Employment Pass Costs for a Small Company in 2027: MOM Fees, Salary Floors, Agency Fees and Timeline

Short answer: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) charges S$105 to apply for an Employment Pass and S$225 to issue it, plus S$30 if a Multiple Journey Visa is needed. The bigger cost is salary: from 1 January 2027, new applications need at least S$6,000 a month, rising with age to S$11,500.

Most founders who ask about Employment Pass costs expect a large government bill. The MOM fees are modest. What drives the budget is the qualifying salary, the time spent on job advertising and COMPASS (the points-based Complementarity Assessment Framework), and whether you use an employment agency. This guide sets out what a small company should budget to hire its first Employment Pass (EP) holder in 2027, and how long it takes.

Raffles Corporate Services works with a panel of experienced Singapore law firms who offer cost-effective and efficient legal service and advice. This article is general information only and is not legal advice.

What are the Employment Pass costs in MOM fees?

MOM charges two fees for a new EP: S$105 when you submit the application and S$225 when the approved pass is issued. If the candidate needs a Multiple Journey Visa, add S$30.

The S$105 application fee is paid on submission through EP eService by GIRO, Visa, Mastercard or Amex, before MOM decides the case. MOM advises employers not to apply if its Self-Assessment Tool shows the candidate does not qualify. The S$225 issuance fee is paid only after approval, once the candidate is in Singapore. The MOM application page sets out both fees and the order in which they fall due.

For a typical first hire with no family passes, the MOM bill is S$330, or S$360 with a Multiple Journey Visa. If the same employee brings a spouse and one child on Dependant’s Passes, each with a visa, the one-off MOM fees for the household come to S$1,080. If you are still deciding which pass fits the role, see Employment Pass, S Pass and Work Permit: key differences for employers.

What is the EP qualifying salary from 1 January 2027?

For new applications from 1 January 2027, the minimum fixed monthly salary is S$6,000 for candidates aged 23 or below, rising by age to S$11,500 at 45 and above. Financial services employers need S$6,600 rising to S$12,700.

Until then, the current floor is S$5,600 (up to S$10,700), or S$6,200 (up to S$11,800) in financial services. The higher rates apply to renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028. We covered the budgeting impact in EP and S Pass salary increases from January 2027, so the table below shows sample ages only. The full age table is on MOM’s EP eligibility page.

Salary dwarfs every other cost. A 30-year-old hired outside financial services from January 2027 needs at least S$7,750 a month, or S$93,000 a year before bonus. The qualifying salary is only a floor. To score points under COMPASS criterion C1, the salary is compared against sector benchmarks, which can sit well above it; see our note on the August 2026 COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks.

What does COMPASS cost a small company in time and documents?

COMPASS has no fee of its own, but it shapes your budget. Unless the candidate earns at least S$22,500 a month, the application needs 40 points, and small firms start with 20 points by default.

COMPASS scores four foundational criteria. For an organisation with fewer than 25 PMETs, C3 (diversity) and C4 (support for local employment) each score 10 points automatically. That leaves 20 points to find from C1 (salary against sector benchmarks) and C2 (qualifications), or from the bonus criteria. Each of C1 and C2 can give 0, 10 or 20 points.

The hidden cost is documentation. If you need C2 points, MOM requires the candidate’s qualification certificates together with verification proof. If you do not need C2 points, you do not need to submit them. Once a qualification has been verified, it does not need to be verified again at renewal or on a change of employer. Before applying, also make sure your company’s turnover information for the past 3 years is updated with MOM.

How much does Fair Consideration Framework job advertising cost?

Advertising on MyCareersFuture is free. The cost is time: the advert must run for at least 14 consecutive days before you can submit the EP application, and you should not make a job offer during that period.

Under the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF), the advertised salary range must be visible, must contain the salary offered to the EP candidate, and its maximum cannot exceed twice its minimum. If you change key details such as the occupation, salary or number of vacancies, you must post a new advert and run it for another 14 consecutive days. Adverts that expired or closed more than 3 months earlier cannot be used. For the full rules, see our guide to the FCF and MyCareersFuture job posting rule.

Many small companies are exempt from advertising. MOM lists these exemptions on its consider all candidates fairly page:

• the company has fewer than 10 employees;
• the fixed monthly salary for the vacancy is S$22,500 or more;
• the role is short-term, not more than 1 month;
• the role is filled by a local transferee or an overseas intra-corporate transferee.

Exempt employers must still practise fair hiring.

What does an employment agency charge for an EP application?

