MediSave room to the Basic Healthcare Sum.
Room left to BHS
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Overflow to SA/RA or OA
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Your breakdown
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MediSave has a ceiling, and it changes everything once you hit it
MediSave is the only CPF account with a hard cap on its balance: the Basic Healthcare Sum. For 2025 the BHS is about $75,500 for members turning 65 that year. It rises a little each year for everyone below 65, then freezes at the level that applied in the year you reached 65. The cap matters because it changes where your money goes. While MediSave is below the BHS, contributions top it up. The moment it touches the BHS, every further dollar that would have gone to MediSave is redirected to your Special or Retirement Account, or to the Ordinary Account if those are also full. This tool shows the room you have left and how much of an incoming contribution will overflow.
A MediSave balance of $70,000 against the $75,500 cap
Suppose your MediSave balance is $70,000, the BHS is $75,500, and your MediSave contributions for the year, from salary and any voluntary top-up, come to $10,000. There is only $5,500 of room left, so the rest spills over.
The first $5,500 fills MediSave to the cap, and the remaining $4,500 flows to your retirement savings instead. That overflow is not lost, it simply lands in an account that earns the same 4 percent floor and is earmarked for retirement.
Why the cap exists and how it shapes self-employed planning
The BHS exists so that MediSave holds enough for expected healthcare needs without hoarding far beyond them, since MediSave money can only be used for approved medical purposes, MediShield Life and Integrated Shield premiums, and similar. Letting excess flow to retirement accounts puts it to better use. For employees, the overflow happens automatically and needs no action. For the self-employed it matters more directly, because compulsory MediSave contributions are required on net trade income and you cannot contribute beyond the BHS, so once you hit the cap your obligation for the year is effectively met. A practical tip: voluntary MediSave contributions can earn you tax relief under the CPF contribution relief rules, but only up to the BHS and within the overall annual limits, so check your room before topping up, otherwise the money simply overflows. A common mistake is to make a large voluntary MediSave top-up late in the year expecting full relief, only to find most of it spilled into the SA because MediSave was already near the cap.
Does the BHS keep rising after I turn 65?
No. The BHS increases each year only for members below 65, to keep pace with rising healthcare costs. Once you reach 65, your personal BHS is fixed at that year’s level for the rest of your life and never goes up again. So the figure to enter depends on your age cohort, not simply the current year’s headline number.
Can I withdraw the MediSave amount above the BHS?
Not as the overflow happens, because it is redirected into your Special or Retirement Account rather than paid out. Separately, members aged 65 and above who have set aside their required retirement sums may withdraw MediSave savings above the BHS in cash under specific conditions. For most working-age members, treat MediSave at the cap as fully committed to healthcare and retirement.