CPF Nomination Guide: How to Make, Change and Check Yours

A CPF nomination lets you choose who receives your CPF savings and the percentage each person receives when you die. You can make a nomination from age 16 if you are a CPF member and have mental capacity. Making one is free, and it sits alongside your will because CPF account savings fall outside your estate.

The practical benefit is control over both the recipients and their shares. With a valid nomination, CPF Board generally distributes savings in less than five weeks, without a distribution fee. Without one, your savings go through the Public Trustee’s Office, which identifies the legally entitled beneficiaries and deducts administration fees.

You can complete a cash nomination online with Singpass or visit a CPF Service Centre. This guide explains how to prepare your details, submit and check an application, replace an old nomination and keep it current after family changes. It also covers the payout arrangements that need extra thought when a nominee is a child, lives overseas or has special needs.

CPF nomination at a glance

The key tasks are choosing the allocation, finding eligible witnesses and confirming that the nomination has been processed. Submitting the form is only part of the online process.

Sources: CPF online nomination form, witnessing deadline, processing time and life-event rules. Checked 3 October 2026.

Decide which savings your nomination covers

A nomination applies to qualifying CPF assets. Start by separating those assets from your bank savings, property and investments, so each part of your finances has an appropriate instruction.

Your CPF account balances, any remaining CPF LIFE premium balance and discounted Singtel shares are the main assets covered. Special Account savings are included where you still have that account. Ordinary, MediSave and Retirement Account balances are included as applicable.

Discounted Singtel shares are scheduled to transfer to holders’ CDP accounts on 21 November 2026. After transfer, CPF Board will no longer be the trustee. Review those holdings and their estate treatment when that change takes place.

Property bought using CPF, Dependants’ Protection Scheme payouts and CPF Investment Scheme investments follow separate arrangements. In particular, CPFIS investments and cash in a CPF Investment Account generally form part of your estate. Insurance policies with a separate insurance nomination are an exception within CPFIS.

For example, money in your Ordinary Account and units held in a CPFIS investment may have come from the same CPF contributions, but they follow different routes after death. Record them separately when you review your nomination and will.

CPF account savings are not covered by a will: a valid CPF nomination determines who receives them. To choose beneficiaries for both your CPF savings and estate assets, you need both a nomination and a will. MakeGoodwill’s CPF nomination guide explains this difference. Creating a will does not submit a nomination to CPF Board.

Choose your nominees and their percentages

You can choose people who matter to you, including a spouse, partner, children, parents or friends. A nominee can also be someone who does not have a CPF account. Your choice should reflect who you want to support and how the payment will be handled.

There is no overall limit on the number of nominees. The online form accepts up to 15; a CPF Service Centre can handle a nomination with more.

Use percentages for the allocation

Write the shares as percentages of the savings available when you die. A percentage adapts to a changing balance as contributions, withdrawals and retirement payouts continue over your lifetime.

Illustrative allocation only; it is a planning example rather than a recommended split.

If the distributable balance were S$200,000, this example would allocate S$100,000 to the spouse and S$50,000 to each child before any applicable special arrangements. A later balance of S$300,000 would change the amounts to S$150,000 and S$75,000 respectively. The choice of percentages remains yours.

Consider the allocation together with other assets. One person may receive the home or most of your estate under your will, while another receives a larger share of CPF savings. Looking at each document separately can hide that overall difference.

Prepare for foreign or organisational nominees

You can nominate a foreign person. Prepare their full name, foreign identification number and mailing address. An overseas recipient may have inheritance-tax obligations in their country of residence, so cross-border planning may require local advice there.

An organisation must be a legal entity capable of receiving money in its own right. Registered societies, companies and limited liability partnerships can qualify. Check the exact legal name and registration details rather than entering the name of an informal group or project.

Prepare two eligible witnesses

For an online nomination, each witness must be at least 21, have mental capacity and have Singpass. You and your nominees cannot act as witnesses.

Choose people who understand that they are confirming your intention to make a nomination. They should know you are making the decision willingly and consciously. The role involves a declaration, so ask them before entering their details and make sure they can complete it promptly.

Witnesses do not see who you have nominated. Their role is to confirm your intention, rather than approve your choice of beneficiaries or percentages. You can therefore choose suitable witnesses outside the group receiving your savings.

Prepare their full names and identification numbers, together with the email addresses or Singapore-registered mobile numbers needed for notification. Use the details on their identification documents accurately, and check that they can access their own Singpass accounts.

How to make a CPF nomination online

The online route works best when you have agreed the shares and spoken to both witnesses before starting. Keep the nominee and witness details ready so you can review the completed form carefully.

