Singapore’s family office sector has grown rapidly over the past five years, driven by the MAS Section 13O and 13U fund tax incentive frameworks and the city-state’s position as the preferred wealth management jurisdiction in Asia. Family offices present a distinctive hiring challenge: they typically operate with very small teams (two to six investment professionals), which creates COMPASS scoring complications for Employment Pass applications, and they often need to hire internationally for specialised portfolio management, compliance, or research roles. This guide covers the work pass options for family office hiring in Singapore — when to use the Employment Pass, when the Personalised Employment Pass is the right tool, and when the ONE Pass is the answer.
The pass strategy for a family office depends on three variables: the nature of the role, the candidate’s salary level, and the family office’s headcount structure. Getting the pass choice right from the outset avoids wasted application time and costly re-scoping.
Family Office Hiring Context: Why Singapore Work Passes Behave Differently Here
A Singapore family office is typically a small team — a principal, one or two investment managers, a compliance officer, and possibly a family administrator. Under the MAS Section 13O scheme (minimum AUM S$20 million, at least two investment professionals employed locally) and the Section 13U scheme (minimum AUM S$50 million, at least three investment professionals, with at least one external non-family professional), the team size is not only small — it is structurally determined by MAS conditions.
This creates a specific challenge when hiring under the Employment Pass. COMPASS — the Complementarity Assessment Framework — assesses employer-level factors including the firm’s nationality diversity (C3) and local PMET hiring (C4). For a two-person investment team, adding a second foreign professional of the same nationality as the first can trigger a maximum C3 penalty before the firm has even built a local workforce. Our guide on how COMPASS scores are calculated explains the mechanics in detail. The practical implication for family offices is: plan your hiring sequencing carefully, and consider whether the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) or ONE Pass — both of which are assessed without employer-level COMPASS criteria — are a better fit for certain hires.
For context on the overall tax incentive framework that governs why most family offices structure their Singapore operations as they do, see our guide to Singapore family office Section 13O versus 13U tax incentives.
Employment Pass for Family Office Investment Professionals
The Employment Pass is the most common work pass for investment professionals in Singapore family offices. Per the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the qualifying salary for a new EP application as at 1 January 2025 is S$5,600 per month for most sectors, rising to S$6,200 for the financial services sector. Investment management roles in family offices are classified under financial services — the S$6,200 floor applies.
The COMPASS framework applies to all new EP applications. For family offices, the employer-level criteria (C3 nationality diversity and C4 local hiring) are the principal challenge. An office with a two-person PMET headcount has almost no ability to diversify, and a startup family office with no prior local hires will score poorly on C4. The individual-level criteria — salary benchmark (C1) and qualifications (C2) — are generally satisfied by qualified investment professionals. The Shortage Occupation List (C5) is unlikely to apply to generic investment management roles.
Strategy: for EP applications in family offices, score the COMPASS criteria before submitting. If C3 or C4 is likely to produce a failing or borderline score, assess whether (a) a local PMET hire before the application can improve C4, (b) the candidate qualifies for PEP or ONE Pass which bypass the employer-level COMPASS criteria, or (c) the role can be genuinely restructured to qualify under the Shortage Occupation List if MAS has designated the specific investment discipline.
Personalised Employment Pass: The Right Choice for Independent Investment Talent
The Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) is the optimal work pass for high-earning investment professionals who are coming to Singapore as individuals — not tied to a specific family office employer — or who want the flexibility to assess multiple family office opportunities without losing work authorisation. Per MOM, the PEP qualifying salary threshold as at 2026 is a fixed monthly salary of S$22,500. The PEP is:
- Not employer-tied — the holder can change employers, take on advisory work for multiple entities, and take up to six months between roles without losing the pass.
- Not subject to employer-level COMPASS criteria — assessed entirely on the individual’s salary history and qualifications.
- Valid for three years and non-renewable — after three years, the holder must transition to an EP, another eligible pass, or PR.
