Budget 2026 announced further changes to work pass salaries and to the salary used for counting local employees towards foreign worker quotas. Employers should plan ahead for renewals.
Local Qualifying Salary (from 1 July 2026)
The Local Qualifying Salary rises from S$1,600 to S$1,800 a month. Local employees must be paid at least this amount to count as a full local worker when MOM calculates your company’s foreign worker quota.
Employment Pass (from 1 January 2027)
- Minimum qualifying salary rises from S$5,600 to S$6,000 a month (financial services: S$6,200 to S$6,600), with higher amounts for older candidates.
- Applies to new applications from 1 January 2027 and to renewals for passes expiring from 1 January 2028.
S Pass (from 1 January 2027)
- Minimum qualifying salary rises from S$3,300 to S$3,600 a month (financial services: S$3,800 to S$4,000), with higher amounts for older candidates.
- Same timing as the EP changes: new applications from 1 January 2027 and renewals for passes expiring from 1 January 2028.
- The S Pass levy stays at S$650 a month.
What to do now
- Review the salaries of EP and S Pass holders whose passes expire from 2028.
- Check that local employees counted for your quota are paid at least S$1,800 from July 2026.