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Payroll software

What Singapore payroll software has to handle

Updated

CPF, SDL, itemised payslips and IR8A: what Singapore payroll has to get right every month and at year end, and a checklist for choosing payroll software.

The cost of doing payroll by hand

Singapore’s payroll obligations are specific. Itemised payslips have been mandatory since 1 April 2016 for employees covered by the Employment Act, issued with payment or within 3 working days. CPF for each month's wages is due on the last day of that month. CPF Board takes enforcement action if it is still unpaid by the 14th of the following month. SDL: 0.25% of monthly wages, minimum S$2, maximum S$11.25, paid with CPF. IR8A for 2026 income is due by 1 March 2027. AIS is mandatory if you had 5 or more employees in 2026, received a notice to file, or were registered for AIS on or before 1 March 2026.

For a five-person firm, a spreadsheet might hold up. At fifteen or twenty staff, with varying ages, residency statuses and leave balances, the manual approach starts to crack.

Dates that change the figures

  • CPF Ordinary Wage ceiling: S$8,000 a month from 1 January 2026.
  • From 1 January 2027, total CPF for employees above 55 to 60 rises to 35.5%, and for above 60 to 65 to 26%.

A checklist for choosing payroll software

Ask these of any payroll software, including ours.

  1. 1
    Does it work out employer and employee CPF for each employee? Using each employee's age and residency status, with the S$8,000 Ordinary Wage ceiling.
  2. 2
    Will it apply the new rates for employees above 55 to 65 from 1 January 2027? Total CPF rises to 35.5% above 55 to 60, and to 26% above 60 to 65.
  3. 3
    Does it add SDL to every pay run? 0.25% of monthly wages, minimum S$2, maximum S$11.25, paid with CPF.
  4. 4
    Does it issue itemised payslips? With payment or within 3 working days, for employees covered by the Employment Act.
  5. 5
    What does it give you for IR8A? Working figures you key in yourself, or a file you can submit through AIS. IR8A for 2026 income is due by 1 March 2027.
  6. 6
    What do you still do yourself? For example, submitting and paying CPF, and filing IR8A. Ask before you buy.

Where MassAdmin fits

MassAdmin's HR & Payroll module calculates employee and employer CPF in every pay run from the 2026 rate tables, with the S$8,000 Ordinary Wage ceiling, and adds SDL. You set each permanent resident's PR year. It emails itemised PDF payslips and gives you a CPF contribution summary (CSV). It does not calculate CPF on bonuses, and the rates that start on 1 January 2027 are not in the current release. In this release, check the CPF for anyone who turned 55, 60, 65 or 70 in the past 12 months, and each employee's share, which keeps cents.

You check each line, then submit and pay through CPF EZPay.

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Sources

  • Source: MOM (updated 14 March 2024). Checked 10 October 2026.
  • Source: CPF Board, Making CPF contributions (updated 7 July 2025). Checked 10 October 2026.
  • Source: CPF Board, Skills Development Levy (updated 2 July 2026). Checked 10 October 2026.
  • Source: IRAS, Auto-Inclusion Scheme (updated 20 August 2026). Checked 10 October 2026.
  • Source: CPF Board, What is the Ordinary Wage (OW) ceiling? (updated 14 August 2026). Checked 10 October 2026.
  • Source: CPF Board, CPF Contribution Changes from 1 January 2027 (updated 9 June 2026). Checked 10 October 2026.

This guide is for general information only and does not constitute legal or financial advice.

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