Agency fees are set by each licensed employment agency and sit on top of MOM’s fees. At Raffles Corporate Services, work passes are handled by our associated company, Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd, which is licensed by MOM.

Our packages page refers visa, employment and work pass charges to Little Big Employment Agency at singaporeemploymentagency.com, which publishes its own fee schedule, so check there for current fees before you budget. Whichever agency you use, these points drive the quote:

• whether MOM’s application and issuance fees are included or charged separately;
• whether an appeal is included if MOM rejects the application;
• whether the case is a new application or a renewal, which usually involves less work;
• how many Dependant’s Passes or other family passes are needed;
• disbursements such as translation or certification of documents.

Some related costs sit on the Raffles Corporate Services side and are published on the packages page. Payroll for a fixed monthly salary starts from S$150 for the first 5 active employees, preparation of Form IR8A starts from S$150 per staff, and preparation of Form IR21 starts from S$250 per staff.

What ongoing costs come with an EP holder after approval?

After the pass is issued, the main recurring costs are salary and the Skills Development Levy. There is no foreign worker levy or quota for EP holders, and medical insurance is optional.

• Skills Development Levy: payable for all employees working in Singapore, including foreign employees, at 0.25% of monthly total wages. Since every EP salary is above S$4,500, the levy for an EP holder is the maximum of S$11.25 a month, or S$135 a year.
• Medical insurance: MOM states that providing it is not a requirement for EP holders. The mandatory medical insurance rule applies only to Work Permit and S Pass holders.
• Exit costs: when a non-Singapore Citizen employee leaves, IRAS requires the employer to file Form IR21 at least one month in advance and to withhold all monies due from the date the employer knows of the cessation.

At the set-up stage, our free Company Set-Up Cost Calculator estimates first-year running costs.

How long does the Employment Pass process take from advert to card?

On MOM’s stated times, a simple case takes roughly a month before approval: 14 days of advertising plus up to 10 business days for MOM’s decision, followed by issuance and card delivery once the candidate arrives. Requests for further documents add time.

1. Advertise on MyCareersFuture for at least 14 consecutive days (unless exempt).
2. Get the candidate’s written consent and complete the candidate’s form.
3. Submit the application in EP eService and pay S$105. MOM processes most online applications, or gives an update, within 10 business days. An overseas company without a Singapore-registered entity applies through a local sponsor, and MOM’s stated time is within 6 weeks for most cases.
4. On approval, send the in-principle approval (IPA) letter to the candidate. For a new pass, the IPA gives 6 months to enter Singapore and get the pass issued. Our guide to the IPA letter explains what it contains.
5. Once the candidate is in Singapore, get the pass issued and pay S$225 (plus S$30 for a visa if needed). Issuance is immediate, and the notification letter lets the candidate start work.
6. If required, the candidate registers fingerprints and photo within 2 weeks of issuance. The card is delivered within 5 working days of registration or document verification.

How should you plan the EP renewal budget?

Budget for the renewal at least 6 months ahead. A first EP lasts up to 2 years, a renewal lasts up to 3 years, and the renewed pass must meet the qualifying salary and COMPASS at the time of renewal.

You can apply up to 6 months before the pass expires, and remaining validity of up to six months is added to the renewed pass, so applying early costs nothing. For passes expiring from 1 January 2028, the higher 2027 salary table applies, so a pass first issued in 2026 may need a pay rise before renewal. A successful renewal gives an IPA valid for 3 months, and the pass must be issued before the IPA or the current pass expires, whichever is earlier. If renewal is refused, see EP renewal rejected: common reasons and how to appeal. MOM allows 3 months from rejection to appeal and processes 85% of appeals within 6 weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Is the EP application fee lost if MOM rejects the application?

The S$105 is paid when you submit, before MOM decides. MOM also warns that if you apply for family passes at the same time and the EP is rejected, the application fee for each family pass is lost. Use MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool before applying, and apply for family passes after the EP is approved.

Does an Employment Pass holder count towards a foreign worker quota?

No. MOM states that there is no foreign worker levy or quota for EP holders. The Skills Development Levy still applies.

Do I need to advertise the job if my company has only a few staff?

If your company has fewer than 10 employees, MOM does not require a MyCareersFuture advert before the EP application. You must still consider all candidates fairly.

Which salary table applies if I apply in December 2026?

MOM’s higher table applies to new applications from 1 January 2027, so an application made before then is assessed against the current table, starting at S$5,600. The renewal will then be assessed against the higher table if the pass expires from 1 January 2028.

Last reviewed: 23 October 2026. The Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services.