The Ledger
Money in Singapore, explained plainly: cards, accounts, rates, CPF, bonds, tax and insurance, every figure dated and sourced.
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Car Loans in Singapore: The Loan-to-Value Limits, Flat Rates and Early Settlement
MAS caps car loans at 70% of the price for cars with an OMV of S$20,000 or less and 60% above that, over at…
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FIDReC: How to Take a Dispute With a Bank or Insurer to Mediation
If your bank, insurer or other financial institution rejects your complaint, you can file with FIDReC for free within six months of its final…
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Paying for University: Tuition Fee Loans, Study Loans and the CPF Education Scheme
From mid-2026, MOE’s Tuition Fee Loan and Study Loan have been merged into the Higher Education Student Loan, which lends Singaporeans up to 90%…
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Hospital Bills in Singapore: Ward Classes, Subsidies and MediFund
In public hospitals, Singapore Citizens in B2 and C wards get 50% to 80% of the bill subsidised depending on household income, and B2+…
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Gold and Silver Bullion: Buying, Storing and the GST Exemption
Investment-grade gold (99.5% pure or more), silver (99.9%) and platinum (99%) bars from accredited refiners, and listed bullion coins, are exempt from GST in…
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Unit Trusts and ETFs in Singapore: Fees, Platforms and How They Differ
Unit trusts are bought from the fund house through a bank, adviser or platform at the day’s NAV, often with sales charges and total…
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Dividends and Capital Gains in Singapore: What’s Taxed and What Isn’t
Singapore has no capital gains tax, and individuals pay no tax on one-tier dividends from Singapore companies or on foreign dividends received personally. The…
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Donating to Charity in Singapore: The 250% Tax Deduction and IPC Status
Outright donations to charities with IPC status earn a tax deduction of 2.5 times the amount, so S$1,000 given cuts your taxable income by…
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Tax Reliefs for Parents: WMCR, QCR and Parent Relief Explained
Parents can claim S$4,000 Qualifying Child Relief per child, and working mothers add Working Mother’s Child Relief: fixed S$8,000 to S$12,000 for children born…
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The Annual Wage Supplement and Bonuses: How the 13th Month Works and How It’s Taxed
The AWS, or 13th month, is not compulsory in Singapore unless your contract or collective agreement provides for it, and the same goes for…
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The Employment Act Explained: Who It Covers, Leave and Overtime Pay
The Employment Act covers almost every employee in Singapore, but its hours and overtime rules apply only to workmen earning up to S$4,500 and…
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Retrenched in Singapore: Notice, Retrenchment Benefits and the Jobseeker Support Scheme
If you have at least two years’ service, the norm for retrenchment benefit is two weeks’ to one month’s salary per year of service,…
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The CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS): What You Can Invest In and the Rules
CPFIS lets you invest Ordinary Account savings above S$20,000 and Special Account savings above S$40,000, with caps of 35% in shares and 10% in…
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The CPF Top-Up Scheme: Tax Relief and the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme
Cash top-ups to your own CPF earn up to S$8,000 of tax relief a year, and top-ups for family members up to another S$8,000.…
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Savings Accounts With Bonus Interest: How the Tiers and Criteria Work
Bonus-interest accounts pay a tiny base rate plus extra interest when you credit your salary, spend on the bank’s card or buy its products,…
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Your IRAS Notice of Assessment: How to Read It and How to Object
Your Notice of Assessment is IRAS’s tax bill: it works down from your income, through reliefs and rebates, to the tax you owe and…
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REITs in Singapore: How They Pay, Gearing Limits and the Risks
A REIT owns income-producing property and must pay out at least 90% of its taxable income to stay tax-transparent, and those distributions are tax-free…
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Joint Bank Accounts: Either-or, Both-to-Sign, and What Happens When a Holder Dies
An either-or joint account lets any holder transact alone; a both-to-sign account needs every holder to approve. When a holder dies, the bank restricts…
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The End of Cheques in Singapore: What Changes and When
Banks stopped issuing new cheque books to companies by 31 December 2025, and from 1 January 2027 they will not process any corporate cheques…
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PayNow and FAST Transfers: Limits, Mistaken Transfers and Getting Money Back
PayNow and FAST move Singapore dollars between banks almost instantly, up to S$200,000 per FAST transaction, subject to your own bank’s limits. A mistaken…
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Multi-Currency Accounts and Travel Cards: How the Exchange Rates and Fees Work
Travel cards and multi-currency accounts from providers such as YouTrip and Wise convert at or near the mid-market rate, with a small or zero…
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Digital Banks in Singapore: Who They Are and How Your Deposits Are Protected
Singapore’s app-only banks for individuals are GXS Bank and MariBank, which hold MAS digital full bank licences, and Trust Bank, backed by Standard Chartered…
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Buy Now, Pay Later in Singapore: How It Works and the Rules That Protect You
Buy now, pay later splits a purchase into a few instalments, usually interest-free if you pay on time. In Singapore, an industry code in…
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Balance Transfers and Debt Consolidation Plans: How They Work
A balance transfer lends you money at 0% interest for a few months in return for a one-time fee, then reverts to the bank’s…
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Personal Loans in Singapore: EIR, Processing Fees and Early Repayment
Bank personal loans in Singapore are usually advertised at a flat rate, but the effective interest rate (EIR) is the true yearly cost and…
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Home Contents Insurance: What It Covers Beyond HDB Fire Insurance
HDB fire insurance only reinstates the internal structures and fixtures HDB built; it excludes household contents. Home contents insurance fills the gap, covering your…
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Personal Accident Insurance: What It Covers and What It Doesn’t
Personal accident insurance pays out for injuries caused by a sudden, unexpected external event: a lump sum for accidental death or permanent disability, plus…
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Critical Illness Insurance: Early-Stage, Multi-Stage and What Policies Pay
Critical illness insurance pays a lump sum when you are diagnosed with a covered illness, whatever your medical bills come to. Severe-stage cover uses…
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Endowment Plans: How They Work, and What Surrendering Early Costs
An endowment plan is a savings policy that pays a lump sum at maturity, usually after 10 to 20 years, with a small life…
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Robo-Advisers in Singapore: How They Work, the Fees and What MAS Regulates
A robo-adviser builds and rebalances a portfolio of funds for you by algorithm, for an annual fee that typically runs from about 0.2% to…
