CPFB | Division of CPF assets

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How CPF-related assets are divided in a divorce

Learn how CPF savings, investments and other CPF-related assets are divided as part of divorce.

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Overview
Things to note
Process
Follow up
Resources
FAQs

Use ClauseComposer to draft CPF clauses

A tool to help you draft clauses relating to the division of CPF-related assets in a divorce so that they are in line with CPF legislation. You may use the clauses for reference when preparing your draft divorce court order.

Go to ClauseComposer

Use submission wizard to check if you need to notify us

Not all court orders to divide CPF-related assets require you to notify CPF Board. Use our submission wizard to find out.

Use submission wizard

Use these forms to submit court orders

To instruct the CPF Board to take action on the division of CPF-related assets in a divorce, submit all relevant court orders.

Submit yourself

Submit via lawyer

Overview

Types of CPF-related assets

From here on, "Court" refers to either the Family Justice Courts or the Syariah Court Singapore.

CPF savings

CPF savings may be considered as matrimonial assets. It is up to the Court to decide whether 1 party is entitled to any part of the other party's CPF savings, taking into account the matters set out in section 112 of the Women's Charter / section 52(3)(d) of the Administration of Muslim Law Act.

Property bought using CPF savings

The Court may order a division of your matrimonial property via some of these methods:

Sale or part-share sale
Transfer to ex-spouse with full, partial or no refund to the outgoing owner's CPF accounts
Retention by one party
Surrender

CPF investments

The Court may order a division of CPF-related investments by ordering an ownership transfer of investment from 1 party to the receiving party.

Another method is to order 1 party to sell the investments. The proceeds are refunded to the owner's CPF Investment Schemes' accounts, then to the respective CPF accounts. Finally, the Board transfers the amount directly to the receiving party's CPF accounts, or pays the receiving party in cash.

CPF LIFE premiums and payouts

If 1 party has started receiving monthly payouts from their CPF LIFE plan, the Court may order a payment from these payouts to the receiving party instead.

Alternatively, the Court may order the Board to make a refund of the CPF LIFE premium to their Retirement Account. Depending on the court order, the Board transfers the amount to the receiving party's CPF accounts, or pays the amount to the receiving party in cash.

Things to note

Transfer vs paying in cash

There are 2 ways the Court may order a division of CPF savings between the divorcing parties: transfer orders and charging orders.

If a transfer order is granted

Under a transfer order, we transfer savings directly from 1 party's CPF accounts to the receiving party's CPF accounts. Generally speaking, money is transferred to corresponding CPF accounts: from Ordinary Account to Ordinary Account, MediSave Account to MediSave Account, and so on.

The receiving party can use the CPF savings immediately for approved CPF schemes such as housing, investment and education. They may also withdraw the savings when they are eligible.

Transfer orders can be enforced even if the affected party's retirement savings has yet to meet Full Retirement Sum.

For a transfer order to work, the receiving party must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident at the time of the court order.

If a charging order is granted

Under a charging order, we pay 1 party's CPF savings to the receiving party in cash upon the party becoming eligible to withdraw their CPF savings.

How the court order is executed depends on the receiving party's citizenship status at the time of the court order:

If your ex-spouse is a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident: The charge can only be imposed on savings in your Ordinary and Special Accounts. Only withdrawable savings (i.e. CPF savings after you have set aside the Full Retirement Sum in your Retirement Account) can be paid to your ex-spouse.

If your ex-spouse is a non-Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident: The charge can be imposed on all of your CPF accounts savings. There's no restriction that your retirement savings must meet the Full Retirement Sum in order for the payment to be made.

Closure of Special Accounts from Jan 2025

Special Accounts for all CPF members aged 55 and above will be closed in second half of Jan 2025. If you or your ex-spouse receives a court order for the CPF Board to make a transfer or payment from either party's Special Account, the Board may not be able to carry out such a court order once the affected party's Special Account is closed.

In such a scenario, you and your ex-spouse should consider settling the matter privately.

Alternatively, you may apply to the Court to vary the court order, so that the transfer or payment is made from a different CPF account. If you choose this method, we strongly recommend you seek legal advice so that you understand the application process and its implications.

Process

How the process works

Step 1: Apply to the Courts

Prepare and file the matrimonial application for divorce with the Courts.

If you intend to seek a division of your spouse's CPF-related assets, the court order must include clauses specifying how they should be divided. Ensure that the clauses should be for division of assets you have acquired while married, and they cannot be used towards settling maintenance, personal claims or debts.

Suggested clauses

You or your lawyers may refer to the Board's suggested clauses to draft your court order. These can be found in the Courts' websites. Using these suggested clauses ensures that your court order would be in line with CPF legislations.

Unsure about which clauses to include in your court order? To ensure that your court order aligns with CPF legislation and benefits from faster processing of the court order by the CPF Board, use ClauseComposer to draft the right CPF clauses for your court order.

