CPF Board - Post Death Matters

The Central Provident Fund Board

You can inform the Board about the death of your loved one through any mode indicated below. When necessary, please note that additional documents (other than those listed below) may be required for verification purposes.

Death which occurred in	Affecting	Documents required	Modes of reporting death
Singapore	All CPF members	A copy of the deceased member’s death certificate and A copy of your identity card or passport and contact details	Email to withdrawal-on-death@cpf.gov.sg with scanned copies of the required documents; or Fax 6229 3249 (local), 65-6229 3249 (overseas) or Mail to : Withdrawal Schemes Department, Central Provident Fund Board, 79 Robinson Road, Singapore 068897; or Visit us at any CPF Service Centre
Overseas	Singaporeans or Permanent Residents	A copy of the deceased member’s death certificate, certified true either by a Notary Public, an official of the Singapore High Commission/the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore with his official seal/stamp, or our officer at any CPF Service Centre; and A letter from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) confirming the update of member's death in their records; and Contact details of ICA : Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, ICA Building, 10 Kallang Road, Singapore 208718, Tel: 6391 6100, Fax: 6298 0843 / 6298 0837 Website: http://www.ica.gov.sg A copy of your identity card or passport and contact details.	Mail to : Withdrawal Schemes Department, Central Provident Fund Board, 79 Robinson Road, Singapore 068897; or Visit us at any CPF Service Centre
Overseas	Foreigners	A copy of the deceased member’s death certificate, certified true either by a Notary Public, an official of the Singapore High Commission/the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore with his official seal/stamp, or our officer at any CPF Service Centre; and A letter from the relevant authority confirming the deceased member’s identity number, if the death certificate does not bear the deceased member’s identification details; and A copy of your identity card or passport and contact details.	Mail to : Withdrawal Schemes Department, Central Provident Fund Board, 79 Robinson Road, Singapore 068897; or Visit us at any CPF Service Centre

Within 1 month of the receipt of documents reporting death, CPF Board will verify the validity of the deceased's nomination and invite the nominees to make a claim.

If the deceased did not make a valid nomination, his/her CPF will be transferred to the Public Trustee within 1 month of the receipt of documents reporting death.

Nomination

After verifying the validity of the deceased's nomination, the Board will invite the nominees to make a claim.

CPF nomination is an option available to all CPF members to indicate how their CPF savings are to be distributed in the event of death. You can decide whom you wish to appoint as your nominees, and the proportion of CPF savings you wish your nominees to receive.

If a valid nomination had been made, the beneficiaries can receive the deceased’s CPF monies and assets, which include the following:

The deceased person’s CPF savings, if any.
Special Discounted Shares (eg. Discounted SingTel (ST) shares), if any.

You do not need to make a CPF nomination if you wish to distribute your CPF savings under the intestacy laws. Distribution under the intestacy laws ensures that your family members will receive your CPF savings when you are no longer around.

For example, if you are single, your CPF savings will be distributed equally between your parents. If you are married, your spouse will receive half of your CPF savings, and your children will share the remaining half.

For Muslims, your CPF savings will be distributed according to the Inheritance Certificate, which your family members can obtain from the Syariah Court (Muslim inheritance law).

If you wish to distribute your CPF savings differently, you will need to make a CPF nomination.

Please note that:

1) A marriage will automatically revoke an earlier nomination, if any.

2) A divorce does not revoke an earlier nomination, if any.

3) A Will does not supersede an earlier nomination, if any.

4) If your nominee is below the age of 18 years at the time of claim, his/her share will be forwarded to the Public Trustee for administration until he/she reaches 18 years of age.

5) If any of your nominees is an undischarged bankrupt at the time your CPF savings are paid out, the Board will be legally obliged to inform the Official Assignee (OA) of any assets that are due to him as his estate is vested in the OA by virtue of the laws in Singapore relating to bankruptcy.

Click here for more information on nomination, and here for information on what happens to a person’s CPF savings when he passes away.

Property of the deceased

Property bought with CPF savings are not covered by CPF nomination.

The property of your loved one will form part of his estate upon death. The CPF savings withdrawn for the property need not be refunded to the deceased’s CPF account.

If the property of the deceased is an HDB flat, it is possible he would have been covered under the Home Protection Scheme (HPS). The Board will deal directly with the Housing Development Board (HDB) or the approved mortgagee on the settlement of HPS benefits if there is an outstanding housing loan.

A homeowner can make a Will and state who should get the property, in the event of his death. If a person dies without making a Will, he is said to have died “intestate”. The estate will be distributed according to the rules of intestacy as laid down in the Intestate Succession Act.

Click here for more information on how the property of a deceased can be distributed. If the property is co-owned by the deceased with other persons, click here.

Processing Time

The processing time for the withdrawal of CPF monies upon the death of a loved one varies according to the complexity of the deceased member’s CPF account. In most cases, the Board releases the deceased's CPF monies and assets within 8 weeks upon receipt of the CPF Withdrawal Form and all the required documents.

Click here for more information on CPF matters concerning the demise of your loved one.

Banks and credit card companies

You should notify the banks in which your loved one had banking arrangements with, especially for receipts and cheques deposited automatically, or if mortgage payments and other transactions are carried out directly from the account.

Insurance companies

The relevant insurance companies must be informed about the death of your loved one. Beneficiaries may receive payouts from insurance policies, credit and trade unions or fraternal organisations, etc.

Lawyers and solicitors

You will need to inform the lawyers to obtain a copy of the Will, if any, of your loved one.

Estate Matters

When your loved one dies, his property, immovable and moveable, forms his estate. If he dies with a Will, the person appointed under the Will to administer his estate is an executor. If there is no Will, the person to administer his estate is known as an administrator.

To be recognized legally as the executor/administrator, you should:

Apply to the High Court or Subordinate Courts to obtain a Grant of Probate/Letters of Administration. You can also consult a lawyer from any private law firm or Legal Aid Bureau to apply for the Grant of Probate / Letters of Administration.
File the Schedule of Assets with the Courts.

The executor will extract the Grant of Probate and distribute the assets according to the deceased's Will. If the deceased did not make a Will, the administrator will extract the Grant of Letters of Administration and distribute the assets according to the Intestate Succession Act.

Please note that Estate Duty has been removed for deaths occurring on and after 15 Feb 2008. For more information on how to file estate duty for deaths which occurred before 15 Feb 2008, please click here.

Public trustee

The Public Trustee can administer the estates of your loved one if the value does not exceed $50,000.

For the administration of such estates, the Public Trustee recovers the assets of the deceased such as monies deposited in banks and financial institutions, undrawn salaries and compensation awards due to the deceased and monies in the deceased's CPF account. In addition, the Public Trustee effects a sale or transfer of shares held by the deceased in Singapore listed companies, transfer of title of vehicles to the deceased's beneficiaries.

Upon recovery and realisation of all the deceased's assets, the Public Trustee ascertains the validity of the claimants' entitlement as beneficiaries of the deceased's estate and their legal relationship to the deceased before distributing the assets or the sale proceeds to the beneficiaries.

Where the beneficiary is a minor, the Public Trustee will hold the minor's share in trust until he attains the age of majority and may make monthly payments for the minor's maintenance and education.

The Public Trustee also administers the CPF funds of deceased persons who have not nominated any beneficiaries or who have nominated beneficiaries who are below 18 years of age pursuant to Section 25 of the Central Provident Fund Act (Cap. 36).

Click here for more information on the role of Public Trustee.

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