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Last updated: 14 July 2026 · By the Singapore Top Immigration editorial team · Reflects MOM policy as at 14 July 2026 (see references)
If you hold a Singapore Employment Pass (EP) or you're planning to apply for one, 2026 is a year to pay attention. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has rolled out a fresh set of changes to the COMPASS framework, the points-based system that sits behind every EP decision. Some of these changes took effect on 1 January 2026 for new applications, and from 1 July 2026 COMPASS applies to EP renewals for the first time.
This post breaks down what actually changed and what stayed the same, which matters most if you see an EP as a stepping stone toward Permanent Residence (PR). It covers the current salary floors, how the 40-point scoring works, the 2026 qualification-criteria updates, the high-earner exemption, and what it all means for renewals, small firms, and your longer-term PR case.
What's changed with COMPASS in 2026 (at a glance)
The short version, before the detail:
- The COMPASS qualification lists were refreshed on 1 January 2026. MOM updated the Criterion 2 (Qualifications) lists, including the top-tier institutions list and the degree-equivalent professional qualifications list, along with the sector salary benchmarks used for scoring. These lists are reviewed once a year.
- From 1 July 2026, COMPASS applies to EP renewals, not just new applications. If your pass is up for renewal, you now need to clear the same 40-point bar that new applicants face.
- The EP qualifying salary floors have not risen in 2026. They remain S$5,600/month (general) and S$6,200/month (financial services) at age 23, rising with age. The next salary-floor increase, to S$6,000 and S$6,600, is scheduled for 1 January 2027, not this year.
- The S$22,500/month high-earner exemption still applies. Anyone earning at least that in fixed monthly salary skips COMPASS entirely.
If you take nothing else away: 2026 changed the criteria and lists and extended COMPASS to renewals. It did not change the salary floor. That's a distinction a lot of the commentary online gets wrong, so it's worth stating plainly.
What is COMPASS Singapore?
COMPASS stands for the Complementarity Assessment Framework. It's the second stage of MOM's two-stage test for Employment Pass eligibility.
Stage one is the qualifying salary check: your fixed monthly salary has to meet the floor for your age and sector. Stage two is COMPASS, a points-based scoring system that looks beyond salary at how well you and your employer complement Singapore's local workforce. You need to score at least 40 points to pass.
The idea behind COMPASS is that an EP shouldn't be granted on salary alone. It rewards candidates with strong qualifications, and it rewards employers who hire a diverse workforce, support local employment, and contribute to Singapore's strategic economic priorities. Both stages have to be cleared for an EP to be approved.
The EP qualifying salary floors in 2026
The first hurdle is salary. For 2026, the fixed monthly salary floors run from S$5,600/month (general) and S$6,200/month (financial services) at age 23, rising with age to S$10,700 (general) and S$11,800 (financial services) at age 45 and above. The infographic below sets out the full salary-by-age breakdown.
A few things to keep in mind:
- The figure that matters is your fixed monthly salary, not total package. Variable bonuses and allowances that aren't guaranteed don't count.
- The floor rises with age. MOM benchmarks it to roughly the top one-third of local PMET (professional, manager, executive and technician) salaries for each age band, which is why an older applicant needs to earn more to clear the bar.
- These floors apply to both new applications and renewals.
Two important clarifications on timing. First, these are the current 2026 floors, in force through the end of the year. Second, MOM has announced that from 1 January 2027, the entry salary will rise to S$6,000/month (general) and S$6,600/month (financial services), with renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028 following the higher bar. So if you've read that the EP salary is "going up to S$6,000," that's a 2027 change, not a 2026 one.
For a full salary-by-age breakdown and how to structure a package that clears the floor, see our Employment Pass Singapore guide.
How COMPASS scoring works: the six criteria and the 40-point pass mark
COMPASS awards points across six criteria. The first four are foundational, each scoring 0, 10, or 20 points. The last two are bonus criteria that can lift a borderline candidate over the line. Here is what each criterion measures and the points available:
- C1: Salary (0 / 10 / 20) — your fixed monthly salary versus local PMET benchmarks for your sector.
- C2: Qualifications (0 / 10 / 20) — the strength of your degree or professional qualification.
- C3: Diversity (0 / 10 / 20) — how your nationality contributes to your employer's nationality mix.
- C4: Support for local employment (0 / 10 / 20) — your employer's share of local PMET hiring.
- C5: Skills bonus (0 / 10 / 20) — whether your job is on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).
- C6: Strategic economic priorities bonus (0 / 10) — whether your employer is in an eligible government partnership programme.
