C6, the Strategic Economic Priorities (SEP) bonus, awards 10 points to an Employment Pass (EP) application when the employer participates in, or meets the criteria for, at least one programme on MOM’s eligible list. The employer does not claim those points. They are awarded at the discretion of the agency running the programme, and MOM notifies the organisation when they are granted.
C6 is a bonus inside COMPASS, not a route around it
An EP application is assessed in two stages. Stage 1 is the EP qualifying salary. Stage 2 is COMPASS, the Complementarity Assessment Framework, unless the candidate is exempt.
Failing Stage 1 ends the application. MOM states that candidates who do not meet the qualifying salary are not eligible for an EP, regardless of the points they would have scored under COMPASS. A bonus cannot repair a salary shortfall.
COMPASS itself requires 40 points to pass. C6 supplies 10 of them at most.
The bonus recognises the organisation, not the job title
MOM describes C6 as recognising organisations that are either:
- undertaking ambitious investment, innovation and internationalisation activities in partnership with economic agencies; or
- endorsed by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) as strong partners on company and workforce transformation activities.
Both routes describe what the employer is doing, and with whom. The eligibility page does not name priority industries or SSIC codes for C6. What it publishes is a list of eligible programmes, and participation in one of them is the qualifying event.
How the 10 points are awarded
| C6 requirement | Points |
|---|---|
| Participate in, or meet the criteria for, at least one eligible programme | 10 |
Three things follow from MOM’s description of the award:
- The decision rests with the supporting agency that runs the programme. MOM states that the award is at that agency’s discretion.
- MOM notifies the organisation if the SEP bonus has been awarded.
- The points are then reflected in the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT), which employers and employment agents use to check a candidate’s eligibility before applying.
This is where C6 differs from C1 and C2. Salary and qualifications can be estimated in advance from published benchmarks and qualification lists. C6 turns on an agency’s assessment of the organisation’s participation in a programme, so the work starts with identifying the right programme and its supporting agency.
How long the 10 points last
Up to 3 years, or for the duration of the organisation’s participation in the eligible programme, whichever is shorter.
Renewal is not automatic. At the end of that period, the supporting agency reassesses whether to continue supporting the organisation. MOM lists two conditions that must be met for renewal, in addition to continued participation in an eligible programme:
- at least 10 points for C3 Diversity in each of the 3 months before renewal; and
- at least 10 points for C4 Support for local employment in each of the 3 months before renewal.
Because the reassessment belongs to the agency, satisfying both conditions does not by itself decide the outcome.
Those C3 and C4 floors are less demanding than they first look
C3 and C4 each award 10 points by default to organisations employing fewer than 25 PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians). An organisation of that size therefore sits at the renewal floor for both criteria from the outset.
For larger organisations, the scores depend on the numbers. Under C3, the share of the candidate’s nationality among the organisation’s PMETs scores 20 points below 5%, 10 points from 5% to less than 25%, and 0 points at 25% or more. Under C4, the organisation’s local PMET share relative to its sector scores 20 points at the 50th percentile and above, 10 points from the 20th to less than the 50th percentile, and 0 points below the 20th percentile. C4 also guarantees at least 10 points where the local PMET share is at least 70%.
How C6 sits alongside the other COMPASS criteria
| Criterion | What it measures | Points |
|---|---|---|
| C1 Salary | Candidate’s fixed monthly salary against sector benchmarks | 20 / 10 / 0 |
| C2 Qualifications | Degree-equivalent qualifications, with a higher tier for listed institutions | 20 / 10 / 0 |
| C3 Diversity | Share of the candidate’s nationality among the organisation’s PMETs | 20 / 10 / 0, with 10 by default under 25 PMETs |
| C4 Support for local employment | Organisation’s local PMET share relative to its sector | 20 / 10 / 0, with 10 by default under 25 PMETs |
| C5 Skills bonus | Job on the Shortage Occupation List | 20 or 10 |
| C6 SEP bonus | Organisation’s participation in an eligible programme | 10 |
Two details matter when you build a score. C2 is optional in practice: if you do not need points from it, you do not have to submit the candidate’s qualifications and verification proof. And C6 is not the only bonus on the page.
MOM’s published example of a bonus completing an application uses C5 rather than C6. A software firm’s candidate scores 20 for salary at or above the 90th percentile, 10 for a degree-equivalent qualification, 0 for diversity where the nationality share is 25% or more, and 0 for local employment where the local PMET share is below the 20th percentile. That is 30 points, and 10 points from the Shortage Occupation List bring it to 40. C6 slots into the same arithmetic.
The salary gate still applies
Stage 1 runs independently of every criterion above. For all sectors except financial services, the qualifying salary starts at $5,600 and rises with age from 23, reaching $10,700 at age 45 and above. For financial services, it starts at $6,200 and reaches $11,800 at 45 and above.
MOM has also published the figures for new applications from 1 January 2027, and for renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028: $6,000 rising to $11,500 in all sectors except financial services, and $6,600 rising to $12,700 in financial services.
A candidate is exempt from COMPASS if they have a fixed monthly salary of at least $22,500, are applying as an overseas intra-corporate transferee, or are filling the role for 1 month or less. Exemption removes the need for C6 points. It does not remove Stage 1.
What MOM has not published
MOM has not published approval or rejection rates for C6, processing times, or the number of bonuses awarded. Figures for approval odds, sector success rates or audit frequency do not appear on the eligibility page.
The page also does not publish the internal criteria the supporting agencies apply when awarding or reassessing the bonus, beyond participation in an eligible programme and the two renewal conditions. Employers should treat the list of eligible programmes, and the agency running each one, as the source of any further requirements.
Practical sequence
MOM’s pass map sets the order for the application itself. The C6-specific checks below are our suggestion for where to look at each point.
- Advertise the job on MyCareersFuture and consider all candidates fairly.
- Confirm the candidate’s fixed monthly salary clears the Stage 1 qualifying salary for their age and your sector.
- Decide whether the candidate needs COMPASS points at all, or falls under an exemption.
- Find out which documents MOM requires for the application.
- Run the candidate through the Self-Assessment Tool.
- Check your organisation’s C3 and C4 position with the Workforce Insights tool on myMOM Portal.
- Read the list of eligible programmes for the SEP bonus.
- Approach the supporting agency running the relevant programme.
- Apply for the EP and wait for the outcome.