For family offices hiring a portfolio manager or chief investment officer who is being recruited from an international role and will be earning at or above S$22,500 per month, the PEP is worth serious consideration. It removes the COMPASS employer-level complications and gives the hire a self-managed status that aligns well with the independence many senior investment professionals prefer. Our complete Singapore PEP 2026 guide covers the application process, qualifying conditions, and transition planning at the end of the three-year term.
ONE Pass: For Principal Investment Officers and C-Suite Talent
The ONE Pass (Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass) is Singapore’s most exclusive work pass — a five-year, non-employer-tied pass for the highest-tier global talent. Per MOM, the ONE Pass qualifying criterion is a fixed monthly salary of S$30,000. ONE Pass holders may:
- Work for multiple employers simultaneously (critical for principals who sit on multiple family office or portfolio company boards).
- Start and operate their own business concurrently.
- Renew the pass every five years without changing employer.
The ONE Pass is the natural pass for the family principal themselves — particularly principals who are relocating with their family and wealth to Singapore from elsewhere in Asia. It is also appropriate for a Chief Investment Officer or Head of Portfolio Management who earns at the S$30,000 threshold and whose role requires independence across multiple Singapore entities. The pass is completely exempt from COMPASS criteria. Our deep-dive guide on who actually qualifies for the ONE Pass in Singapore addresses the common misconceptions around eligibility.
For family principals considering PR alongside their family office setup, the ONE Pass salary threshold places them in the highest ICA PR approval-odds bracket. See our comparison guide on EP versus PEP versus ONE Pass by career stage for a side-by-side summary of all three passes.
Compliance Officer and Operations Roles: Specific Considerations
Section 13O family offices with assets under management above a certain threshold (and all 13U offices) are required to employ at least one external, non-family investment professional. For many family offices, the compliance or risk officer role is staffed by a local Singaporean or PR — which helps satisfy the C4 local PMET criterion if EP applications are also in the pipeline.
If the compliance or operations hire is a foreign professional, the EP is the appropriate vehicle. These roles generally satisfy the financial services EP salary floor and the COMPASS individual-level criteria (C1 and C2) without difficulty. The employer-level COMPASS challenges remain — a family office that already has two foreign EPs and no local PMETs will struggle with C4 on a third application. Sequencing the compliance hire as a local appointment, even part-time or contract initially, is a practical way to build the C4 score before the investment professional applications proceed.
Dependant’s Pass and Spouse Employment for Family Office Teams
Senior family office hires typically relocate with a partner or spouse. Under the Employment Pass, S Pass, and ONE Pass, holders may sponsor Dependant’s Passes and Long-Term Visit Passes for dependants. EP and ONE Pass holders’ spouses are automatically eligible to work in Singapore under a Letter of Consent (LOC) issued with the Dependant’s Pass — no separate work pass is required. Our guide to the Dependant’s Pass, LTVP, and Letter of Consent explains the rights and limitations of each status in full.
Building a Compliant Family Office Hiring Programme
The practical summary for family office hiring in Singapore: use the Employment Pass for investment professionals who earn between S$6,200 and S$22,500 per month, and manage COMPASS carefully given the small team structure; use the Personalised Employment Pass for senior hires earning at or above S$22,500 who benefit from employer independence; and use the ONE Pass for principals and C-suite talent earning at or above S$30,000. Plan local PMET hiring deliberately to improve the EP COMPASS position, rather than treating it as a regulatory afterthought.
Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (LBEA, MOM Licence 19C9790) handles work pass strategy and applications for Singapore family offices, including COMPASS planning, EP Online submissions, PEP and ONE Pass applications. Contact us at Singapore Employment Agency to discuss your family office hiring plan. For family office structuring, Section 13O/13U applications, corporate secretarial, and accounting support, Raffles Corporate Services provides comprehensive Singapore family office setup services.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency