Singapore’s single family office sector has grown substantially since MAS tightened and then extended the Section 13O and 13U tax incentive schemes. As of June 2026, Singapore hosts over 2,000 single family offices, and MAS’s move to a streamlined Class Exemption regime — which came into force on 15 June 2026 — has clarified the regulatory position for family offices managing their own capital without requiring a Capital Markets Services licence. For the ultra-high-net-worth families and their advisers behind these structures, one practical question consistently arises: who can work here, on what pass, and in what role? This guide to Singapore family office hiring addresses the Employment Pass, Personalised Employment Pass and ONE Pass options for family principals and investment professionals, and the specific compliance requirements MAS attaches to each.
MAS’s Investment Professional Requirement: The Baseline for 13O and 13U
Both the Section 13O (formerly 13R) and Section 13U (formerly 13X) tax exemption schemes require the family office to employ a minimum number of investment professionals (IPs) who are resident in Singapore, as a condition of maintaining the exemption. Per MAS’s published FAQs on the Schemes for Family Offices:
- Section 13O: requires at least two investment professionals, of whom at least one must be a non-family member. At least one IP must be a Singapore tax resident.
- Section 13U: requires at least three investment professionals, of whom at least one must be a non-family member. At least one IP must be a Singapore tax resident.
MAS defines an investment professional as a portfolio manager, research analyst, or trader who earns a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 3,500, is a Singapore tax resident, and spends more than 50% of working time on qualifying investment activity (managing or advising on the fund’s AUM). In practice, family office IPs are routinely hired on Employment Passes given that qualifying salary profiles are well above the MOM EP threshold of SGD 5,600 (or SGD 6,200 for Financial Services sector roles as at July 2026).
The non-family member requirement exists to ensure the family office is a genuine investment management operation and not a personal staffing exercise. MAS may request evidence of the non-family member IP’s qualifications, salary, and genuine investment role as part of scheme renewal or audit.
Employment Pass for Investment Professionals
The standard path for a foreign investment professional joining a Singapore family office is an Employment Pass sponsored by the family office entity (the fund management company, typically a private limited company incorporated in Singapore). The EP ties the professional to that specific employer and role.
COMPASS scoring for family office IPs
The COMPASS framework applies to all new EP applications. Family offices present a particular COMPASS challenge on criterion C3 (nationality diversity) and C4 (local employment support), because they typically employ small teams with a concentration of principals from one national origin, and may not have the headcount to demonstrate broad local PMET hiring. Family offices with fewer than 25 local PMET employees are exempt from C4 scoring, which is relevant for most offices in their early years.
On C1 (salary), family office IPs typically clear COMPASS comfortably — a portfolio manager earning SGD 15,000 per month scores at the upper salary percentiles and will pass COMPASS on salary alone even without the other criteria contributing. The risk is concentrated in offices hiring IPs at or near the minimum EP threshold, where C1 scores are borderline and C3/C4 scores are weak.
For family offices in the Financial Services sector classification — which is standard for licensed fund managers and exempt fund managers — the Financial Services qualifying salary threshold of SGD 6,200 per month applies to new EP applications from July 2026, rising to SGD 6,600 from January 2027.
Personalised Employment Pass for Senior Family Office Principals
The Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) is an individual pass, not tied to an employer, that allows the holder to work in Singapore for any employer and take up to six months between roles without pass cancellation. It is available to existing EP holders earning SGD 22,500 or more per month or to overseas professionals with a last-drawn fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 22,500.
For family principals — the ultimate beneficial owners of the family office structure — who wish to be present in Singapore in a supervisory or advisory capacity without the family office entity acting as an EP sponsor, the PEP is one option. The principal maintains the flexibility to participate in the family office, sit on the board, and draw a salary from the entity, while retaining the right to adjust their role or employer without triggering a new pass application.
The key restriction: PEP holders who are both directors and shareholders of any Singapore company are disqualified from holding a PEP. This creates a conflict for family principals who also hold equity in the family office management company — a common structure. Legal advice on the shareholding and directorship arrangement should be obtained before the PEP application is lodged.
ONE Pass: The Preferred Route for High-Earning Principals
The ONE Pass is the most appropriate pass for family principals who meet the salary threshold and want maximum flexibility. The ONE Pass is issued to the individual, permits concurrent employment with multiple entities, allows the holder to be a director of and hold equity in any number of Singapore companies, and carries no employer sponsorship requirement.
