Singapore’s single family office (SFO) ecosystem has grown substantially over the past five years, driven by the 13O and 13U tax incentive schemes, the Global Investor Programme (GIP), and MAS’s streamlined Class Exemption regime that took effect on 15 June 2026. With that growth has come a material and often overlooked compliance challenge: how to correctly classify, sponsor, and renew the work passes for family principals, investment professionals, and senior operational staff employed within an SFO structure. Singapore family office hiring work passes are not straightforwardly handled by standard EP workflows, and mistakes at the pass stage can jeopardise the MAS exemption itself.
This guide covers the three primary pass types — the Employment Pass (EP), the Personalised Employment Pass (PEP), and the ONE Pass — and how each fits the different roles commonly found in a Singapore family office structure.
Why Pass Type Matters for Singapore Family Office Hiring
Under Singapore’s 13O and 13U fund management tax incentive schemes administered by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), a single family office must have at least two investment professionals (IPs) — at least one of whom is a non-family member — as a condition of maintaining the exemption. An IP is defined as a portfolio manager, research analyst, or trader who earns more than SGD 3,500 per month and spends more than 50% of working time on qualifying investment activity.
The pass type held by each IP affects both the IP’s employment status and the SFO’s compliance profile. A principal who holds the wrong pass type — for instance, a family principal on a standard EP who attempts to work as a director-investor across multiple related entities — may face pass conditions that restrict exactly those activities. A non-family IP on a pass that does not authorise multi-entity employment similarly creates a compliance issue if they serve on related investment vehicles.
For an overview of how the 13O and 13U incentive schemes interact with headcount and IP requirements, see the Singapore family office 13O vs 13U guide.
Employment Pass (EP) for Investment Professionals
The standard Employment Pass is the appropriate pass for most non-family investment professionals employed by the SFO entity. As at 1 July 2026, per the Ministry of Manpower, the qualifying salary for a new EP in the Financial Services sector is SGD 6,200 per month, rising to SGD 6,600 from 1 January 2027. Age-progressive floors apply: a 40-year-old IP in Financial Services needs at least SGD 8,400 per month as at mid-2026.
All new EP applicants must pass the COMPASS framework, requiring at least 40 out of 80 points. For SFOs employing foreign IPs, the C3 criterion — which assesses the employer’s local PMET hiring record — can be challenging if the SFO has a small total headcount that is predominantly foreign nationals. Employers facing a low C3 score should model whether C5 (bonus points for supporting local skills or hiring local IPs) can compensate.
An EP holder is tied to a specific employer — in the SFO context, that employer is the SFO entity itself. If the IP also serves as a director or investment manager for related fund vehicles (SPVs, sub-funds, co-investment vehicles), the EP conditions must explicitly permit those concurrent roles, or a separate arrangement must be documented. MOM’s position on concurrent directorships for EP holders is that each active employment must be separately assessed.
Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) for Senior Family Office Roles
The Personalised Employment Pass (PEP) is available to current EP holders who have earned at least SGD 22,500 per month in fixed salary, or to overseas professionals who have earned at least SGD 22,500 per month in the past six months. It is valid for three years and is not employer-tied — the holder may work for any Singapore employer (or multiple employers) and take employment breaks of up to six months.
The PEP is well-suited to senior non-family IPs who want the flexibility to advise multiple family office entities, serve on investment committees, or move between SFO structures without reapplying for a new EP each time. It is particularly relevant in multi-family office environments or where the IP maintains concurrent advisory relationships.
Important restriction: the PEP does not permit the holder to run a business as a sole proprietor or as a partner in a partnership. It does permit employment by multiple companies — but each employment should be formally documented. The PEP is issued once and is not renewable; holders must convert to a standard EP, ONE Pass, or another status before the PEP expires.
ONE Pass for Family Principals and Ultra-High-Net-Worth Professionals
The ONE Pass (Overseas Networks and Expertise Pass) is the most flexible pass type and is the natural fit for family principals who are actively involved in investment management or who hold multiple roles across the family group’s structures.
Qualifying criteria as at 2026: a fixed monthly salary of at least SGD 30,000 (earned in the past 12 months or from a prospective Singapore employer meeting MOM’s firm criteria), or an outstanding-achievement track record in business, science, arts, sports, or academia that merits an exception. The ONE Pass is valid for five years and allows the holder to work for multiple employers simultaneously, run their own businesses, serve as directors of multiple entities, invest, mentor, and serve on advisory boards — all without separate MOM approvals for each activity.
For family principals who manage assets above the GIP or 13O/13U thresholds and who personally qualify on salary, the ONE Pass resolves the multi-entity activity problem that an EP does not cleanly address. It also removes COMPASS from the equation entirely.
The ONE Pass comparison against the EP and PEP is covered in full in the EP vs PEP vs ONE Pass guide.
Operational Staff: Pass Strategy for Non-Investment Roles
Family offices also hire for operational roles — compliance officers, family concierge, estate managers, executive assistants, and accountants. These roles do not count as IPs under the MAS definition, but they still require a valid work pass. Standard EP eligibility rules apply: SGD 6,200 per month for Financial Services sector roles. For roles that fall below the EP threshold, an S Pass may be appropriate if the candidate meets the S Pass criteria — though S Pass holders in Financial Services must meet a SGD 4,000 floor from January 2027.
SFOs with a small total headcount should carefully manage their foreign-to-local employee ratio for COMPASS C3 scoring. Hiring at least one or two local professionals — even part-time advisory roles — meaningfully improves the employer’s C3 position for future EP applications.
Renewal Planning: The January 2027 Salary Floor Impact on SFO Teams
From 1 January 2027, the EP qualifying salary for Financial Services rises to SGD 6,600 per month for new applications, and renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028 will be assessed at the new floor. SFOs employing IPs on EPs should audit their pass roster now and confirm that all IP salaries will clear the January 2027 threshold. A detailed audit checklist and renewal timing guide is available in the EP and S Pass salary floor January 2027 employer guide.
MAS Class Exemption and Pass Compliance Interaction
Under MAS’s Class Exemption regime effective 15 June 2026, SFOs must file a Notice of Commencement with MAS and meet ongoing conditions including the two-IP headcount, an AUM floor, and source-of-wealth compliance at the banking level. A loss of MAS exemption status — for example, because the SFO falls below the two-IP requirement due to a pass renewal failure — has consequences for the SFO’s tax incentive eligibility under 13O or 13U. Pass compliance and MAS compliance must therefore be managed together, not in separate silos.
Conclusion
Singapore family office hiring work pass decisions are more consequential than standard EP placements because the pass type directly affects the IP’s ability to fulfil their MAS-defined role, and because a pass failure can cascade into loss of the MAS exemption and tax incentive eligibility. The right framework is: standard EP for non-family IPs with straightforward employment arrangements, PEP for senior IPs wanting multi-employer flexibility, and ONE Pass for family principals with qualifying salary or outstanding-achievement credentials.
Little Big Employment Agency (LBEA) is a MOM-licensed employment agency (Licence 19C9790) advising family offices on EP, PEP, and ONE Pass applications, COMPASS strategy, and pass renewal planning. If you are setting up a Singapore SFO or reviewing the pass arrangements for an existing family office team, contact LBEA for a structured consultation. For Singapore company incorporation, SFO structuring, and corporate secretarial services, Raffles Corporate Services is here to assist across the full setup and compliance lifecycle.
— The Editorial Team, Little Big Employment Agency