Your EP offer is not over the salary line simply because it clears $5,600. The correct figure depends on your age, sector, and whether you are making a new application or renewing an existing pass. For a new application submitted in 2026, the minimum for someone aged 23 or below is $5,600 in all sectors except financial services and $6,200 in financial services. From 1 Jan 2027, the corresponding starting amounts for new applications become $6,000 in all sectors except financial services and $6,600 in financial services. Renewals move to the new schedule at a different point: it applies to passes expiring from 1 Jan 2028.
The two official salary schedules
This section settles which figures apply to your application or renewal.
MOM’s table uses four distinct date paths:
- A new application submitted before 1 Jan 2027 uses the current qualifying-salary schedule.
- A new application submitted from 1 Jan 2027 uses the new qualifying-salary schedule.
- A renewal of a pass expiring before 1 Jan 2028 uses the current qualifying-salary schedule.
- A renewal of a pass expiring from 1 Jan 2028 uses the new qualifying-salary schedule.
The new-application date and the pass-expiry date therefore do not move together. MOM’s wording does not provide a separate rule based on the date an offer was signed.
For the current schedule, covering new applications submitted before 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring before 1 Jan 2028:
- In all sectors except financial services, the minimum starts at $5,600 for someone aged 23 or below and rises progressively to $10,700 for someone aged 45 or above.
- In financial services, the minimum starts at $6,200 for someone aged 23 or below and rises progressively to $11,800 for someone aged 45 or above.
For the new schedule, covering new applications submitted from 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring from 1 Jan 2028:
- In all sectors except financial services, the minimum starts at $6,000 for someone aged 23 or below and rises progressively to $11,500 for someone aged 45 or above.
- In financial services, the minimum starts at $6,600 for someone aged 23 or below and rises progressively to $12,700 for someone aged 45 or above.
These are qualifying-salary floors, not automatic EP approval thresholds.
Why the minimum rises with age
This section explains why comparing your offer only with the starting salary can give the wrong answer.
MOM describes the EP qualifying salary as a fixed monthly salary comparable to the top one-third of local PMET salaries. Its eligibility framework states that Stage 1 is benchmarked to the top one-third of local PMET salaries by age.
That is why the minimum is not one flat number:
- The published progression starts at age 23.
- It continues through individual age bands.
- The top published age band is 45 or above.
- All sectors except financial services follow one schedule.
- Financial services follows a separate, higher schedule.
The same age mechanism remains in the schedule applying to new applications from 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring from 1 Jan 2028. The amounts change; the qualifying salary remains Stage 1 of the EP framework.
Use the exact age band and sector shown by MOM. Where the table excerpt uses an ellipsis, this article does not calculate or interpolate the missing amount.
Official age bands: all sectors except financial services
This section lists every age-band amount supplied in MOM’s table for sectors other than financial services.
Current schedule
Every amount in this list applies only to new applications submitted before 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring before 1 Jan 2028.
- Age 23 or below — $5,600
- Age 24 — $5,832
- Age 25 — $6,064
- Age 26 — $6,295
- Age 27 — $6,527
- Age 28 — $6,759
- Age 29 — $6,991
- Age 30 — $7,223
- Age 31 — $7,455
- Age 32 — $7,686
- Age 33 — $7,918
- Age 34 — $8,150
- Age 45 or above — $10,700
New schedule
Every amount in this list applies only to new applications submitted from 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring from 1 Jan 2028.
- Age 23 or below — $6,000
- Age 24 — $6,250
- Age 25 — $6,500
- Age 26 — $6,750
- Age 27 — $7,000
- Age 28 — $7,250
- Age 29 — $7,500
- Age 30 — $7,750
- Age 31 — $8,000
- Age 32 — $8,250
- Age 33 — $8,500
- Age 34 — $8,750
- Age 45 or above — $11,500
MOM’s table excerpt places an ellipsis between the age 34 row and the age 45-or-above row. The overall rule remains that the salary increases progressively with age, but no intervening band has been calculated here.
Official age bands: financial services
This section shows why a financial-services offer must be checked against a different schedule from other sectors.
Current schedule
Every amount in this list applies only to new applications submitted before 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring before 1 Jan 2028.
- Age 23 or below — $6,200
- Age 24 — $6,455
- Age 25 — $6,709
- Age 26 — $6,964
- Age 27 — $7,218
- Age 28 — $7,473
- Age 29 — $7,727
- Age 30 — $7,982
- Age 31 — $8,236
- Age 32 — $8,491
- Age 45 or above — $11,800
New schedule
Every amount in this list applies only to new applications submitted from 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring from 1 Jan 2028.
- Age 23 or below — $6,600
- Age 24 — $6,877
- Age 25 — $7,155
- Age 26 — $7,432
- Age 27 — $7,709
- Age 28 — $7,986
- Age 29 — $8,264
- Age 30 — $8,541
- Age 31 — $8,818
- Age 32 — MOM’s table shows an ellipsis rather than a stated amount.
- Age 45 or above — $12,700
The table excerpt does not provide the intervening financial-services amounts. The stated schedule still increases progressively by age, but no missing figure has been extrapolated.
