Singapore has grown into Asia’s pre-eminent family office hub. More than 1,500 single family offices were registered with the Monetary Authority of Singapore as at early 2026, attracted by the Section 13O and 13U tax exemption frameworks, stable governance, and the city’s position as a gateway to ASEAN investment opportunities. As family offices multiply, so does the complexity of staffing them correctly — choosing the right work pass for each role, meeting MAS headcount requirements, and managing the particular sensitivities that arise when a family office handles both investment mandates and personal family affairs.
This guide covers the full pass architecture for family office hiring in Singapore: which pass fits which role, how the MAS investment professional requirements interact with MOM pass rules, and the specific considerations for senior and sensitive positions that sit at the intersection of family, wealth, and immigration compliance.
Family Office Hiring Singapore 2026: The MAS Investment Professional Requirement
Before examining pass options, it is important to understand that Singapore’s tax exemption schemes impose their own staffing obligations that are distinct from — and in addition to — MOM pass requirements.
Under the Section 13O scheme (formerly Section 13R), a qualifying single family office must employ at least two investment professionals (IPs) based in Singapore. Under the Section 13U scheme, at least three IPs are required, with at least one IP who is not a member of the principal family. Each IP must earn a minimum fixed monthly salary of SGD 3,500, hold genuine investment responsibilities, and be a Singapore tax resident.
The IP headcount requirement means that a family office cannot rely solely on the principal’s own pass for compliance — it must build a team. Each of those team members must hold a valid Singapore work authorisation, which is where the pass architecture becomes critical. Our guide to Singapore Family Office Tax Incentives: Section 13O vs 13U covers the broader incentive structure.
The Employment Pass for Investment Professionals
Most investment professionals at a Singapore family office — analysts, portfolio managers, risk officers, and research heads — will arrive on the Employment Pass (EP). Per the Ministry of Manpower, the minimum qualifying salary for an EP in the financial services sector is SGD 6,200 per month as at July 2026, rising with age (to SGD 11,800 for mid-40s candidates). From 1 January 2027, the financial services floor rises to SGD 6,600 per month for new applications.
Family offices are typically classified under the financial services sector for MOM purposes when they hold a Capital Markets Services (CMS) licence or are registered with MAS as a Registered Fund Management Company (RFMC). This means their EP applications are assessed against the higher financial services salary floor — and against the full COMPASS framework, which requires 40 points across salary percentile, qualifications, nationality diversity, local PMET hiring, and shortage occupation criteria.
COMPASS Considerations for Small Family Offices
The COMPASS C3 (nationality diversity) and C4 (local PMET hiring) criteria pose a particular challenge for small family offices. A three-person investment team that is entirely of a single nationality will score zero on C3 — regardless of how qualified the candidates are individually. A family office that employs no Singapore citizens or PRs in professional roles will score zero on C4.
Family offices should plan their hiring sequence to address COMPASS from the outset: a local investment analyst or compliance officer hired early can materially improve both C3 (if they hold different nationality) and C4 scores for subsequent EP applications. This sequencing is not just good compliance practice — it is often the difference between a smooth EP approval and a rejection that requires a costly appeal.
The Personalised Employment Pass and ONE Pass for Senior Roles
Senior family office roles — Chief Investment Officers, Head of Portfolio, Chief Risk Officers — are often filled by professionals with established track records and salary levels that make them eligible for more flexible passes.
Personalised Employment Pass (PEP)
The PEP is available to overseas professionals earning the equivalent of SGD 22,500 per month (or existing EP holders at the same salary level). It is not tied to an employer — the holder may change roles within the family office or even move to a different employer without reapplying, and may remain in Singapore for up to six months between roles. For a CIO who is being recruited but whose start date is contingent on fund incorporation timelines, the PEP avoids the gap problem that would otherwise require a new EP to be filed. See our Personalised Employment Pass guide for full eligibility criteria.
