Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the justification behind the current approach to monthly computation of CPF interest payments using the lowest amount balance; and (b) whether there have been considerations to perform daily or monthly, instead of annual, compounding.
Dr Tan See Leng: The CPF system is designed to help members meet their retirement, healthcare and housing needs. The Government takes into account various factors such as the minimum interest rate and technical computation methodology when determining the CPF interest rates holistically. Even during low interest rate environments, the Government has continued to pay generous interest rates due to the floor rates1. If the pegged rates for CPF interests exceed the floor rates, members will also correspondingly earn the higher interest rates on their CPF savings. On top of that, the Government will also continue to pay one per cent of extra interest on the first $60,000 of members’ combined CPF balances as well as an additional one per cent extra interest on the first $30,000 of post-55 members’ combined CPF balances. While changing how CPF Board computes and compounds CPF interests can translate into marginally higher CPF interest payments, the measures I have laid out already provide CPF members with much higher interest and a greater boost to their CPF savings.
That said, we acknowledge that industry practices have evolved over the years and we will take this into account as we review CPF interest rates periodically to ensure they remain relevant to members’ needs and changes in the operating environment.
Ministry of Manpower
9 January 2023
https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/#/sprs3topic?reportid=written-answer-12485
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 