COMPASS C1 Salary Benchmarks, August 2026 Update: What the New Table Means for 2027 EP Applications and Renewals

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) released updated COMPASS C1 salary benchmark tables in August 2026, and for once the headline is not a new minimum qualifying salary. It is something quieter, but arguably more consequential for well-run companies: the goalposts for scoring points on the salary criterion have moved, sector by sector and age by age. If your organisation plans to hire or renew an Employment Pass (EP) holder from January 2027 onwards, the compensation package you are budgeting today may no longer clear the bar that will actually apply.

COMPASS (the Complementarity Assessment Framework) is the points system MOM uses to assess most new EP applications and renewals. The C1 salary criterion is one of four foundational pillars, and it rewards candidates whose fixed monthly salary sits well above the median for their age and sector, not merely above the bare EP qualifying salary floor. Because the benchmark is recalculated every year against local wage data, a candidate who scored comfortably in 2026 is not guaranteed the same score under the 2027 table.

This article sets out exactly what changed in the August 2026 release, walks through the new benchmark figures for a handful of representative sectors, and gives Singapore SME employers a practical compensation-review checklist to run before the new table starts binding on 1 January 2027.

What actually changed in August 2026

MOM publishes two live COMPASS C1 salary benchmark tables at any given time, and it is easy to apply the wrong one if you are not paying attention to effective dates. As of September 2026, the position is as follows:

• The August 2025 table remains in effect for new EP applications made in calendar year 2026, and for renewals of EPs expiring between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027.
• The August 2026 table (the update this article is about) takes over for new EP applications from 1 January 2027, and for renewals of EPs expiring from 1 July 2027 onwards.

In other words, if you are renewing a pass that expires in, say, March 2027, you are still assessed against the older August 2025 benchmark. If you are hiring a new EP holder to start in February 2027, or renewing a pass that expires in August 2027, the new table applies. Employers running multi-year headcount plans should map each affected employee against the correct table individually rather than assuming one date applies across the board.

How the C1 salary criterion scores points

Under COMPASS, the C1 salary criterion awards points based on where a candidate’s fixed monthly salary sits relative to local Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMET) wages in the same sector and age band:

• 10 points if fixed monthly salary meets or exceeds the 65th percentile of local PMET wages for that age and sector.
• 20 points if fixed monthly salary meets or exceeds the 90th percentile.
• 0 points if the salary falls below the 65th percentile benchmark, though the candidate may still qualify if other COMPASS criteria make up the shortfall.

Candidates earning a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500 remain exempt from COMPASS entirely, so this exercise is most relevant to mid-career and senior hires below that threshold.

The new C1 salary benchmarks by sector and age (August 2026 table)

The full table covers every MOM-classified sector across ages 23 to 45 and above, and is only published as a PDF download on the MOM website. To make the shift concrete, the figures below are drawn directly from that August 2026 release for four sectors commonly seen among RCS’s SME clients, at three representative ages.

A few observations for employers reading this table. First, the gap between the 10-point and 20-point thresholds widens considerably in higher-paying sectors such as banking and financial services; scoring the full 20 points on salary alone in that sector requires a genuinely senior compensation package. Second, benchmarks rise steeply with age in every sector shown, so a candidate’s birthdate matters as much as their job title when you are modelling next year’s offer. Third, sectors such as manufacturing sit at a materially lower benchmark than ICT or financial services at the same age, which affects how much headroom a company has before it needs to top up salary purely to preserve COMPASS points.

Employers should confirm their own MOM sector classification before applying any of these figures, since COMPASS benchmarks are assessed against the sector the hiring entity is classified under, not the sector the role might informally sit in.

What meeting a benchmark does not do

It is worth being precise about what the C1 salary criterion does and does not achieve on its own. Meeting a C1 benchmark, even at the 20-point level, does not by itself guarantee EP approval. Two other conditions still apply independently:

• The candidate must separately meet the applicable EP qualifying salary floor, which is a different (and lower) figure set by MOM and rises on its own schedule.
• The candidate must score enough total COMPASS points across all criteria, including qualifications, diversity, and any skills or strategic economic priority bonuses, to clear the overall pass mark.