Step 1: Log in through CPF Board

Start from CPF Board’s Make a CPF nomination page and sign in using your own Singpass. You may need additional identity verification, including a camera-enabled device.

Use CPF Board’s website directly when starting the transaction. A family member can help you prepare information or navigate the instructions, while you make the nomination and complete the declarations yourself.

Step 2: Enter the nominees and shares

Add each nominee’s full name, identification number and percentage. The details needed for an online nomination include a mailing address for foreign nominees; nominee email addresses are optional.

Check every entry against the identifying document and ensure the allocation totals 100%. CPF encourages a foreign nominee’s equivalent national identification number where available, because passports can expire. If you want more than 15 nominees, arrange a CPF Service Centre appointment.

Step 3: Enter the witnesses’ details

Provide the identification and contact details requested for each witness. Tell both people that CPF will send them an SMS or email asking them to witness your nomination.

They can complete their part separately. If you are making an online nomination overseas, your witnesses do not need to be physically with you, but each needs a valid Singpass account.

Step 4: Review and submit

Read the nominee list, percentages and declarations before submission. A useful final check is to compare the allocation against your written planning notes, rather than relying on memory or the order in which you entered names.

Keep the application acknowledgement and follow up with both witnesses. Arrange a reminder early in the response window, particularly if either person is travelling or may miss a notification.

Step 5: Confirm the witnessing is complete

Each witness has seven calendar days from receiving the SMS or email request to complete the witnessing. If the witnessing is not completed in time, the application expires and you must submit another application.

Calendar days include weekends and public holidays. Treat this as a deadline to manage, rather than assuming the application will be completed automatically after you submit it.

Step 6: Check the processed nomination

CPF Board generally processes an online nomination within four working days after both witnesses complete their witnessing. Check the application under Activities using your Singpass and then view the nomination details once processed.

Confirm that the names and percentages match your intentions. This final check closes the task: you have both submitted the instruction and verified the resulting record.

Online CPF nomination process with submission, seven-day witnessing deadline and processing time

How to make a nomination in person

You can make a nomination at a CPF Service Centre if you prefer help, do not have Singpass or need to nominate more people than the online form supports. Counter services require an appointment at least one working day in advance.

Bring your NRIC or passport and prepare the identification details or copies requested for your nominees. CPF Customer Service Executives can act as witnesses and help explain the nomination form. Decide the percentages beforehand so the appointment can focus on recording your wishes correctly.

If you have Singpass but need help using the online service, a ServiceSG Centre can assist. This is useful for someone who is comfortable deciding the allocation but is less familiar with the digital form.

How to check and change your CPF nomination

Reviewing an existing nomination is a separate task from starting a new one. First establish what CPF currently has on record, then decide whether it still reflects your wishes.

Check the record with Singpass

Use CPF Board’s nomination details service to view your nomination. Review the recipients and their shares, and consider whether any person’s circumstances have changed.

Nominations made more than 30 years ago cannot be viewed online. CPF recommends making a new nomination even if you want to retain the same people, so their details are current and the new record can be accessed online. An old nomination’s visibility and its legal status are different matters; contact CPF Board if you need to clarify your position.

You can also link CPF information to the My Legacy dashboard to view nomination status and share information with selected Trusted Persons. Keep a record of the instructions in a place your loved ones know about, while keeping your Singpass credentials private.

Replace an existing nomination

To change your nomination, make a new nomination. Once effective, it supersedes the earlier instruction. There is no limit on the number of changes.

Record the complete new allocation, including people you want to retain. Then complete the witnessing and check that CPF has processed it. Updating a will or telling a relative your revised wishes does not update the CPF record.

Withdraw a pending application or revoke a nomination

You can withdraw a pending online application while at least one witness has not completed the witnessing. Use Activities and select the withdrawal option in the transaction details. Withdrawing that application leaves an earlier valid nomination’s status unchanged.

Revoking a standing nomination is a different action. CPF’s processing guidance includes requests to revoke existing nominations; contact CPF Board for the applicable process. If your intention is to change recipients, making a replacement nomination provides a new allocation rather than leaving savings to the default succession route.

Complete the estate side with MakeGoodwill

Once you have recorded your wishes for your CPF savings, set out instructions for your estate assets too. MakeGoodwill helps you create a will: its guide to writing a will in Singapore explains the decisions involved, and its free estate planning checklist shows where you stand on your will, CPF nomination, insurance nominations, LPA and Advance Care Plan in about a minute. Your CPF nomination remains a separate step with the CPF Board.

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Review after marriage and other family changes

The effect of a life event matters as much as the allocation you originally chose. Marriage revokes an existing CPF nomination; divorce does not.

