# Considering A Move To Singapore



## marktf

Would welcome some help / input

I am considering a move to Singapore (currently ex pat in Australia) the offer currently being tabled is below

$144,000 Salary
$2,000 transport allowance
$4000 - $4500 per month housing allowance 
Pension
Health Insurance

As I am not familiar with the market can this be considered a reasonable / good offer?

Many Thanks


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## simonsays

I don't know how much you draw i Australia and what your job is

but, this is a good offer

plus taxes here are low, VA Australia ...


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## marktf

Thank you for the feedback, it helps to make a decision


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## BBCWatcher

Would you clarify what "Pension" means? In the Singaporean context that may mean simply that the employer obeys the law and makes CPF contributions if required. Except you wouldn't be covered by CPF, so if that's what the offer is then it's zero.

Any disability coverage?


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## marktf

Not sure so good questions for me to ask, thank you


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## simonsays

marktf said:


> Not sure so good questions for me to ask, thank you


pension in Singapore terms .. CPF, and most large companies budget the 14.5% due from employer for employer's contribution to CPF, and when the employee is not SC/PR and CPF isn't required, they still pass the budgeted amount to the employee.

so you get 14.5% on top of basic salary.

that's how my former HR explained Pension, unless the company have their own pension fund.


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## BBCWatcher

ecureilx said:


> CPF, and most large companies budget the 14.5% due from employer for employer's contribution to CPF, and when the employee is not SC/PR and CPF isn't required, they still pass the budgeted amount to the employee.


I'm not sure it's "most." You definitely have to read the fine print in your employment offer/contract, as always. Note that freshly minted PRs are not immediately required to participate in CPF.


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## simonsays

BBCWatcher said:


> I'm not sure it's "most." You definitely have to read the fine print in your employment offer/contract, as always. Note that freshly minted PRs are not immediately required to participate in CPF.


I said most large companies instead of anything ...because I know more than a few large companies doing it

and said companies insist newly minted PRs agree for full contribution in return for employer matching same and by law they can do it, and for employer budgeted money still gets spent 

the gradual increase is optional and mostly it is SMEs who use the scale to save matching contribution rates ...


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## BBCWatcher

And I'm familiar with other large companies not providing a private analog to CPF contributions.

I think my concern here is more valid. It's quite easy for a naive prospective employee to think "pension" applies to them. There are many, many boilerplate employment agreements that describe CPF contributions. Foreigners (non-citizens/non-PRs) simply cannot participate in CPF, by law. Such boilerplate language does not apply to that entire class of employees, and it's very easy to be mislead on that point.

It's far harder to be mislead when the employment agreement specifies genuine private sector pension contributions. There's generally no confusion on that point, and the terms and conditions are spelled out in the agreement.

Read the fine print carefully.


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## donkuok

marktf said:


> Would welcome some help / input
> 
> I am considering a move to Singapore (currently ex pat in Australia) the offer currently being tabled is below
> 
> $144,000 Salary
> $2,000 transport allowance
> $4000 - $4500 per month housing allowance
> Pension
> Health Insurance
> 
> As I am not familiar with the market can this be considered a reasonable / good offer?
> 
> Many Thanks


Better plan carefully with the tax in Australia because ATO do tax world wide income. If you leave anything behind in Australia the ATO might come after you for your income in Singapore even though you will be enjoying with the low tax rates in Singapore.


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