Family office hiring under 13O / 13U / GIP — Step-by-step walkthrough

Family office hiring under 13O / 13U / GIP is the process of recruiting and securing work passes for the investment professionals a Singapore family office must employ to qualify for tax incentives or investor immigration. This walkthrough explains the headcount conditions, the pass routes, the costs in Singapore dollars and the realistic timeline as at June 2026.

Little Big Employment Agency (EA Licence 19C9790) works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.

What family office hiring under 13O / 13U / GIP involves

Singapore’s family office tax incentives, administered by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, set minimum local-hiring and investment-professional conditions. The Section 13O scheme and the Section 13U scheme each require a number of investment professionals, including Singapore-resident hires. The Global Investor Programme (GIP), administered by the Economic Development Board, offers a residency route for principals who commit to a qualifying investment and a business or family-office plan. Hiring is therefore both a tax-qualification exercise and an immigration one.

Who this is for

This walkthrough is for principals, single family offices and their advisers structuring a Singapore presence. It assumes a fund management entity (often relying on the manager exemption) and a related family office. Sponsors comparing the schemes should read our companion Section 13O vs Section 13U comparison and, for the principal’s own residency, the Family Office Principal track under ONE Pass and GIP guide.

Eligibility and the headcount conditions

Under the 13O scheme, a fund typically must employ at least two investment professionals, with conditions requiring at least one to be a non-family-member professional. Under the 13U scheme, the fund typically must employ at least three investment professionals, again with non-family-member conditions, and meet a higher assets-under-management commitment. Investment professionals usually hold Employment Passes. MAS reviews these conditions on application and on annual review, so hiring must be genuine and documented. Confirm current thresholds with MAS, as they are periodically updated.

Family office hiring costs and timeline

Indicative figures as at June 2026: an Employment Pass application carries an MOM fee of S$105 at application and S$225 on issuance, with a minimum qualifying salary that scales with age and sector. Recruitment and search fees for an investment professional commonly run 15% to 25% of annual salary. Family office setup advisory (MAS application support) typically runs S$30,000 to S$80,000. The GIP route requires a qualifying investment from S$10 million upward depending on the option chosen. Allow 3 to 8 weeks for an Employment Pass and several months for MAS incentive approval and GIP processing.

Step-by-step process

Confirm the target scheme (13O, 13U or GIP) and the headcount it requires. Define the investment-professional roles and qualifying salaries. Recruit candidates, prioritising those who can satisfy the non-family-member condition. Apply for Employment Passes through MOM, checking each against the Employment Pass eligibility. Prepare the MAS incentive application in parallel, evidencing the hires and AUM. For the principal, progress the GIP or ONE Pass application. Model the full employer cost using our total cost of hiring foreign professionals guide.

Common mistakes and gotchas

The most common error is treating the headcount condition as nominal; MAS expects substantive roles and genuine employment. Others include applying for the incentive before the hires are in place, underestimating qualifying salaries under the latest framework, and confusing the principal’s residency route with the fund’s hiring conditions. Sector-specific hiring nuances are covered in our sector hiring guides.

Related guides

See Section 13O vs Section 13U, the Family Office Principal track under ONE Pass and GIP, and the total cost model for hiring foreign professionals.

Authoritative references: the Ministry of Manpower sets work-pass criteria, the Economic Development Board administers the GIP, and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority handles residency processing.

FAQs

How many professionals must a family office employ?
Typically at least two investment professionals under the 13O scheme and at least three under the 13U scheme, subject to non-family-member conditions. Confirm current numbers with MAS.

What pass do investment professionals hold?
Usually an Employment Pass, subject to the qualifying salary and COMPASS framework that apply at the time of application.

What is the GIP investment level?
The Global Investor Programme requires a qualifying investment from S$10 million upward depending on the chosen option; the EDB publishes the current options.

How long does the process take?
Allow 3 to 8 weeks for an Employment Pass and several months for MAS incentive approval and GIP processing, so run them in parallel.

Need help with this? Call, SMS or WhatsApp +65 8501 7133, or email [email protected]. Little Big Employment Agency (EA Licence 19C9790) works with a panel of corporate and employment law firms; this article is general information, not legal advice.