Here’s How Much Singapore’s President, Prime Minister, And Cabinet Ministers Are Paid In Salary

For the first time in 15 years, Singapore’s political office holders will receive a salary adjustment.

From 15 October 2026, existing political appointment holders will receive a one-off salary adjustment of up to 9%, depending on individual circumstances, including their performance and when their salary was last adjusted.

At the same time, the Government has accepted the recommendation of an independent review committee to raise the reference salary for an entry-level MR4 Minister from $1.1 million to $1.8 million a year.

However, this does not mean Ministers currently earning $1.1 million will immediately start earning $1.8 million.

For an MR4 Minister receiving the current reference salary of $1.1 million, a full 9% adjustment in October 2026 would bring their annual salary to around $1.2 million. Future salary changes will then depend on individual performance and responsibilities, rather than automatic increases towards the $1.8 million benchmark.

Who Sets The Pay For Singapore’s President, Prime Minister And Cabinet Ministers?

Singapore’s current political salary framework was established following a review after the 2011 General Election.

An independent committee then recommended a new framework that sought to balance three considerations: attracting capable people into political leadership, recognising the ethos of public service through a discount to market pay, and maintaining a “clean wage” without hidden perks.

The framework was subsequently reviewed in 2017. That review found the framework remained sound. It recommended adjusting political salaries in line with changes in the benchmark, the Government decided not to make any salary adjustments because of the economic conditions at the time. Another scheduled review in 2023 was deferred amid an uncertain economic and geopolitical environment.

As a result, political salaries had remained unchanged since 2011.

In December 2025, the Government convened another independent committee to review political salaries. The committee completed its work and submitted its recommendations in April 2026, although consideration of its recommendations was initially deferred because of global economic uncertainty.

On 8 September 2026, the Government announced that it would accept the committee’s recommendations.

Read Also: Salary Guide: How Much Do Civil Servants In Singapore Earn

What Is The Benchmark For Minister Salaries In Singapore?

Cabinet Ministers are placed within ministerial grades, with MR4 being the entry-level Minister grade.

Under the political salary framework, the reference salary for an MR4 Minister is benchmarked against the median annual income of the top 1,000 Singaporean earners, with a 40% discount applied to reflect the ethos of political service.

The 2026 review committee concluded that this benchmark remains relevant.

However, because incomes among the benchmark group have increased since the framework was introduced, the Government has accepted the committee’s recommendation to raise the MR4 reference salary from:

$1.1 million to $1.8 million a year

According to the Public Service Division (PSD), this represents an average annual growth rate of about 3.6% since 2011, which is slower than the income growth of Singaporeans at both the 20th percentile and median over the same period.

Importantly, the $1.8 million figure is a reference benchmark, rather than an automatic salary that every MR4 Minister will receive.

Existing Ministers Will Receive Up To A 9% Adjustment

Despite accepting the new $1.8 million benchmark, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has decided not to move existing political appointment holders immediately to the updated benchmark. Instead, existing political appointment holders will receive a one-off salary adjustment of up to 9% from 15 October 2026.

The exact increase will depend on factors including the office holder’s individual performance and when their salary was last adjusted.

For example, an MR4 Minister currently earning the $1.1 million reference salary and receiving the full 9% increase would see annual remuneration rise by almost $100,000 to around:

There will also be no special future increases designed simply to close the gap between Ministers’ salaries and the new $1.8 million benchmark. Instead, subsequent salary changes will be based on individual performance and responsibilities.

Currently, 10 of 16 Ministers are at the MR4 grade, while the other six are at higher grades because of their seniority and heavier responsibilities.

The New MR4 Salary Range Will Be Between $1.35 Million and $2.25 Million

The Government will also widen the salary range within each ministerial grade.

Under the new framework, Ministers may be paid between 75% and 125% of the reference salary for their grade.

For an MR4 Minister, this means the new salary range around the $1.8 million reference salary will be:

75% of $1.8 million = $1.35 million

to

125% of $1.8 million = $2.25 million

This gives the Prime Minister greater flexibility to differentiate salaries by experience, responsibilities, and performance.

For example, a new political office holder could enter at the lower end of the salary range, while someone with substantially more experience may be paid at a higher point within the same grade.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said he expects most Ministers who remain at MR4 to be around the lower end of the new range, or approximately $1.35 million, by the end of the current term of Government. He also stressed that the $1.8 million benchmark should not be regarded as a target salary that every Minister will eventually reach.

Ministerial Grades Will Also Be Streamlined

There are currently four Ministerial grades – MR4, MR3, MR2 and MR1.

As part of the revised salary framework, the MR2 and MR3 grades will be merged, reducing the number of Ministerial tiers.

The grades for Mayors, Senior Parliamentary Secretaries and Parliamentary Secretaries will also be merged. For this group, the salary range will be even wider, at between 70% and 130% of the reference salary for the merged grade.

How Is A Minister’s Annual Salary Calculated?

