MP allowances to rise from S$13,750 to S$18,500 monthly

“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 Mr Gan Seow Kee, chairman of Singapore LNG Corporation and member of the Council of Presidential Advisers, 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.