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COMPASS C1 Salary Benchmarks August 2026: What the New Table Means for EP Renewals from January 2027
Every August, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) releases a new set of COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks. These benchmarks , calibrated to current local PMET (Professional, Managerial, Executive and Technician) wage data , determine how many points an Employment Pass applicant earns on the salary criterion from the following January. The August 2026 release of the COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks is therefore the critical planning document for any employer managing EP applications or renewals from 1 January 2027 onwards.
This article explains what the August 2026 COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks show, how much the benchmarks have moved relative to the August 2025 table, and what employers need to do before January 2027 to protect their EP holders’ COMPASS scores.
A Quick Primer on the COMPASS C1 Criterion
Under Singapore’s Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), every new Employment Pass application and every renewal is scored on a 40-point matrix. Applicants need at least 40 points to pass.
The C1 criterion , Salary , contributes up to 20 of those points:
- 20 points: Fixed monthly salary meets or exceeds the 90th percentile of local PMET wages for the applicant’s sector and age band
- 10 points: Fixed monthly salary meets or exceeds the 65th percentile (but is below the 90th percentile)
- 0 points: Fixed monthly salary falls below the 65th percentile
Per MOM’s COMPASS C1 salary benchmarks page, the benchmarks are sector-specific and age-graduated, with separate columns for applicants aged 23, 26, 30, 35, 40, and 45 and above. The August 2025 benchmarks governed 2026 applications; the August 2026 benchmarks will govern applications assessed from 1 January 2027.
What the August 2026 Benchmarks Show
Based on the August 2026 release, the key changes from August 2025 to August 2026 are:
65th percentile benchmarks (C1 = 10 points):
– All-sector average increase: approximately 5.1%
– Highest increase: Fund Management sector, approximately 9.9%
– Lowest movement: Media sector, approximately –0.5% (slight decrease)
90th percentile benchmarks (C1 = 20 points):
– All-sector average increase: approximately 3.9%
– Highest increase: Air and Sea Transport sector, approximately 13.5%
These are meaningful movements. An EP holder whose salary currently sits comfortably above the 65th percentile , earning 10 COMPASS points , needs to check whether their salary still clears the new 65th percentile threshold under the August 2026 table. A pass holder in the Fund Management sector whose salary was at, say, the 70th percentile under the 2025 table could find themselves below the 65th percentile benchmark from 1 January 2027, scoring zero on C1.
When Do the New Benchmarks Apply?
The August 2025 benchmarks (currently in force) remain applicable to:
- New EP applications submitted from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026
- EP renewals for passes with expiry dates between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027
The August 2026 benchmarks (just released) will apply to:
- New EP applications submitted from 1 January 2027
- EP renewals for passes with expiry dates from 1 July 2027
If you are processing an EP renewal now , in August or September 2026 , the August 2025 benchmarks still govern the assessment. The clock shifts to the new table on 1 January 2027 for new applications, and 1 July 2027 for renewals.
For a full overview of the upcoming salary floor changes separately announced for 2027 (the EP qualifying minimum rising from SGD 5,600 to SGD 6,000 per month), refer to the 2027 EP and S Pass salary threshold guide.
Sectors Employers Should Watch Closely
While the full sector-by-sector table is published on the MOM website, three broad groupings deserve particular attention:
Financial Services and Fund Management
The financial services sector runs on a higher EP qualifying floor (SGD 6,200 now; SGD 6,600 from January 2027) and its COMPASS benchmarks have historically moved faster than the all-sector average. The approximately 9.9% increase in the Fund Management 65th percentile means that salary reviews for fund managers, analysts, and compliance officers need to catch up to market.
Technology
Technology roles , software engineers, data scientists, AI/ML engineers , have seen strong wage growth in Singapore. The benchmark increase for information and communications averages approximately 6–7% at the 65th percentile. Employers in tech who have not reviewed EP holder salaries since 2024 may find COMPASS scores deteriorating.
Professional Services
Legal, accounting, consulting and management advisory roles also see above-average benchmark increases. Firms with large populations of EP holders in these roles should run a portfolio-level COMPASS simulation before year-end.
The Compounding Effect: New Benchmarks PLUS New Qualifying Floor
From January 2027, EP applicants face a double adjustment:
- The qualifying minimum salary rises to SGD 6,000 per month (most sectors) or SGD 6,600 (financial services).
- The COMPASS C1 benchmarks also reset to the August 2026 table.
An applicant who was comfortable at SGD 5,800 per month in 2026 , above the current SGD 5,600 floor, earning 10 COMPASS points on C1 , will be below the new qualifying floor from 1 January 2027. There is no COMPASS score calculation at all for sub-floor salaries; the application fails at the first gate.
For pass holders whose salary is above the new SGD 6,000 floor but below the new 65th percentile benchmark, they will clear the qualifying floor but score zero on C1, putting pressure on every other COMPASS criterion to make up the 10 points. Employers in this situation need to assess whether the remaining criteria (C2 diversity, C3 local hiring, C4 qualifications, C5 skills bonus) can realistically compensate.
The COMPASS shortage occupation list (SOL) offers a 20-point bonus for roles on the list , but it cannot be assumed that any given role qualifies. Confirm against the current SOL before counting those points.
What Employers Should Do Before End of 2026
Step 1: Run a COMPASS simulation using the August 2026 benchmarks
Pull the August 2026 benchmark table from the MOM website. For each EP holder whose pass expires in 2027, calculate their C1 score under the new benchmarks , not the current ones.
Step 2: Identify pass holders at risk of dropping from 10 to 0 on C1
This is the group that requires urgent action. A 10-point drop on C1 requires compensating gains elsewhere , which may or may not be achievable depending on the firm’s diversity ratio, local hiring profile, and the pass holder’s qualifications.
Step 3: Plan salary adjustments in the annual review cycle
Salary adjustments are the most direct lever. If the firm’s annual review is scheduled for Q1 2027, consider bringing forward the review for EP holders whose renewals fall in the first half of 2027. A pass holder whose renewal is processed in February 2027 cannot benefit from a March salary increase retroactively.
Step 4: Review the full COMPASS portfolio annually
The August benchmark release is a natural trigger for an annual COMPASS portfolio review. The EP COMPASS renewal audit guide covers the mechanics of a structured audit across a population of EP holders.
The Bigger Picture: COMPASS Is Getting Stricter Each Year
The progression of COMPASS C1 benchmarks since the framework launched in September 2023 is a consistent upward trend. Each annual August release has raised the bar, reflecting genuine wage growth among local PMETs in Singapore. The intent is explicit: to ensure that foreign EP holders are earning at or above what their local counterparts earn in comparable roles.
Employers who treat COMPASS as a one-time compliance check at application stage are exposed. The framework recalibrates annually, and a pass holder who sailed through their initial application three years ago may be approaching a renewal with a materially weaker score profile than their employer realises. Adding the Singapore HR MOM compliance calendar to your team’s annual planning cycle is the simplest structural fix.
Need Help Running a COMPASS Audit?
Employers modelling EP salary benchmarks 2027 should treat the COMPASS C1 update August 2026 as the baseline for any Singapore Employment Pass salary 2027 planning, since COMPASS scoring 2026 methodology carries forward unchanged into the new benchmark year.
Little Big Employment Agency (MOM Licence 19C9790) offers COMPASS pre-assessment and portfolio review services. We can model the impact of the August 2026 benchmarks across your EP workforce and identify which pass holders require salary action before their renewal window. Reach out via Singapore Employment Agency.
For company incorporation, corporate secretarial, and employer-of-record services in Singapore, visit Raffles Corporate Services.
, The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency
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