The reference annual salary of an MR4 Minister is an all-in figure comprising both fixed and variable components.

Under the existing framework, an MR4 Minister’s annual remuneration comprises:

• 12 months of monthly salary
• 1 month 13th-month Non-Pensionable Annual Allowance (NPAA)
• Annual Variable Component (AVC), typically assumed to be 1 month
• Individual Performance Bonus, typically assumed to be 3 months for good performance
• National Bonus, typically assumed to be 3 months when the relevant targets are met

Together, these amount to a 20-month annual salary package in a typical year.

The actual amount received may differ. The AVC varies with the payment made to civil servants. At the same time, the Individual Performance Bonus can range from 0 to 6 months, and the National Bonus can range from 0 to 6 months, depending on performance against the prescribed indicators.

This produces the commonly cited 20-month annual package used to calculate the MR4 reference salary.

Under the previous $1.1 million benchmark, this was equivalent to a benchmark monthly salary of about $55,000.

However, actual remuneration can be higher or lower than the reference salary because Ministers may occupy different points within their salary ranges and variable bonuses may differ.

In 2025, for example, Ministers’ Individual Performance Bonuses ranged from three to six months, according to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Ministers also operate under a “clean wage” system. They do not receive pensions for their ministerial service and rely on CPF for their basic retirement needs. Medical benefits are based on arrangements broadly similar to those provided to civil servants.

Regardless of whether a Minister holds more than one ministerial portfolio, the Minister receives only one political office holder salary.

The National Bonus Targets Will Also Be Updated

Part of a political office holder’s remuneration is linked to Singapore’s socioeconomic performance through the National Bonus.

The Government has accepted the review committee’s recommendation to update the targets used for calculating the National Bonus.

The four indicators and updated target ranges are:

The updated targets are intended to place a tighter focus on Singaporeans’ socioeconomic progress while accounting for Singapore’s maturing economy.

How Much Is Singapore’s Prime Minister Paid?

Under the political salary framework, the Prime Minister’s salary is set at twice the MR4 benchmark.

Under the previous $1.1 million MR4 reference salary, this gave the Prime Minister a reference annual salary of:

2 × $1.1 million = $2.2 million a year

Unlike other Ministers, the Prime Minister does not receive an Individual Performance Bonus because no individual is responsible for assessing the Prime Minister’s performance. Instead, the Prime Minister receives a larger National Bonus component.

With the MR4 benchmark now being updated to $1.8 million, the corresponding benchmark under the existing formula would be $3.6 million.

However, this should not be interpreted as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong immediately receiving $3.6 million a year.

The Government has decided not to move existing political appointment holders straight to the new salary benchmarks. Instead, the immediate salary adjustment for existing office holders will be limited to up to 9%.

Prime Minister Wong has also said that, for the next five years, assuming he remains Prime Minister, he will donate the full increase in his salary arising from this adjustment to suitable good causes.

How Much Is Singapore’s President Paid?

Under the existing salary framework, the President receives the same monthly salary as the Prime Minister, including the 13th-month payment and AVC, but does not receive an Individual Performance Bonus or National Bonus.

Under the previous framework, this worked out to an annual salary of $1.54 million, or about 70% of the Prime Minister’s $2.2 million annual salary.

The Government has confirmed that the President’s salary will be adjusted according to its existing peg to the new MR4 reference salary from 15 October 2026.

Based on the existing formula, the revised President’s annual salary would therefore work out to:

70% × $3.6 million = $2.52 million a year

Unlike Ministers, this adjustment is explicitly tied to the President’s existing peg to the updated MR4 reference salary rather than the up-to-9% adjustment applying to existing political appointment holders.

How Much Are The Speaker And Deputy Speakers Of Parliament Paid?

The salaries of the Speaker and Deputy Speakers of Parliament are also linked to the MR4 benchmark.

Under the existing framework, a full-time Speaker’s remuneration is pegged to the MR4 benchmark. Because the Speaker role is currently not a full-time position, the annual salary is set at 50% of the MR4 benchmark.

Previously, this amounted to:

50% × $1.1 million = $550,000 a year

The Deputy Speaker’s allowance is set at 15% of the Speaker’s salary, which previously worked out to $82,500 a year.

The Government has confirmed that the salaries of the Speaker and Deputy Speakers will be adjusted according to their existing pegs to the new MR4 reference salary from 15 October 2026.

Based on the existing formulas, this would translate to:

Speaker: $900,000 a year

Deputy Speaker: $135,000 a year

MPs Will Receive A Higher Monthly Allowance Of $18,500

The review also covers the allowances paid to Members of Parliament.

From 15 October 2026, the monthly allowance paid to MPs will increase from:

$13,750 to $18,500

This represents an increase of $4,750 a month, or about 34.5%.

The Government has also accepted recommendations to increase the allowances paid to Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) and Non-Constituency Members of Parliament (NCMPs).

Read Also: How Much Are Singapore Members Of Parliament (MP) Paid?