COMPASS C1 is not the minimum salary
This section clarifies the difference between passing Stage 1 and earning points in Stage 2.
MOM’s EP framework has two separate stages:
- Stage 1: Earn at least the EP qualifying salary for the applicable age, sector, and date.
- Stage 2: Unless exempted, pass the points-based COMPASS.
The EP qualifying salary is the minimum bar. COMPASS C1 is a salary benchmark used for points within COMPASS. It does not replace the qualifying salary.
MOM draws the distinction directly:
“It is different from the EP qualifying salary, which is the minimum bar that candidates need to pass to obtain an EP.”
The practical rule is straightforward:
- Points under C1 cannot turn a below-floor salary into a qualifying salary.
- Clearing the qualifying salary does not, by itself, establish that you pass COMPASS.
- The qualifying salary clears Stage 1 only; it does not replace Stage 2.
There is no valid conversion from “C1 points” to a different Stage 1 salary. The two figures perform different functions.
What happens if your offer is below the floor
This section answers what a below-minimum offer means under MOM’s official framework.
If you do not meet Stage 1, you are not eligible for an EP. MOM’s exact wording is:
“Candidates who do not meet stage 1 will not be eligible for an EP, regardless of the points they would have scored under COMPASS.”
The C1 salary benchmark does not change that result:
“Candidates who do not meet the EP qualifying salary will not be eligible for an EP, regardless of the points they would have scored under the C1 salary benchmark.”
This is not merely a weaker COMPASS score. It is failure of the Stage 1 eligibility bar.
MOM’s application guidance also states:
“You should not apply if the Self-Assessment Tool shows that your candidate does not qualify.”
If your offer is below the correct age-and-sector amount, the salary condition for Stage 1 has not been met.
How to check the offer before relying on it
This section gives you the official pre-application check to use before treating an offer as EP-qualifying.
Use this sequence:
-
Identify the application path.
For a new application, use the schedule applying before or from 1 Jan 2027. For a renewal, use the schedule applying to a pass expiring before or from 1 Jan 2028. -
Identify the sector.
Check whether the role falls under “all sectors except financial services” or under “financial services.” -
Identify the exact age band.
Do not compare the offer only with the starting amount if you fall into a higher age band. Do not calculate a missing row where MOM’s table excerpt shows an ellipsis. -
Compare the fixed monthly qualifying salary.
Stage 1 requires at least the amount in the applicable row. The sector and date path must match the same row. -
Use MOM’s enhanced Self-Assessment Tool.
The official tool is the Self-Assessment Tool, or SAT. MOM states that employers and employment agents can use the enhanced SAT to check a candidate’s eligibility before applying.
As an applicant, the practical action is to ask the employer or employment agent using the official SAT and to establish which application date, renewal-expiry date, sector, and age band were used.
If the SAT result says that you do not qualify, MOM’s instruction is not to proceed with the application.
What can still block you after the offer clears salary
This section shows what remains after your offer gets past Stage 1.
An offer at or above the correct qualifying salary clears Stage 1 only.
Unless exempted, you must still:
- Pass the points-based COMPASS at Stage 2.
- Be assessed under COMPASS, including the C1 salary benchmark as part of that framework.
This is why “my offer is above the EP minimum” should be read only as “Stage 1 is cleared.” It does not mean the EP is automatic.
Your decision sequence is:
- Sector + age + application or renewal-expiry date → Stage 1 qualifying salary
- If Stage 1 is met → Stage 2 COMPASS, unless exempted
- If Stage 1 is not met → not eligible, regardless of COMPASS points
Keep those two stages separate when you assess an offer. The salary floor is the entry condition; COMPASS remains a separate eligibility requirement.
FAQ
Is $5,600 the minimum EP qualifying salary for every sector and age?
Answer: No. For new applications submitted before 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring before 1 Jan 2028, $5,600 applies at age 23 or below in all sectors except financial services; the financial-services amount at the same age is $6,200.
When does the $6,000 minimum for sectors other than financial services start?
Answer: The $6,000 starting amount applies to new applications submitted from 1 Jan 2027 and renewals expiring from 1 Jan 2028.
Can strong COMPASS C1 points compensate for an offer below the minimum salary?
Answer: No. MOM states that a candidate who does not meet the EP qualifying salary is not eligible, regardless of the points they would have scored under C1.
Does an offer above the EP qualifying salary guarantee an EP?
Answer: No. It clears Stage 1 only. Unless exempted, the candidate must still pass the points-based COMPASS at Stage 2.
What official tool can check eligibility before an EP application?
Answer: MOM provides the enhanced Self-Assessment Tool. Employers and employment agents can use it to check a candidate’s eligibility before applying, and MOM says not to apply if it shows that the candidate does not qualify.
References
Official sources used in this article:
- Ministry of Manpower, Eligibility for Employment Pass
- Ministry of Manpower, Key facts on Employment Pass
- Ministry of Manpower, COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks
- Ministry of Manpower, Apply for an Employment Pass
