Free Singapore CPF OA calculator. How much of your Ordinary Account balance can fund a property purchase, the cash component needed, and remaining OA after use.
How much CPF OA can you use for your property purchase?
CPF OA usable for property
—
Minimum cash needed
—
Total down payment
—
Remaining OA after purchase
—
Your breakdown
Updates live as you type
Item
Amount
How CPF OA funds a Singapore property purchase
When you buy a residential property in Singapore with a bank loan, the lender finances up to 75 percent of the purchase price and you fund the rest as a down payment. Of that 25 percent down payment, at least 5 percent must come from cash. The remaining 20 percent can come from your CPF Ordinary Account. This calculator shows how much of your OA balance covers the down payment and how much cash you still need to bring to the table.
If your OA balance exceeds the 20 percent CPF portion of the down payment, the surplus stays in your account and earns the 2.5 percent floor interest rate. Any OA funds withdrawn for the property must be returned to CPF with accrued interest when the property is eventually sold, so the effective cost of using CPF is the 2.5 percent compounding over the holding period.
The accrued interest rule and what it means for your sale proceeds
Every dollar of CPF OA you withdraw for a property earns a notional 2.5 percent a year from the date of withdrawal. When you sell, you must refund the principal plus that notional interest into your CPF account before you can pocket the remaining cash. On an S$800,000 property bought with S$160,000 of CPF OA funds and held for 10 years, the accrued interest alone would be roughly S$44,000. This rule protects your retirement savings but does reduce the cash you see at the point of sale.
Second properties and lower LTV limits
If you already have an outstanding housing loan, the LTV on a second residential property falls to 45 percent under current MAS rules, which means a 55 percent down payment. The minimum cash portion also rises sharply. You can still use CPF OA to fund part of the down payment, but the larger cash requirement makes a second purchase significantly more capital-intensive. Buyers upgrading from an HDB flat to a private property should check the timeline carefully: selling the HDB first eliminates the second-property LTV restriction and restores full CPF OA eligibility.
Frequently asked questions
How much CPF OA can I use for a property purchase?
You can use CPF Ordinary Account savings to pay the down payment, stamp duty, and monthly mortgage instalments on residential properties. The usable amount is capped at the Valuation Limit, which is the lower of the purchase price or the market valuation of the property. For bank loans with a 75 percent LTV limit, you need to pay at least 25 percent as a down payment, and CPF OA can cover up to 20 percent of that, with the remaining 5 percent in cash.
What is the CPF OA accrued interest rule when selling a property?
When you sell a property bought with CPF, you must return to your CPF account the principal withdrawn plus the interest it would have earned had it stayed in the OA at 2.5 percent per year. This accrued interest is not a fee or penalty; it is your own money going back into your retirement savings. The repayment reduces the cash proceeds you receive at completion, which can make the effective selling price lower than the headline figure.
Can I use CPF OA for both new and resale properties?
Yes. CPF OA funds can be used for both HDB flats purchased directly from HDB and resale HDB flats, as well as for private residential properties including condominiums and landed homes. The rules differ slightly. For private properties the withdrawal limit depends on whether you have set aside the Full Retirement Sum in your CPF. For HDB flats bought with an HDB concessionary loan, up to 100 percent of the purchase price may be funded by CPF, subject to the lease adequacy check at age 55.
What is the minimum cash payment for a bank loan?
If you are taking a bank loan on a property with a 75 percent LTV limit, the down payment is 25 percent of the property price. Of that 25 percent, at least 5 percent must be paid in cash; the remaining 20 percent can come from CPF OA. For a second property under a bank loan the LTV is typically 45 percent, meaning a 55 percent down payment is needed, with a minimum 25 percent in cash. The figures above assume you are a first-time buyer with no outstanding housing loans.