Step 2: After you receive the court order

If the court order involves non-property CPF-related assets, or a property transfer without a full CPF refund

Court orders involving the division of non-property CPF assets should be submitted to the Board. Orders for the transfer of property with zero or partial CPF refunds should also be submitted.

Submit court order yourself Submission through lawyer

Not sure if you need to submit a court order to the CPF Board? Use the submission wizard to find out.

Step 3: Executing the court order

To protect the confidentiality of your information, we will only send account-specific information to the contact details (i.e. email address, mobile number) registered in Account settings. For court orders submitted by a lawyer from a law firm or Legal Aid Bureau, we will correspond with the lawyer by email.

Division of property

If the court order specifies that your matrimonial property to be disposed, please contact directly the HDB or your conveyancing lawyer.

Follow up

What else should you do after obtaining your court order

Review your CPF nominations

Divorce does not automatically revoke your existing CPF nomination.

If your ex-spouse is one of your CPF nominees, consider making a new nomination to redistribute your CPF savings if necessary.

Make CPF nomination

Stop recurring CPF top-ups to your ex-spouse

Top-ups are only allowed for family members, and divorce does not automatically terminate any automatic recurring top-ups you may have arranged.

You will need to instruct your bank to terminate GIRO arrangements to top-up your ex-spouse’s CPF accounts.

Terminate GIRO arrangements

Appoint new beneficiaries for term insurance

Divorce does not revoke an existing Dependants' Protection Scheme (DPS) nomination.

Please submit a new nomination form to the DPS insurer if you wish to change the beneficiaries of your DPS cover.

Go to Great Eastern Life website

Review administrative matters

Update your contact details

If you share the same contact details as your ex-spouse, please update your mobile number and, or email address via the Account settings page.

Go to Account settings

Removal of your ex-spouse's access to Child dashboard

If you have been granted sole custody of any of your children, your ex-spouse’s access to the relevant child dashboard will be revoked. Please write to us to submit a request and attach the court order as a supporting document, if this has not been earlier submitted to the Board.

Write to us

Update Home Protection Scheme coverage

Adjust or terminate your Home Protection Scheme coverage

You may need to adjust your Home Protection Scheme (HPS) cover to ensure that you are adequately covered for 100% of your outstanding housing loan. If your flat was directed to be sold or disposed under the court order, your HPS cover will be terminated.

Adjust Home Protection Scheme cover

Cancel standing orders for payment of your ex-spouse’s premium shortfall

If you have instructed us to use your CPF savings to pay for shortfalls in your ex-spouse’s annual HPS premium, please write to us to cancel the standing order.

Write to us

Stop insurance premiums and MediSave deductions

Upon divorce, you and your ex-spouse will no longer be eligible to withdraw each other’s MediSave Account savings for healthcare purposes. You need to revoke all existing standing authorisations to use your MediSave Account savings to pay for your ex-spouse’s treatments and insurance premiums.

MediShield Life, CareShield Life and ElderShield premiums

If you are paying for your ex-spouse’s MediShield Life premiums via GIRO, please approach your bank to terminate the GIRO payment.

Change payer for MediShield Life, CareShield Life and ElderShield

MediSave withdrawals

If you had previously made a standing authorisation to use your MediSave to pay for your ex-spouse’s treatments, please approach the medical institution to revoke your authorisation.

MediSave Care

To stop MediSave Care withdrawals from your MediSave Account for your ex-spouse, write to enquiries@aic.sg.

Others

Please approach your private Insurer to stop payments under these schemes:

CareShield Life Supplements
ElderShield Supplements
Integrated Shield Plan

Resources

Need more information?

FAQs

Common questions

Which court orders are required to be submitted to the CPF Board for the purpose of division of CPF assets in a divorce?

How long will CPF Board take to give effect to the court order?

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Division of CPF assets

Member

Employer/Business

Account services

How CPF-related assets are divided in a divorce

Types of CPF-related assets

Transfer vs paying in cash

If a transfer order is granted

If a charging order is granted

Closure of Special Accounts from Jan 2025

How the process works

Step 1: Apply to the Courts

Step 2: After you receive the court order

Step 3: Executing the court order

What else should you do after obtaining your court order

Review your CPF nominations

Stop recurring CPF top-ups to your ex-spouse

Appoint new beneficiaries for term insurance

Review administrative matters

Update Home Protection Scheme coverage

Stop insurance premiums and MediSave deductions

Others

Need more information?

Common questions

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Account services

How CPF-related assets are divided in a divorce

Types of CPF-related assets

Transfer vs paying in cash

If a transfer order is granted

If a charging order is granted

Closure of Special Accounts from Jan 2025

How the process works

Step 1: Apply to the Courts

Step 2: After you receive the court order

Step 3: Executing the court order

What else should you do after obtaining your court order

Review your CPF nominations

Stop recurring CPF top-ups to your ex-spouse

Appoint new beneficiaries for term insurance

Review administrative matters

Update Home Protection Scheme coverage

Stop insurance premiums and MediSave deductions

Others

Need more information?

Common questions