To pass, you need 40 points. That's the equivalent of scoring 20 on two foundational criteria, or 10 across four of them, or any mix that adds up. Here's roughly how the points break down within each criterion:
- C1 (Salary): at or above the 90th percentile of local PMET salaries for your sector earns 20; between the 65th and 90th earns 10; below the 65th earns 0.
- C2 (Qualifications): a degree from a top-tier or highly recognised institution earns 20; another eligible degree-equivalent qualification earns 10; none earns 0.
- C3 (Diversity): if candidates of your nationality make up under 5% of your employer's PMETs, that's 20; 5% to under 25% earns 10; 25% or more earns 0.
- C4 (Support for local employment): an employer whose local PMET share is at or above the sector's 50th percentile earns 20; 20th to under 50th earns 10; below the 20th earns 0.
- C5 (Skills bonus): if your job is on the SOL and your nationality is under a third of the firm's PMETs, that's 20; on the SOL but at or above a third earns 10.
- C6 (Strategic economic priorities bonus): meeting an eligible EDB, Enterprise Singapore, or NTUC programme earns 10.
The bonus criteria matter more than people assume. A candidate who scores modestly on salary and qualifications can still reach 40 if their role is on the Shortage Occupation List or their employer runs a qualifying programme. MOM's own worked examples show borderline candidates being rescued by exactly these bonus points.
Two worked examples: how a candidate reaches 40
Numbers make this clearer than percentiles do. Here are two realistic profiles.
Example A: mid-career hire at a large multinational. A 34-year-old marketing manager earns S$8,800/month (comfortably above the 65th but below the 90th percentile for her sector, so C1 = 10). She holds a degree from a top-tier institution (C2 = 20). Her nationality is around 8% of her employer's PMETs (C3 = 10). The employer's local-PMET share sits mid-pack (C4 = 10). No SOL role, no strategic programme (C5 = 0, C6 = 0). Total: 50 points, a clear pass, carried mainly by her qualification.
Example B: specialist at a small firm, no top-tier degree. A 29-year-old data engineer earns S$6,400/month (C1 = 10) and holds a non-listed degree, so no C2 points on its own (C2 = 0). His employer has 18 PMETs, so as a firm under 25 PMETs it gets the default 10 on C3 and 10 on C4. His role is on the Shortage Occupation List and his nationality is under a third of the team (C5 = 20). Total: 50 points, also a pass, this time rescued by the SME defaults and the skills bonus rather than by salary or qualifications.
The lesson: there are several routes to 40. If one criterion is weak, another can carry it. You can model your own profile using MOM's Self-Assessment Tool (SAT), and our Employment Pass guide walks through more scenarios in detail.
What actually changed in 2026
Most of the 2026 changes sit inside Criterion 2 and the benchmark data, rather than the salary floor. Here's what MOM refreshed, effective 1 January 2026:
- The top-tier institutions list (C2, 20 points) was updated. This is the list of universities and institutions whose graduates automatically score the full 20 points on qualifications. MOM reviews it annually and adjusts which institutions qualify.
- The degree-equivalent professional qualifications list (C2, 10 points) was expanded. More sectors, including technology, engineering, applied science, and hospitality, now have recognised professional qualifications that earn 10 points, giving candidates without a traditional top-tier degree another route to score.
- Sector salary benchmarks (used for C1 and C4) were refreshed. These benchmarks move as local PMET salaries move, so the salary you need to score 10 or 20 points on C1 shifts slightly each year even though the entry salary floor is unchanged.
- The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) for the C5 skills bonus was reviewed. The SOL identifies roles where Singapore has a genuine skills shortage, and jobs on it earn bonus points.
One practical note: you only need to provide qualification proof if you're relying on C2 points to reach 40. If your salary and your employer's profile already get you over the line, the qualification lists may not affect you at all.
Keep the salary-floor increase in its own box. That's a 1 January 2027 change (to S$6,000 and S$6,600), separate from everything above.
The S$22,500 high-earner exemption (and the others)
Not everyone has to go through COMPASS. You're exempt from the scoring if any one of these applies:
- Your fixed monthly salary is at least S$22,500. High earners skip COMPASS entirely and are assessed on salary alone.
- You're an overseas intra-corporate transferee moving within the same corporate group.
- The role is being filled for one month or less.
The S$22,500 threshold matters most for senior hires and specialists. If you're near it, structuring the package to cross that line can take COMPASS scoring out of the equation entirely, and it's the same threshold that exempts a role from the Fair Consideration Framework job-advertising requirement, so it does double duty. For very senior profiles, it's also worth weighing the EP against the ONE Pass, which sits at a higher salary tier again.
Renewals from 1 July 2026, and what it means for SMEs
The biggest procedural change this year is that COMPASS now applies to EP renewals from 1 July 2026. Previously, COMPASS was assessed only for new applications; existing pass holders renewed largely on salary. From July 2026, a renewal has to clear the same 40-point bar.