A candidate can score full marks on the salary criterion and still be rejected if the overall COMPASS score falls short elsewhere. Conversely, a candidate scoring modestly on salary can still pass if other criteria compensate. Compensation planning for 2027 should therefore sit alongside, not instead of, a full COMPASS scoring exercise for each candidate.

Pre-2027 compensation-review checklist for employers

Given the lead time needed to adjust compensation packages, budgets, and offer letters, employers with EP hiring or renewal plans touching 2027 should start this review now rather than in December. A practical sequence:

• List every EP holder whose pass expires on or after 1 July 2027, since these renewals fall under the new August 2026 table rather than the current one.
• Confirm each candidate’s exact age and your organisation’s MOM sector classification, as both determine which row of the benchmark table applies.
• Re-run the C1 scoring calculation against the new table for each affected employee, not just new hires, since a package that scored 10 or 20 points under the August 2025 table may score fewer points under the August 2026 revision.
• Check the fixed monthly salary component specifically, since COMPASS benchmarks apply to fixed salary only, not to variable bonuses, allowances, or overtime.
• Model the cost of closing any gap across your full EP headcount before finalising 2027 budgets, rather than dealing with each renewal reactively as it comes up.
• Flag any candidate close to the S$22,500 COMPASS exemption threshold, since a modest adjustment may remove the need for C1 scoring altogether.
• Loop in your corporate secretarial or HR advisory team early if compensation restructuring affects employment contracts, CPF contributions, or other statutory obligations tied to salary changes.

Frequently asked questions

Which table applies to my EP renewal in early 2027?

If the pass expires between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027, the August 2025 table still applies. Only renewals for passes expiring from 1 July 2027 fall under the new August 2026 table.

Do these benchmarks apply to S Pass holders as well?

No. COMPASS, including the C1 salary criterion, applies to Employment Pass applications and renewals. S Pass holders are assessed against a separate qualifying salary regime.

Does bonus or variable pay count towards the C1 benchmark?

The C1 criterion is measured against fixed monthly salary only. Variable bonuses, commissions, and allowances are excluded from this particular calculation, even though they may count elsewhere in an EP application.

What happens if a candidate does not meet either the 65th or 90th percentile?

The candidate scores zero points on the C1 salary criterion but may still be eligible for an EP if the overall COMPASS score, built from the remaining criteria, clears the required total, and the candidate separately meets the EP qualifying salary.

Where can I check my company’s official MOM sector classification?

MOM provides an online lookup and update facility for organisation sector classification, which determines which column of the C1 benchmark table applies to your hires.

Getting ahead of the January 2027 shift

The August 2026 COMPASS C1 update is a routine annual recalibration, but its practical effect on any individual employer is not routine at all. A company with several EP holders renewing in the second half of 2027, or planning new EP hires from January 2027, may find that packages considered generous under today’s table need a further top-up simply to preserve the same COMPASS score. Reviewing compensation now, while there is still runway to adjust budgets and offer letters, is considerably less disruptive than discovering a shortfall a month before a renewal deadline.

RCS assists SME employers with work pass planning alongside their corporate secretarial and HR compliance needs. If your organisation has EP renewals or hiring plans touching 2027, our COMPASS points calculator guide and COMPASS EP framework overview are useful starting points, alongside our recent coverage of the EP and S Pass minimum salary increases from January 2027 and the S Pass qualifying salary rise to S$3,300. Employers dealing with a prior rejection should also see our guide on appealing an Employment Pass rejection.

For the authoritative figures, always check MOM’s own COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks page, which links directly to the current and upcoming benchmark tables, the broader Employment Pass eligibility criteria, and MOM’s guidance on what counts as fixed monthly salary.

The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services