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SINGAPORE: The monthly allowances of Members of Parliament (MPs) will increase from S$13,750 to S$18,500 (US$10,850 to US$14,600) on Oct 15, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in parliament on Tuesday (Sep 8).
Mr Wong said the government chose not to treat the allowance as “a token allowance”.
"It is a substantial allowance, because MPs carry substantial responsibilities in parliament and in their constituencies,” he said.
He added that providing a proper allowance has enabled both the PAP (People’s Action Party) and the Workers’ Party to recruit and field strong candidates.
“We can see the result in this House. We have MPs with a wide range of backgrounds and experience, who bring different perspectives to our debates,” said Mr Wong.
“We may disagree strongly across the aisle, but the quality of debate is high, and Singapore is better for it.”
Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing, who delivered a ministerial statement after Mr Wong, said the increase was to account for inflation.
“This is a practical update to ensure that MPs are adequately supported in discharging their duties on the ground,” said Mr Chan.
Both Mr Wong and Mr Chan were responding to a 2026 independent committee’s review of political salaries, which recommended several changes to how ministerial salaries are calculated.
Mr Chan said the government will also study "delinking" allowances for community-related roles, such as MPs and mayors, from political salary benchmarks.
The review committee, led by Dr Gerard Ee, noted that the considerations for such roles “may differ from those for full-time political appointment holders”.
“It has recommended that the government study establishing a basis for sizing the payments in a way that is delinked from the MR4 benchmark, but that remains adequate for these roles to carry out their duties faithfully and effectively,” said Mr Chan.
The MR4 benchmark is the reference point Singapore uses to set the salary of an entry-level minister.
Mr Chan said the government will carry out this study while accepting the committee’s recommendation to raise MP salaries to S$18,500 in the meantime. It also accepts the committee's finding from a 2012 review that the MP allowance was appropriate at the time.
“Updating the monthly allowance for inflation over the period is in line with this,” said Mr Chan.
NON-CONSTITUENCY AND NOMINATED MEMBERS
Allowances for Non-Constituency MPs (NCMPs) will rise from 15 per cent of an MP’s annual allowance to 30 per cent, translating to a monthly pay of S$5,550.
“This considers the conferment of full voting rights to NCMPs since 2017, and brings the allowance into better alignment with their parliamentary responsibilities,” said Mr Chan.
The revised allowances for NCMPs also take effect on Oct 15.
For Nominated MPs, the existing peg of 15 per cent will be retained.
Mr Chan said the government accepts the committee’s recommendation to retain existing benefits provisions, which “continue to uphold the principle of a clean wage, with no hidden perks, no pensions, and clear transparency”.
Medical benefits will continue under the Medisave-cum-Subsidised Outpatient scheme, a medical benefits plan for Singapore civil servants and public sector employees, he said.
The government’s response to the review committee’s recommendations will be debated in parliament on Thursday.
