Singapore's personal income tax rates are among the lowest in the developed world, but the effective rate you pay can be even lower if you take full advantage of the available tax reliefs. For Year of Assessment (YA) 2027 — which covers income earned in 2026 — IRAS offers more than 20 different tax reliefs covering employment, family, retirement, health, and education.
The total amount of personal income tax reliefs is capped at $80,000 per year. Even so, many taxpayers leave money on the table by not claiming reliefs they are entitled to. This guide walks through every major relief and helps you plan your claims for maximum tax savings.
Employment and Earned Income Reliefs
Earned Income Relief: This is automatic for anyone with employment or self-employment income. For those below 55, the relief is $1,000. For those aged 55 to 59, it is $6,000. For those 60 and above, it is $8,000. If you have a disability, the amounts are doubled.
CPF Relief: Your mandatory CPF employee contributions qualify for tax relief. For most employees aged 55 and below earning above the CPF ceiling, this is approximately $16,320 per year (20% of $6,800 x 12). This relief is automatically computed by IRAS based on your CPF contribution records.
CPF Cash Top-Up Relief: Voluntary top-ups to your own Special Account or Retirement Account (or those of eligible family members) qualify for additional relief. You can claim up to $8,000 for topping up your own account and another $8,000 for family members — a potential tax saving of over $3,000 for higher-rate taxpayers.
Model the impact of all these reliefs on your tax bill using our tax reliefs calculator.
Family-Related Reliefs
Qualifying Child Relief (QCR): $4,000 per unmarried child who was under 16, or studying full-time at a recognised institution. The handicapped child equivalent (HCR) is $7,500 per child. Both parents can share the claim, but the total per child cannot exceed the stated amount.
Working Mother's Child Relief (WMCR): Working mothers can claim a percentage of their earned income as a relief, starting at 15% for the first child, 20% for the second, and 25% for each subsequent child. The total WMCR claim is capped at 100% of the mother's earned income.
Parenthood Tax Rebate (PTR): This is a tax rebate (not a relief) — it directly reduces your tax payable rather than your chargeable income. The rebate is $5,000 for the first child, $10,000 for the second, and $20,000 for each subsequent child. Unused PTR can be carried forward to future years.
Grandparent Caregiver Relief: If a working mother's parent, grandparent, parent-in-law, or grandparent-in-law looks after her child who is 12 or under, she can claim $3,000. Only one working mother can claim this relief per year.
Spouse Relief / Handicapped Spouse Relief: If your spouse's income is below $4,000 in the previous year, you can claim $2,000 (or $5,500 for a handicapped spouse).
Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) Relief
SRS contributions are one of the most powerful tax planning tools available in Singapore. Singapore citizens and PRs can contribute up to $15,300 per year to their SRS account, and foreigners can contribute up to $35,700. The full contribution is deductible from your chargeable income.
For a Singaporean in the 15% tax bracket, a $15,300 SRS contribution saves $2,295 in tax. For a foreigner in the 22% bracket contributing $35,700, the tax saving is $7,854. The funds can be invested in stocks, bonds, unit trusts, and fixed deposits within the SRS account, and investment gains within SRS are tax-free.
The trade-off is that SRS withdrawals before the statutory retirement age (currently 63) incur a 5% penalty plus tax on the full amount. Withdrawals after retirement age are taxed on only 50% of the amount, spread over 10 years — making the effective tax rate on withdrawal very low for most people.
SRS is particularly valuable for high earners. If you are earning above $120,000, the combination of CPF contributions, SRS contributions, and other reliefs can reduce your effective tax rate substantially. Model the impact using our salary calculator and tax reliefs calculator.
Course Fees and Donations
Course Fees Relief: You can claim up to $5,500 per year for fees paid on courses, seminars, and conferences for work-related or approved academic qualifications. The course must lead to a qualification or be relevant to your current or a new employment. Courses at approved institutions in Singapore and overseas qualify.
Donations Relief: Donations to Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs) qualify for 250% tax deduction — meaning a $1,000 donation gives you a $2,500 deduction. This is one of the most generous donation tax incentives in the world. Eligible donations include cash, shares, and works of art.
Life Insurance and NSman Reliefs
Life Insurance Relief: If your employer does not contribute to CPF on your behalf (common for foreigners), you can claim premiums on life insurance policies up to $5,000 or the CPF contribution shortfall, whichever is lower.
NSman Relief: National Servicemen can claim $3,000 for active NSmen, $1,500 for non-active NSmen, and $750 for wives or parents of NSmen.
How to Claim and Common Mistakes
Most tax reliefs in Singapore are claimed during the annual tax filing process between March and April. IRAS pre-fills many reliefs based on CPF records, but you must manually claim others such as course fees, SRS contributions, and family-related reliefs.
Common mistakes include not claiming SRS contributions (you must declare the contribution even though IRAS may not pre-fill it), both parents claiming the full QCR for the same child (the total is $4,000 per child, not per parent), and forgetting the CPF cash top-up relief (if you topped up your SA voluntarily, you need to claim it).
For a comprehensive view of how all these reliefs interact with your income, use our tax reliefs calculator. Pair it with the salary calculator for the complete picture of your take-home pay after tax and CPF. If you are comparing job offers, the salary comparison calculator factors in the tax impact of different salary levels.