Singapore's Employment Pass got noticeably harder to clear in 2026. Meeting the salary floor is no longer enough on its own — every application now runs through the COMPASS points framework, and the most common rejection reason is a low COMPASS score, not a salary shortfall. Check what your Singapore salary would actually be worth after tax on GlobalOffer.dev before working through the requirements below.
Quick Comparison
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Salary floor | SGD 5,600/month (SGD 6,200 for financial services) |
| COMPASS pass mark | 40 points, minimum 20 from individual criteria and 20 from firm-level criteria |
| Application fee | SGD 105 |
| Issuance fee | SGD 225 |
| Processing time | 3-8 weeks (10 business days typical for straightforward cases) |
Two-Stage Eligibility: Salary Floor, Then COMPASS
Before points even come into play, your salary has to clear the floor. As of January 1, 2026, that's SGD 5,600 per month for most sectors, SGD 6,200 for financial services, rising progressively with age to roughly SGD 10,700 or more by age 45. This benchmark is set against the top third of local Professional, Manager, Executive, and Technician (PMET) wages, so it moves with the local labor market, not a fixed government figure.
Clearing the salary floor doesn't approve the application on its own. Every case below SGD 22,500 per month goes through COMPASS, the Complementarity Assessment Framework, with a minimum pass mark of 40 points. Applicants earning SGD 22,500 or more monthly, along with overseas intra-corporate transferees and short-term hires under one month, are exempt from COMPASS entirely.
How COMPASS Actually Scores You
COMPASS splits scoring into two halves, and one side cannot compensate for a weak score on the other — you need at least 20 points from individual criteria and 20 points from firm-level criteria, for a 40-point minimum overall.
| Criterion | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| C1: Salary | Percentile ranking against local PMET wages by sector |
| C2: Qualifications | Degree from a recognized institution, or equivalent professional credential |
| C3: Diversity | Nationality concentration at the sponsoring company |
| C4: Local employment support | Proportion of local PMET hires at the sponsoring company |
| C5: Skills bonus / strategic priority | Shortage Occupation List match, or alignment with strategic economic priorities |
C1 salary scoring works on a sliding scale: hitting the 65th percentile of local PMET pay earns 10 points, while the 90th percentile earns 20. A degree helps on C2, but it isn't mandatory — you can still pass by scoring strongly on salary alone, or if your sponsoring company already has strong diversity and local-support scores under C3 and C4. This is also why individual applicants have limited control over their own outcome: C3 and C4 depend on the employer's existing workforce composition, not anything the candidate can influence directly.
Required Documents
- •Passport valid for the visa duration
- •Signed employment contract stating fixed monthly salary, matching the COMPASS C1 calculation
- •Educational qualification certificates, from an institution on MOM's recognized list, or equivalent professional credential
- •Company's Unique Entity Number (UEN), since only a Singapore-registered company or licensed employment agency can submit the application
- •Passport-sized photo meeting ICA specifications
- •Additional supporting documents if MOM issues a request during review, such as detailed job scope or organizational structure
The employer files the entire application, not the candidate — this is worth understanding upfront, since it means your COMPASS score depends partly on factors outside your personal control, like your sponsoring company's existing foreign-to-local employment ratio.
Application Steps
- Run a COMPASS self-assessment using MOM's Self-Assessment Tool before submitting anything. If the tool indicates a fail, the actual application will be rejected too — this step is not optional in practice.
- Confirm your salary meets the age-scaled floor for your sector, and structure the contract so the fixed monthly salary is clearly stated and verifiable.
- Employer submits the application through MOM's myMOM Portal online, or via manual paper submission through SingPost if required.
- Pay the application fee of SGD 105, submitted alongside the application.
- Wait for a decision. Online submissions typically process in 3 weeks; manual submissions take up to 8 weeks. An Additional Document Request from MOM adds another 3-5 weeks to the timeline.
- Pay the issuance fee of SGD 225 once approved, then complete card collection in Singapore.
Total timeline from submission to card in hand commonly runs 3-8 weeks for online applications with no additional document requests.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum salary for a Singapore Employment Pass in 2026?
SGD 5,600 per month for most sectors, SGD 6,200 for financial services, rising with age to roughly SGD 10,700 or more by age 45.
Do I need a degree to pass COMPASS?
No. A recognized degree helps score points under C2, but you can still pass by scoring strongly on salary under C1, or if your employer's diversity and local-support scores under C3 and C4 are strong enough to offset a lower personal score.
What happens if my Employment Pass application is rejected?
The employer, not the candidate, has 3 months to submit a reconsideration request to MOM. A COMPASS pre-score check before submission is the most reliable way to avoid needing one.
Can I switch employers on an existing Employment Pass?
No. There is no transfer mechanism — changing employers requires an entirely new application filed by the new employer, scored fresh under current COMPASS rules.
Why Applications Get Rejected
- •COMPASS aggregate below 40, despite meeting the salary floor. This is the single most common rejection reason in 2026 — clearing the salary threshold alone no longer guarantees approval.
- •Weak firm-level scores dragging down an otherwise strong individual application. A candidate scoring well on salary and qualifications can still fail overall if the sponsoring company has a high concentration of one nationality or a low local PMET employment ratio.
- •Salary structured just above the floor without buffer. Since C1 scores on a percentile sliding scale, a salary that barely clears the minimum earns few or no points, leaving the application dependent entirely on other criteria.
- •Unrecognized institution or unverifiable qualification. MOM checks degrees against its recognized institution list; qualifications from unlisted schools need alternative verification or don't count toward C2 points.
- •Skipping the Self-Assessment Tool before submission. Applicants who submit without pre-checking their likely COMPASS outcome sometimes file applications that were predictably going to fail.
What Happens After Approval
The Employment Pass is tied to the sponsoring employer with no transfer mechanism — switching jobs means a completely fresh application from the new employer. To bring a spouse or children, the EP holder needs a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 6,000. EP holders looking at property should note foreigners pay 60% Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty on Singapore private property, which is why most wait for Permanent Residency, which reduces that rate to 5% on a first property.
Apply Directly
Once your COMPASS self-assessment clears and your documents are ready, your employer submits through the official MOM portal:
👉 Ministry of Manpower — Employment Pass Official Application
Final Take
The salary floor is just the entry ticket in 2026 — COMPASS is what actually decides most applications now, and it weighs factors like your employer's existing workforce composition alongside your personal qualifications. Most rejections trace back to a COMPASS aggregate below 40, not a salary shortfall on its own.
Use GlobalOffer.dev to see what Singapore salaries actually convert to after tax before you and your employer plan the application.