ONE Pass for the Principal and Ultra-Senior Hires
The ONE Pass is the natural vehicle for family principals who earn SGD 30,000 or more per month from a single established employer, or for senior investment professionals being recruited at that level. Its five-year validity and ability to permit concurrent employment (allowing the holder to be employed by the family office entity while serving on advisory boards or holding portfolio company board seats) aligns well with family office structures. Our ONE Pass eligibility guide sets out who qualifies and how the outstanding-achievement alternative pathway works for principals without a conventional salary history.
Staffing Sensitive Roles: What “Sensitive” Means in a Family Office Context
Family offices routinely employ staff in roles that are sensitive not just commercially but personally — private household managers, family office concierge coordinators, personal assistants to the principal, and estate or property managers. These roles do not typically qualify for an EP (salary and qualification requirements may not be met) and require careful pass planning.
S Pass for Mid-Tier Roles
Administrative roles at family offices with degrees or diplomas and salaries of SGD 3,600 per month or above (as at 1 July 2026) may qualify for the S Pass, subject to the family office’s S Pass quota. The S Pass quota is calculated as a proportion of the employer’s total workforce — which can be challenging for a three- to five-person family office team. S Pass holders are subject to the foreign worker levy, currently SGD 550–650 per month depending on the employer’s ratio.
Dependant’s Pass Letter of Consent for Accompanying Family Members
Where the principal’s spouse holds a Dependant’s Pass (DP), they may wish to take up a role at the family office — even as a formal investment professional. DP holders cannot hold an LOC to work as employees (the DP-holder LOC was closed to new employee arrangements in 2021). The appropriate path is for the spouse to apply in their own right for an EP, meeting the financial services salary floor and COMPASS criteria.
A spouse who qualifies for an EP independently is in fact an asset to the family office’s COMPASS scoring — contributing to C4 (local/PR PMET) if they are a PR, and potentially to C3 diversity if they hold a different nationality from other EP holders on the team.
The Cost of Hiring: What Family Offices Budget per Pass
Family offices should model the full cost of each pass application. At the EP level in financial services, government fees alone are SGD 105 (application) plus SGD 225 (issuance) = SGD 330 per EP. Professional handling fees for an EP application where COMPASS strategy needs to be managed — as is common in small family offices — typically run SGD 2,000–5,000. For the ONE Pass, the application complexity and documentation demands (including track record evidence) typically attract handling fees of SGD 3,500–8,000. Our complete guide to the true cost of hiring foreign professionals in Singapore provides a full cost model.
For professionals relocating from finance hubs such as London or Hong Kong, see our London to Singapore Finance Professional guide and our Singapore vs Hong Kong comparison for context on how the EP fits into their broader relocation picture.
Family Office Hiring: A Practical Sequencing Guide
- Incorporate the family office entity and obtain MAS registration (RFMC or CMS licence) before filing EP applications — MOM expects to see the employer entity in good standing.
- Hire the first local investment professional early (Singapore citizen or PR) to anchor the C4 COMPASS score for subsequent EP filings.
- File EP or ONE Pass for the principal and lead investment staff simultaneously with or shortly after MAS registration, using the MAS-MOM coordinated processing pathway where available.
- Ensure IP headcount meets 13O/13U requirements before applying for the tax exemption — MAS requires confirmed employment, not provisional offers.
- Review COMPASS annually — C3 sector benchmarks are refreshed each January; a family office that met C3 on first application may not meet it on renewal if sector diversity benchmarks have shifted. Our EP COMPASS Renewal Audit guide explains the July 2026 benchmark updates.
Conclusion
Staffing a Singapore family office requires navigating two parallel regulatory frameworks — MAS’s investment professional and AUM requirements, and MOM’s pass architecture and COMPASS scoring. The two frameworks interact in non-obvious ways, and getting the sequencing wrong can delay fund launch, jeopardise tax exemption eligibility, or trigger pass rejections at the worst possible time.
Little Big Employment Agency (MOM Licence 19C9790) works with family offices at all stages — initial EP strategy, COMPASS optimisation, ONE Pass and PEP applications, and PR planning for principals and key staff. For the incorporation, MAS structuring, and 13O/13U exemption application, our related company Raffles Corporate Services provides a complete end-to-end service.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency