[GE2025 Edition] How Much Can Each Candidate Spend On The Singapore General Election?

The 2025 General Election season has officially begun. The 14th Parliament of Singapore was dissolved, and the Writ of Election was issued on Tuesday. Singapore goes to the polls on Saturday, 3 May 2025.

This year, almost 2.8 million Singaporeans will vote for 97 Members of Parliament (MPs) across 33 constituencies – including 15 Single Member Constituencies (SMCs), 8 Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) with 4 members, and 10 GRCs with 5 members.

Several political parties are expected to field candidates in each of these, including the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), as well as Workers’ Party (WP), Progress Singapore Party (PSP) and others.

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With a minimum 9 days of hustling between Nomination Day on 23 April and Polling Day on 3 May, Singaporeans can expect a blitz of physical and online campaigning from all parties. These efforts are going to cost money. To ensure a level playing field, there is a limit to parliamentary election expenses each party can incur.

The Maximum Parliamentary Election Expense In 2025

From 2025, the maximum parliamentary election expense is $5 per candidate per voter. This amount was increased from $4, set in 2015. Here is a brief history of the changes to this amount.

A party therefore must limit their spending according to the number of voters within the constituency they are contesting. In a Group Representation Constituency (GRC), the amount is divided by the number of candidates.

If you’re wondering which constituency allows for the highest spend per candidate, it is Bukit Panjang SMC. This is because they have the highest number of voters per candidate, and therefore the highest election spending cap. On the other end of the spectrum, Kebun Baru SMC, with the lowest number of voters per candidate, has the lowest election spending cap.

Bukit Panjang SMC was one of the few constituencies left unchanged when the new electoral boundaries were drawn up, so it is not surprising that it has taken over the place of 2020’s leader Ang Mo Kio GRC with the highest spending cap. That said, despite having part of Ang Mo Kio GRC carved out to form Jalan Kayu SMC, it still remains the biggest GRC in Singapore.

Read Also: How Much Can Each Candidate Spend On The Singapore General Elections

What Are Parliamentary Election Candidates Allowed To Spend On

Now we know the maximum each political candidate is allowed to spend, but what is considered election expenditure? The broad expenditure categories are:

• Election advertising expenses (both in physical and online forms)
• Election meeting expenses (rallies and assembly centres)
• Transport expenses
• Office rental, office equipment and supplies
• Allowance for election agents, polling agents and counting agents
• Other miscellaneous expenses
• Candidate’s personal expenses

It is very important to declare all election-related expenses, even those incurred before the Writ of Election was issued on Tuesday. For example, if a political party printed flyers or filmed election content ahead of time, they would still need to declare them in the interests of fairness.

What Are Not Considered Election Expenses

The costs of implementing cybersecurity measures are not considered election expenses and don’t have to be declared. Likewise, any expenses incurred when responding to cyberattacks are not considered election expenses and don’t have to be declared.

Candidate Election Expenses In Previous Elections

While it is illegal to spend more than the expense cap, political parties traditionally do not come close to the upper limit of parliamentary election expenses. For six months after the end of every general election, the Elections Department releases the expenditure records for a period of six months. All members of the public are entitled to view them after paying a nominal fee.

The People’s Action Party (PAP) typically spends more per voter than their opponents. A non-exhaustive list of opposition parties includes the Workers’ Party (WP), Progress Singapore Party (PSP), Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), People’s Voice (PV), Singapore People’s Party (SPP) and Reform Party (RP).