Employer of Record in Singapore: what one employee really costs
Singapore, Asia. One software engineer at $70,000 gross per year, priced through 9 providers on 2026-09-02 exchange rates. Change the salary and headcount below.
- Employer on-cost
- +17.2%
- statutory charges on top of gross
- All-in per month
- $7,033 – $7,533
- salary + charges + published fee, cheapest to dearest listed provider
- Onboarding through an EOR
- 1–2 days
- per Deel - How to Hire Using an Employer of Record in Singapore (2026 Edition)
Hiring one software engineer in Singapore at $70,000 gross a year costs about $1,001 a month in statutory employer charges (+17.2%), plus an EOR fee of $199 to $699 per month depending on the provider: $7,033 to $7,533 all-in, before deposits, FX margins and add-ons. Prices checked 2 Sept 2026.
Disclosure Some provider links on this page are affiliate links: if you become a customer after clicking, the provider may pay us a referral fee. It never changes the price you pay, and it never changes the numbers on this page, which come from official sources and are dated. How we are paid
Cost engine · preset to Singapore
Price your own hire, line by line.
≈ SGD 89,123 gross / year · SGD at ECB reference rate, 2 Sept 2026
| Per employee | Rate | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $5,833 | |
| CPF employer contribution (age 55 and below) | 17% | $992 |
| Skills Development Levy (SDL) capped | 0.25% | $9 |
| Employer on-cost | +17.2% | $1,001 |
| Cost of employment, before EOR fee | $6,834 |
$7,433/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $599
- Per year
- $89,194
- Fee share
- 8.1%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Deel quote$7,533/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- $699
- Per year
- $90,394
- Fee share
- 9.3%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Remote quote$7,333/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $499
- Per year
- $87,994
- Fee share
- 6.8%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Multiplier quoteEmployer charges from official sources; provider fees are list prices on the dates shown; deposits, FX margins and add-ons are not included. Not legal or tax advice. Methodology
9 providers, one scenario, all-in totals.
| Provider | EOR fee / employee / mo | All-in / mo, 1 hire | Deposit | Countries | Checked | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RemoFirst EOR in 185+ countries from $199 per employee per month, no annual contract. | from $199 | $7,033 | Not stated on the pricing page | 185+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from RemoFirst· $7,033/mo |
| Rivermate EOR in 180+ countries from $319 to $639 per employee per month. | from $319 | $7,153 | Not stated on the pricing page | 180+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Rivermate· $7,153/mo |
| Playroll EOR in 180+ countries from $399 per employee per month; deposit of one month's salary. | from $399 | $7,233 | Fully refundable security deposit equivalent to one month's salary when onboarding an employee (pricing page). | 180+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Playroll· $7,233/mo |
| Multiplier EOR from $459 (annual) or $499 (monthly) per employee, plus mandated add-ons. | from $499$459 billed annually | $7,333 | Not stated on the pricing page | 150+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Multiplier· $7,333/mo |
| Papaya Global EOR starting from $499 per employee per month, quote-based, 160+ countries. | from $499 | $7,333 | Not stated for EOR on the pricing page (the contractor block states 'No deposit required'). | 160+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Papaya Global· $7,333/mo |
| Deel EOR in 130+ countries, starting at $599 per employee per month. | from $599 | $7,433 | Not stated on the pricing page | 130+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Deel· $7,433/mo |
| Oyster EOR in 120+ countries at USD 699 per employee per month; refundable deposit. | $699 | $7,533 | Refundable deposit required for EOR team members 'to initiate the engagement and to ensure on-time payments' (pricing FAQ). | 120+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Oyster· $7,533/mo |
| Remote EOR in 90+ countries at $699 per employee per month, no deposit. | $699 | $7,533 | No deposit: 'We collect reserve payments in rare, high risk circumstances' (pricing FAQ). | 90+ | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Remote· $7,533/mo |
| Rippling EOR bundled with the Rippling platform; custom quote only. | Quote only | — | Not stated on the pricing page | — | 2 Sept 2026 | Get a quote from Rippling |
Same salary and statutory charges in every row; only the fee segment changes.
What Singapore adds on top of the salary, and where each rate comes from.
