.sg). This is the single biggest CPF structural change since the RA/FRS framework was introduced.
The motivation: simplify the four-account model (OA + SA + MA + RA) for members at retirement age. The SA was originally designed as a long-term retirement savings bucket earning the higher long-term interest rate (4.08% as of recent quarters). For members 55+, the RA already serves that function — making the SA redundant. The closure consolidates retirement savings into RA and frees the rest for OA-rate flexibility.
2026 FRS — How Much Stays in RA
The Full Retirement Sum for 2026 is S$213,000 for members turning 55 in 2026. The FRS is set annually by CPF Board and grew about 3% per year for the past several years. After SA closure, your RA is topped up to FRS using SA savings; any SA money beyond what RA needs moves to OA. If your RA was already at FRS before closure, all SA balance goes straight to OA at the 2.5% interest rate.
The Enhanced Retirement Sum (ERS) for 2026 is S$426,000 — twice the FRS. You can voluntarily top up your RA up to ERS to increase your CPF LIFE monthly payout. This is one of the few remaining optimizations for high-savers post-SA-closure: voluntary RA top-ups still attract tax relief (Retirement Sum Topping-Up Scheme) and continue to earn the 4.08% long-term rate.
Interest Rate Impact — The Key Tradeoff
The SA earned approximately 4.08% per annum (Special, MediSave & Retirement, or SMRA, rate). After closure, any SA money moved to RA continues earning 4.08%. SA money that flowed to OA earns only 2.5% — a meaningful drop. For an SA balance of S$100,000 fully moving to OA, the annual interest difference is about S$1,580 (4.08% - 2.5% = 1.58%). Over 10 years, that compounds to roughly S$18,000 less.
If your RA was below FRS, the impact is small or zero — savings moved into RA still earn 4.08%. If your RA was at or above FRS, your full SA balance moved to OA and earns less. Members with substantial SA balances who had already maxed RA face the largest impact. Top-up strategies (Retirement Sum Topping-Up Scheme to RA, MediSave top-ups up to BHS) can mitigate this for those who still have liquidity to deploy.
CPF LIFE Payout Implications
CPF LIFE monthly payouts are funded by the RA balance at age 65 (or the deferred start age, up to 70). A higher RA balance at payout-start age means a higher monthly payout. Since SA closure does not directly add to RA beyond FRS, members who can voluntarily top up RA above FRS up to ERS will get the largest payout boost. Members who had SA money pushed to OA can still channel that money back into RA via voluntary top-ups, subject to the ERS cap and any year-end timing windows.
Singapore tax residents get up to S$8,000 tax relief annually for Retirement Sum Topping-Up Scheme contributions to their own RA, plus another S$8,000 for top-ups to parents/spouse/siblings/grandparents. For higher-income earners, this can be a meaningful annual tax planning move.
What to Do Now
Check your CPF account online after January 2026 closure date to confirm the reallocation went smoothly. If your RA is below ERS and you have OA surplus, evaluate voluntary RA top-ups to increase the future CPF LIFE payout. If you are using OA for property mortgage, the higher OA balance from SA closure can extend your housing flexibility — but watch the trade-off against retirement payouts.
For broader Singapore retirement planning, see our CPF retirement calculator, CPF 2027 rate calculator, MediSave BHS calculator, and CPF Budget 2026 top-up calculator.
Last updated April 2026. Sources: cpf.gov.sg, mof.gov.sg (Budget 2024 announcements).