Singapore Tax Reliefs 2026: How to Legally Reduce What You Pay IRAS
Last reviewed: June 2026
Quick Answer
Singapore tax reliefs legally lower your chargeable income before IRAS calculates tax. Commonly claimed reliefs include earned income relief, CPF cash top-up relief, NSman relief, course fee relief, and parent and child reliefs. Claiming everything you qualify for can meaningfully cut your tax bill, though total personal reliefs are capped at $80,000 per year.
Rates as of 2026. Verify with official sources before filing.
You can legally reduce your Singapore income tax by claiming every relief you qualify for, such as Course Fees, Parent Relief, SRS contributions, and CPF cash top-ups, up to the SGD 80,000 personal relief cap. This article is focused on the claiming side: which reliefs most employees miss, how much each is worth in dollar terms, and the exact steps to add them in myTax Portal before you submit. For a full explanation of how Singapore income tax brackets work and how chargeable income is calculated, see the Singapore Income Tax Guide 2026. To see in real time how each relief reduces your bill, open the Singapore income tax calculator alongside this article.
Every year, a significant number of Singapore taxpayers pay more income tax than they should. Not because they did anything wrong, but because they didn't claim all the reliefs they were entitled to. The myTax Portal pre-fills some reliefs automatically, but not all of them, and the ones you have to add yourself are often the most valuable.
Here's a rundown of the most commonly claimed tax reliefs for Year of Assessment 2026, how much each is worth, and how to make sure you're capturing all of them.
Why Do Most People Overpay?
Singapore's tax filing system relies on a combination of auto-populated data and reliefs you claim yourself. IRAS automatically pulls in your CPF contribution data and a few standard reliefs. But others, like Course Fees Relief, Parent Relief, and SRS contributions, require you to declare them. If you submit without thinking through each category, you leave money on the table.
The total cap on personal reliefs is SGD 80,000 per Year of Assessment. Most middle-income earners don't hit this ceiling, which means there's almost always room to claim more.
Since reliefs reduce your chargeable income, they can also move you down a band on Singapore's progressive scale. Knowing exactly which bracket your income falls into makes it much easier to see how much each relief is genuinely worth in dollar terms.
Earned Income Relief
This relief is automatic for employees and self-employed individuals. The amount depends on your age:
| Age | Earned Income Relief |
|---|---|
| Below 55 | SGD 1,000 |
| 55 to 59 | SGD 6,000 |
| 60 and above | SGD 8,000 |
If you have a disability, the amounts are higher: SGD 4,000, SGD 10,000, and SGD 12,000 respectively. This relief is applied automatically by IRAS, so you don't need to do anything to claim it, but you should verify that it appears correctly in your Notice of Assessment.
Course Fees Relief
If you paid for courses, seminars, or examinations that are relevant to your current employment or trade during the year, you can claim up to SGD 5,500. The course has to be related to your existing job. A graphic designer taking an Adobe Illustrator masterclass qualifies. That same person taking a weekend cooking class does not.
Keep your receipts. IRAS may ask for proof. The relief covers course fees, examination fees, and some related costs, but not transport or accommodation.
NSman Relief
Singapore citizens who have served National Service are entitled to NSman Relief. The amount varies:
- NSman (Key Appointment Holder) who performed ORNS/ICT during the year: SGD 5,000
- NSman (other ranks) who performed ORNS/ICT: SGD 3,000
- NSman who did not perform any NS duties during the year: SGD 1,500
The wife or parent of an NSman can also claim NSman Wife/Parent Relief of SGD 750 each. This one is easy to miss. If you're the spouse or parent of someone who serves, log in to your own myTax Portal and check whether it's been applied.
Parent Relief
If you're supporting a parent, grandparent, parent-in-law, or grandparent-in-law in Singapore, you can claim Parent Relief. The conditions are that the dependent must be at least 55 years old, living in Singapore, and not earning more than SGD 4,000 per year.
- Dependent living with you: SGD 9,000 per dependent
- Dependent not living with you: SGD 5,500 per dependent
You can claim for up to two dependents in total across yourself and your siblings. If multiple siblings are sharing the support of one parent, only one person can claim per dependent. Coordinate with your family before filing.
SRS Contributions
The Supplementary Retirement Scheme is one of the most effective ways to reduce your taxable income, particularly if you're in a higher bracket. Every dollar you contribute to your SRS account reduces your chargeable income by one dollar, up to the annual cap:
- Singapore Citizens and PRs: SGD 15,300 per year
- Foreigners: SGD 35,700 per year
The funds in your SRS account can be invested in stocks, unit trusts, insurance products, and more. They're not just sitting idle. The tax savings are immediate. For someone in the 11.5% bracket, putting in the full SGD 15,300 saves them about SGD 1,760 in tax that year.
Contributions must be made before December 31 to count for the current Year of Assessment.
CPF Cash Top-Up Relief
If you make voluntary cash top-ups to your own CPF Special Account (or Retirement Account if you're 55 and above), or to a family member's CPF account, you can claim a tax relief of up to SGD 8,000 for your own top-up and another SGD 8,000 for topping up a family member, for a total possible relief of SGD 16,000.
The top-up also earns interest at 4% to 5% in the Special Account, compounding over time. So you're reducing your tax bill and boosting your retirement savings simultaneously. It's one of the better deals in Singapore's personal finance landscape.
Life Insurance Relief and CPF Relief
If you're paying premiums on a life insurance policy for yourself or your spouse, and your CPF contributions are below a certain amount, you may be entitled to a Life Insurance Relief of up to SGD 5,000. The exact amount depends on the difference between your CPF contribution and SGD 5,000.
CPF contributions themselves also count as a relief. Your mandatory employee CPF contribution (20% of salary up to the monthly wage ceiling) is deductible from your chargeable income automatically. This is often the single largest relief for most employed Singaporeans.
How Do You Claim Reliefs on myTax Portal?
IRAS opens the myTax Portal for filing between March and April each year. When you log in, you'll see a pre-filled income tax return. Work through each section carefully:
- Review the auto-populated income and CPF figures
- Click on "Deductions, Reliefs and Parenthood Tax Rebate" to see all available reliefs
- Add any that weren't auto-filled, such as Course Fees, Parent Relief, SRS contributions, or CPF Cash Top-Up
- Check the total reliefs claimed and compare it against the SGD 80,000 cap
- Submit and save a copy of your Notice of Assessment when it arrives
If you made an SRS contribution close to year-end and the bank has reported it to IRAS, it may already be there. If not, enter it manually and keep your bank statement as documentation.
See how each relief moves your tax bill. The Singapore income tax calculator has a reliefs section where you can enter your actual figures and see your chargeable income and final tax update instantly.
How Does the Income Tax Calculator Show the Impact?
Numbers are easier to understand when they respond to your own situation. If you're on a SGD 90,000 salary and currently claiming only the standard CPF and Earned Income Relief, try entering your details into the Singapore income tax calculator and then adding each relief one at a time. You'll see exactly how much each one saves in dollar terms, which helps you prioritise where to act, especially if you're deciding whether an SRS contribution is worth it before year-end.