Rates apply to the base named in each line; capped lines stop growing above the ceiling. Engine assumptions: Employee is a Singapore citizen or PR (CPF applies) = 1.
| Line | Employer rate | Base & ceiling | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPF employer contribution (age 55 and below)Singapore citizens and permanent residents only; see assumption employee_is_citizen_or_pr | 17% | Gross salary , capped at SGD 96,000 / yr 17% employer share applies to employees aged 55 and below earning above S$750/month, on Ordinary Wages capped at the OW ceiling of S$8,000/month (S$96,000/year) plus Additional Wages up to the annual limit. Employer CPF rate falls with age under the same official table: 16% (above 55-60), 12.5% (above 60-65), 9% (above 65-70), 7.5% (above 70). Rates in force from 1 January 2026 (CPF Board, Table 1). Does not apply to Employment Pass or S Pass holders. | CPF Board2026-09-02 |
| Skills Development Levy (SDL)All employees working in Singapore, including foreign employees (Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Permit) | 0.25% | Gross salary , capped at SGD 54,000 / yr, floor SGD 9,600 / yr 0.25% of monthly total wages. Minimum payable is S$2/month for wages below S$800; maximum is S$11.25/month for wages above S$4,500 (modelled here as a floor/cap on the monthly wage base of S$800 / S$4,500, i.e. S$9,600 / S$54,000 a year). Payable for every employee regardless of nationality or CPF status, on top of CPF where CPF applies. | CPF Board2026-09-02 |
| Employer on-cost at $70,000 | +17.2% | $12,006 a year, $1,001 a month |
EOR or your own entity
Fees scale with headcount. An entity does not.
A Singapore Private Limited (Pte Ltd) starts to make more sense than an EOR once headcount, a local resident director you can appoint, or a need for local banking/IP ownership go beyond one or two hires. ACRA registration itself is fast and cheap by regional standards (a S$15 name-application fee plus a S$300 incorporation fee, with straightforward applications typically approved in 1-3 business days), but you still need a resident director, a company secretary and a registered office, so ongoing compliance overhead - not the setup step - is usually what tips the decision back toward an EOR for a first hire.
Fees grow with every hire; the charges line is owed under an entity too.
| Headcount | RemoFirst fees / yr | Papaya Global fees / yr | Statutory charges / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,388 | $5,988 | $12,006 |
| 3 | $7,164 | $17,964 | $36,018 |
| 5 | $11,940 | $29,940 | $60,030 |
| 10 | $23,880 | $59,880 | $120,060 |
| 20 | $47,760 | $119,760 | $240,121 |
Statutory charges are owed either way; the provider fee is the only line an entity removes, against the cost of incorporating and running local payroll.
Employment terms that move the cost
- Paid leave
- 14 days
- Public holidays
- 11
- 13th month
- Not mandatory
- Probation
- up to 6 months
- Notice
- No fixed statutory length; Employment Act default when the contract is silent: 1 day (<26 weeks of service), 1 week (26 weeks-2 years), 2 weeks (2-5 years), 4 weeks (5+ years).
- Reviewed
- 2026-09-02
Get a quote for Singapore from the providers that publish a price.
Totals for 1 hire at $70,000. Ask each provider about deposits, FX margins and mandatory add-ons for Singapore: those are the lines that move.
Disclosure Some provider links are affiliate links; they never change the numbers on this page. Details
Questions people ask before booking a demo
- How much does an employer of record cost in Singapore?
- For one employee at US$70,000 gross a year (about SGD 89,000), CPF employer contributions of 17% up to the S$8,000 monthly wage ceiling plus the Skills Development Levy add about 17% on top of salary for a citizen or permanent resident. Published EOR fees then run from $199 to $699 per employee per month, so the all-in cost is roughly $7,000 to $7,550 a month depending on the provider. For an Employment Pass holder there is no CPF, so the statutory on-cost is close to zero apart from the levy, and the provider fee becomes the main add-on.
- How many paid leave days does Singapore law require employers to budget for?
- The Employment Act sets a statutory minimum of 7 paid annual leave days in an employee's first year, rising by one day per year of service up to 14 days from the 8th year onward. Most professional roles are contracted at 14 days or more from day one, which is the figure this calculator uses.
- Do I still pay Singapore payroll levies if my employee is on an Employment Pass and not in CPF?
- Yes. The Skills Development Levy (0.25% of monthly wages, min S$2, max S$11.25 per employee per month) is payable for every employee working in Singapore, including Employment Pass holders who are exempt from CPF. CPF employer contributions (17% for someone 55 or under) only apply to Singapore citizens and permanent residents.
- Is a 13th-month salary (Annual Wage Supplement) mandatory in Singapore?
- No. Singapore's Employment Act does not require an Annual Wage Supplement or 13th-month bonus; it is a contractual matter between employer and employee, not a statutory cost. In practice most employers pay it, so budgeting for roughly one extra month of salary is common even though it is not a legal obligation.