For a family principal earning SGD 30,000 or more per month in fixed salary from the family office management entity — even where the family office is the sole employer — the ONE Pass eliminates the structural restrictions that affect both the EP (employer-tied) and the PEP (director-and-shareholder restriction). The holder can manage the family office, sit on investee company boards, and explore co-investment or advisory roles with external parties, all under a single pass.
The ONE Pass salary criterion requires the SGD 30,000 to come from a single employer for 12 consecutive months. Dividend income, carried interest, and investment returns from the family office’s portfolio do not count towards the salary criterion — it must be fixed monthly remuneration from the management entity. Families establishing a new Singapore family office where the principal has not yet drawn a Singapore salary should plan for an EP in the initial period, with a ONE Pass application once the 12-month salary track record is established.
Sensitive Roles and Compliance Considerations
The non-family IP requirement in practice
Recruiting the non-family member IP who satisfies MAS’s requirement is one of the more operationally sensitive hiring decisions a family office makes. The IP must be genuinely engaged in investment management — not a compliance officer, CFO, or administrative hire — and must be compensated at a level consistent with a real investment professional. MAS has in practice queried family offices where the non-family IP appears to be undercompensated relative to sector benchmarks for the declared role.
The employment contract for a non-family IP should clearly articulate investment responsibilities, reporting line, and compensation components. The IP’s EP application should be filed with a job title and description that accurately reflects the investment role. Our Employment Pass guide covers the documentation requirements for a strong EP application file.
Confidentiality and discretion in hiring
Family offices often require hiring processes that are not visible in public job advertisements — a direct tension with the MOM Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) requirement to advertise senior roles on MyCareersFuture.sg for 28 calendar days. The FCF advertising requirement applies to EP applications for roles paying below SGD 22,500 per month. Roles paying SGD 22,500 or more are COMPASS-exempt and are not required to satisfy the FCF advertising condition, making this threshold strategically important for family offices that want to recruit IPs discreetly.
For roles below that threshold, the standard MyCareersFuture.sg advertising is required but need not include identifying information about the employing entity beyond the company name. The advertisement can be written in general terms consistent with the role without disclosing the beneficial ownership of the family office.
Tax residency and CPF for family office staff
Foreign IPs on Employment Passes do not contribute to CPF (Central Provident Fund). Once an IP becomes a Singapore Permanent Resident, CPF contributions at the graduated rates for new PRs apply. This cost should be modelled in the employment budget for any IP whose profile makes PR a realistic medium-term outcome. Our CPF for PRs and new citizens guide covers the contribution rate schedule and employer obligations.
Family Office Pass Strategy: Summary
| Role | Recommended pass | Key consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Family principal (SGD 30K+/month, wants full flexibility) | ONE Pass | 12-month salary record from single entity; no director/shareholder restriction |
| Family principal (SGD 22.5K–30K/month, no shareholding) | Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) | Cannot be director AND shareholder of any SG company |
| Investment professional (non-family IP, SGD 5,600–22K/month) | Employment Pass | COMPASS applies; Financial Services salary threshold from July 2026 |
| Senior IP (SGD 22.5K+/month, discreet hire) | Employment Pass (COMPASS-exempt) or ONE Pass if qualifying | FCF advertising not required; COMPASS exempt at SGD 22,500+ |
Get the Pass Strategy Right Before the Family Office Opens
The pass structure for a Singapore family office is rarely a one-size choice. The combination of a ONE Pass for the principal, an Employment Pass for the non-family IP, and a Dependant’s Pass for accompanying family members is common — but the details of each application, the sequencing, and the interaction with MAS’s IP count requirements need to be planned before the family office entity is operational. Getting an EP rejection for the non-family IP six months into the setup process is an avoidable disruption.
For the broader family office context — Section 13O vs 13U tax incentive comparison, AUM thresholds, and local business spending requirements — our Singapore family office tax incentives 2026 guide provides the full scheme comparison.
Singapore Employment Agency — the licensed employment agency brand of Little Big Employment Agency Pte Ltd (MOM Licence 19C9790) — advises family offices on their pass strategy, EP applications for investment professionals, and compliance with MOM’s work pass requirements. For entity incorporation, corporate secretarial and MAS licensing advisory, our sister practice Raffles Corporate Services is Singapore’s end-to-end corporate services group.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency