Employment Pass Salary 2027: S$6,000 Floor and What to Do Now

The Employment Pass salary floor rises on 1 January 2027. For new applications from that date, the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) EP qualifying salary goes from S$5,600 to S$6,000 at the youngest ages and from S$10,700 to S$11,500 at age 45 and above (financial services: S$6,200 to S$6,600, and S$11,800 to S$12,700). Renewals follow a year later: the higher figures apply to passes expiring from 1 January 2028. If you are hiring a foreign professional whose offer sits between the old and new figure for their age, decide in the next eight weeks whether to apply before the change or raise the offer.

The salary floor is only stage 1. Candidates must also score 40 points under COMPASS unless exempt, and employers with 10 or more staff must usually advertise the role on MyCareersFuture for 14 consecutive days first. That advertising window is what makes December tight.

How much is the Employment Pass salary in 2027 by age?

MOM's table rises in steps with age. Selected rows for all sectors except financial services, current figure first and the 2027 figure second:

• 23 or below: S$5,600, then S$6,000.
• 25: S$6,064, then S$6,500.
• 28: S$6,759, then S$7,250.
• 30: S$7,223, then S$7,750.
• 35: S$8,382, then S$9,000.
• 40: S$9,541, then S$10,250.
• 45 or above: S$10,700, then S$11,500.

The gap widens with age: S$400 at the bottom, S$527 at 30, S$618 at 35, S$709 at 40 and S$800 at 45. Financial services runs higher at every age; check its separate table on MOM's page. MOM benchmarks the floor to the top third of local professional, manager, executive and technician (PMET) salaries by age, and says a candidate below it is ineligible "regardless of the points" under COMPASS.

What does COMPASS add for a small firm?

COMPASS awards up to 20 points on each of four foundational criteria and needs 40 to pass:

• C1 Salary: 20 points at or above the 90th percentile of local PMET salaries for the sector and age, 10 points from the 65th to below the 90th, none below the 65th. This benchmark is separate from the qualifying salary.
• C2 Qualifications: 20 for degrees from top-tier institutions, 10 for other degree-equivalent qualifications.
• C3 Diversity and C4 Support for local employment: firms with fewer than 25 PMETs score 10 points on each by default.

That default matters for SMEs: a firm with fewer than 25 PMETs starts with 20 points, so a candidate with a degree-equivalent qualification (10) and a salary at the 65th percentile or above (10) reaches 40. Bonus points exist for jobs on the Shortage Occupation List (C5) and for firms in certain economic programmes (C6). Candidates on a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 are exempt from COMPASS.

MOM's Self-Assessment Tool gives an indicative result including the COMPASS score; MOM says an "eligible" result means around a 90% chance of approval and a "not eligible" result means you should not apply.

Worked example: an offer caught by the change (illustrative)

Mei Ling runs a 14-person digital marketing agency and wants to hire a 30-year-old account director at S$7,400 a month.

1. Stage 1 today: S$7,400 clears the current S$7,223 for age 30.
2. Stage 1 from 1 January 2027: the new figure is S$7,750, so a new application filed in 2027 fails by S$350 a month, or S$4,200 a year.
3. Advertising: with 14 employees she is not exempt, so under MOM's Fair Consideration Framework rules the MyCareersFuture ad must run at least 14 consecutive days, show a visible salary range whose maximum is no more than twice the minimum and includes the candidate's salary, and she should not make an offer during those 14 days.
4. Timing: an ad posted on Tuesday 1 December closes its 14 days on Monday 14 December, leaving time to apply before Christmas. MOM's page applies the new figure to "new applications from 1 Jan 2027" but does not say whether that means the date of filing or of decision, so we would not plan on a filing in the last days of December. MOM's application page warns that processing can take longer than 10 working days if additional documents are requested.
5. Her choice: apply in December at S$7,400, or offer at least S$7,750 and apply whenever the role is ready. Either way, if the pass expires on or after 1 January 2028, its renewal will be judged against the higher table.

Renewal check (illustrative). Mei Ling's existing hire, who will be 38 at renewal and earns S$9,300, holds a pass expiring on 15 November 2027. That expiry is before 1 January 2028, so the renewal uses the current S$9,077 and she can apply from mid-May 2027. Had the pass expired on 15 January 2028, with the holder still 38, the 2027 table's S$9,750 would apply and S$9,300 would fall short. MOM's renewal page says renewing early loses nothing: up to six months of remaining validity is added on, and a renewed pass can last up to three years.

Can I adjust salaries after the pass is approved?

Not freely. MOM's notification rules say you must tell MOM if you lower or raise an EP holder's salary. To lower it, submit a request at least one month before the change, and the holder must still qualify at the new salary or you should cancel the pass and apply afresh. A raise can be declared at renewal unless the holder is applying for dependant privileges. The salary you declare is the salary you must pay; in a case MOM announced on 16 October 2026, two people who ran an Ayurvedic centre were found guilty of paying two EP holders far less than their declared salaries, as our guide to phantom workers and false work pass declarations explains.

Checklist for EP hiring before 1 January 2027

1. List every pending EP hire and every pass expiring in 2027 and early 2028, with the holder's age and fixed monthly salary.
2. For each, compare the salary with both columns of MOM's table for that age and sector.
3. Run the Self-Assessment Tool; do not apply on a "not eligible" result.
4. If a candidate only clears the current table, post the MyCareersFuture ad by early December and hold the offer until the 14 days are up.
5. Budget the 2027 floor into offers you cannot file in 2026; the difference is S$400 to S$800 a month by age.
6. Diary renewal windows six months before each expiry and renew early where it helps.
7. Keep payslips and bank records that match the declared salary for every pass holder.

If an agency is handling the search, our guide to comparing recruitment agency quotes covers what to ask about work pass support, and our guide to comparing HR software covers expiry reminders. Other employer duties are under operations.

Common questions