CPF Nomination: Why Your CPF Is Not Covered by Your Will

Many people assume that their will covers everything they own, including their CPF. It does not. CPF savings are one of the largest assets most Singaporeans hold, and they sit entirely outside the will. Instead, they are governed by a separate mechanism: the CPF nomination.

This guide explains why CPF is not part of your estate, how a nomination works under the Central Provident Fund Act 1953, and what happens, including the fees, if you never make one.

This is general legal information, not legal advice. Consult a qualified advocate and solicitor about your situation.

CPF is not part of your estate

The CPF Board states plainly that CPF savings cannot be included in your will because they do not form your estate. This is not a quirk of interpretation; it is how the scheme is built. It follows that writing "I leave my CPF to my daughter" in a will has no legal effect on your CPF at all.

The consequence is important. Your will and your CPF nomination are two separate instruments, and you need to keep both up to date. Reviewing one without the other is a common gap in estate planning.

How a CPF nomination works

Under section 25 of the Central Provident Fund Act 1953, a CPF member may nominate any person to receive their CPF savings on death. The section says the nominee receives the money "in his or her own right". That wording is the key: it gives the nominee a direct entitlement to the CPF money, so it passes to them straight from the CPF Board rather than through the deceased's estate.

Because the money never enters the estate, it also bypasses probate and is protected from claims by creditors of the estate. Nominees are usually paid out much faster than beneficiaries of an un-nominated estate.

You can nominate anyone: a spouse, children, other relatives, or someone unrelated to you. You can name more than one nominee and set the proportions each receives.

What happens if you do not nominate

If a member dies without a CPF nomination, the CPF savings do not simply follow the will, and there is no default that sends them to a spouse automatically. Instead, the CPF money is transferred to the Public Trustee's Office, which distributes it according to the intestacy rules under the Intestate Succession Act 1967, or according to Muslim law for a Muslim member. The intestate succession page explains those shares.

The CPF Board notes that this route can take up to six months, because eligible family members have to be identified and verified, whereas a nomination pays out quickly.

The Public Trustee's fee on un-nominated CPF

Distribution by the Public Trustee is not free. The Public Trustee's Office charges a tiered administration fee on un-nominated CPF money, and it is worth knowing the real figures, because several online sources quote an outdated "flat 0.5 per cent" figure that is wrong.

The Public Trustee's own published schedule for CPF monies is:

There is a minimum fee of S$15, the fee includes GST, and it cannot be waived. Making a nomination avoids this fee entirely, which is one more reason to nominate.

Making or updating a nomination

You can make, change or revoke a CPF nomination online through the CPF Board using Singpass. A nomination should be reviewed after major life events, because certain events can affect an existing nomination and because your wishes may change. Marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or the death of a nominee are all good prompts to check that your nomination still reflects what you want.

Because CPF sits outside the will, keeping your CPF nomination current is just as important as keeping your will and your Lasting Power of Attorney up to date.

This guide is part of the wills, estates and power of attorney in Singapore section, which links the related guides on planning ahead and settling an estate.