After marriage, submit a fresh nomination. After divorce, decide whether the existing instruction should stay or change, especially if a former spouse is named. Review again after a birth, adoption or a change in someone’s support needs.

If a nominee dies before you, their share is redistributed among surviving nominees in the proportions specified for those survivors. If none survive, the nomination is considered revoked. If a nominee dies after you, their entitlement belongs to their estate.

For example, in an illustrative 50%, 25%, 25% allocation, if the first child dies before the member, the surviving spouse and second child share in a 50:25 ratio. That produces shares of two-thirds and one-third. Review whether that outcome still meets your wishes and submit a new nomination if it does not.

Life events that trigger a review of a CPF nomination

Consider how children and other nominees receive the money

Choosing a recipient also means considering how they can use the payment. A cash lump sum, money held for a child and a scheme providing monthly support have different practical effects.

Nominees below 18

If a nominee is below 18 at the time of claim, their nominated CPF share is transferred to the Public Trustee to be held until they reach 18. An adult caring for the child does not automatically receive that share as their own money.

The Public Trustee’s rules for minors distinguish nominated CPF money, payable at 18, from un-nominated CPF money, generally payable at 21. A parent or guardian facing financial difficulty can apply for a maintenance allowance, subject to the Public Trustee’s assessment.

Fees for investing money held in trust are charged on the interest earned under a separate schedule. Those charges are different from the administration fees deducted when un-nominated CPF money is distributed.

Special needs and private trustees

The Special Needs Savings Scheme can provide monthly payouts for an eligible child with special needs. Contact the Special Needs Trust Company about eligibility and the application process before choosing the arrangement.

A private trustee arrangement needs separate preparation. The trustee or trust company receives the nominated savings in its own right, and CPF Board cannot enforce the private distribution agreement. Make sure the arrangement has suitable legal documentation and a clear plan for the intended beneficiary.

Also review the position if a nominee becomes bankrupt. If the person is an undischarged bankrupt on and from the date of your death, the nominated money vests in their trustee in bankruptcy for their creditors’ benefit. CPF Board notifies the Official Assignee, so the nomination may have a different practical effect from the support you intended.

What happens after a member dies?

With a valid nomination, CPF Board generally contacts nominees within 10 working days after being informed of the death. The Deceased CPF Member Dashboard is generally available to nominees around the same time.

Eligible adult Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident nominees with the required local address and registered bank account may receive automatic disbursement. Other nominees receive instructions to apply for withdrawal. Standard nominated savings are paid in cash; the Enhanced Nomination Scheme provides an alternative for payment into nominees’ CPF accounts.

Without a valid nomination, the Public Trustee distributes qualifying savings under the applicable intestacy rules or Muslim inheritance framework. Beneficiaries may need to produce records proving their relationship to the deceased.

Keep your wider financial plan current

Build a review around the actual tasks: check the CPF record, review your will, check relevant insurance nominations and tell the appropriate people where signed documents can be found. Put another review in your calendar after completing a change, rather than treating the first nomination as a permanent decision.

Your CPF nomination will set out what happens after death; retirement planning considers how you will support yourself while alive. StashAway’s retirement calculator can help you estimate your retirement savings needs alongside these arrangements.

Frequently asked questions

Check witness eligibility and the payout arrangement before completing your nomination.

Can my spouse witness my CPF nomination?

Yes, if your spouse meets the witness requirements and is not one of your nominees. A spouse you have nominated cannot also witness the nomination, so arrange another eligible person.

Can I make a nomination on my parent’s behalf?

A nomination must be made personally by the CPF member. You can help prepare details, but if the member lacks mental capacity, only the courts can make or revoke a nomination on their behalf.

Do nominees receive the money in their CPF accounts?

Cash is the default payout. Payment into CPF accounts requires the Enhanced Nomination Scheme rather than the standard cash nomination.

What if a witness misses the deadline?

The application expires if the witnessing is not completed in time. Submit another nomination and arrange for both witnesses to complete the new request within the response window.

Does a new will change my CPF nomination?

CPF nominations and wills are maintained separately. If you change the people you want to support in your will, review the CPF record too and make a fresh nomination where needed.

Do I need to pay someone to make a nomination?

Making a CPF nomination through CPF Board is free. You can use the online service, seek help at ServiceSG or book a CPF Service Centre appointment, where staff can act as witnesses.

Finish by checking the accepted record

Choose the recipients, enter a complete allocation and follow the application through witnessing and processing. Then check the accepted nomination and review your estate arrangements alongside it. This keeps your instructions up to date for both your CPF savings and your estate assets.