If your EP is coming up for renewal, this means:
- Run your profile through the Self-Assessment Tool before your renewal window, not after.
- If you're short of 40 points, there may be time to fix it, through a salary adjustment, a move onto a Shortage Occupation List role, or your employer's diversity and local-hiring profile improving.
- A renewal that was routine two years ago now carries real assessment, so don't leave it to the last minute.
If you work for a small firm, there's good news built into the framework. Companies with fewer than 25 PMETs automatically receive a default 10 points on C3 (Diversity) and 10 on C4 (Support for local employment), which is 20 of the 40 points, granted before you score anything on salary or qualifications. The logic is that a tiny team can't realistically diversify, so MOM doesn't penalise it. For an EP holder at an SME, that default 20 makes the remaining 20 far easier to reach on salary and qualifications alone.
What this means if you're eyeing PR
This is the part a lot of EP holders overlook. For most people an EP is a stepping stone to Permanent Residence, and a stronger EP and COMPASS profile feeds directly into a stronger PR case.
When ICA assesses a PR application under the Professionals/Technical Personnel and Skilled Workers (PTS) scheme, it weighs your economic contribution, salary, qualifications, and how settled you are in Singapore. Many of the same signals that push your COMPASS score up, a higher salary, a recognised qualification, a role in a priority sector, are exactly what makes a PR application more competitive.
So the 2026 changes cut both ways: clearing a tougher COMPASS bar is more work, but candidates who clear it comfortably tend to be the ones ICA views favourably for PR. If you're thinking a year or two ahead, treat your EP profile and your future PR application as one connected story, not two separate exercises.
A couple of resources if you're at this stage:
- Our Singapore PR application guide covers the PTS scheme and how ICA assesses applicants.
- Salary weighs heavily in PR decisions too; see salary requirements for Singapore PR.
- If you're on an S Pass rather than an EP, the S Pass guide explains the different (and lower) thresholds.
Frequently asked questions
What is COMPASS Singapore?
COMPASS (the Complementarity Assessment Framework) is the points-based second stage of Singapore's Employment Pass eligibility test. After a candidate clears the qualifying salary floor, COMPASS scores them across six criteria, salary, qualifications, diversity, support for local employment, a skills bonus, and a strategic economic priorities bonus. An applicant needs at least 40 points to pass. It's run by the Ministry of Manpower and applies to new EP applications and, from 1 July 2026, to renewals.
What is the EP minimum salary in 2026?
In 2026, the minimum fixed monthly salary for an Employment Pass is S$5,600 for most sectors and S$6,200 for financial services, both at age 23. The floor rises with age, up to S$10,700 (general) and S$11,800 (financial services) at age 45 and above. These floors are unchanged from the previous bar. The next increase, to S$6,000 and S$6,600 at entry, takes effect on 1 January 2027, not in 2026.
What are the 40 points in COMPASS and how do I reach them?
You need 40 points to pass COMPASS. Points come from six criteria: the four foundational ones (salary, qualifications, diversity, and support for local employment) each award 0, 10, or 20 points, and two bonus criteria (a skills bonus for Shortage Occupation List roles, and a strategic economic priorities bonus) can add more. Any combination reaching 40 passes, for example, 20 on salary plus 20 on qualifications, or 10 across four criteria. Employees at firms with fewer than 25 PMETs start with a default 10 points each on diversity and support for local employment, covering 20 of the 40. You can check your likely score using MOM's Self-Assessment Tool.
Does COMPASS apply to EP renewals?
Yes. From 1 July 2026, COMPASS applies to Employment Pass renewals as well as new applications. Before this date, renewals were assessed mainly on salary. If your EP is due for renewal, you now need to clear the same 40-point threshold, so it's worth running the Self-Assessment Tool ahead of your renewal window.
Turning a strong EP into PR
The 2026 COMPASS changes raise the bar, but they also sharpen the profile that Singapore rewards, and that same profile is what makes a competitive PR application. If you've built a solid EP position and you're ready to take the next step toward Permanent Residence, we can help you plan the timing and present your case properly.
Explore our Singapore PR service to see how we assess and strengthen applications, or book a free consultation to talk through your situation.
This article is for general information and reflects MOM policy as at 14 July 2026. EP salary floors, COMPASS criteria, and the qualification lists are reviewed regularly, so always confirm the current figures on the Ministry of Manpower website before you apply or renew.
Primary source: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) — Eligibility for Employment Pass; COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks; COMPASS C2 institution and qualification lists; COMPASS C5 Shortage Occupation List; MOM Self-Assessment Tool.
