Singapore to raise political office-holders’ salaries by up to 9%; MR4 to S$1.2 mln
In Singapore, the salaries of political office-holders will be increased by up to 9%. For the lowest-ranking minister, MR4, the indicative annual remuneration after the full increase will rise from about S$1.1 million to S$1.2 million. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced this in parliament on September 8, Channel NewsAsia reports.
The changes will take effect on October 15, 2026. This will be the country’s first review of ministerial salaries since 2011. The government accepted the recommendations of an independent committee appointed in December 2025, but will not immediately introduce the new benchmarks it proposed.
One-off adjustment
The committee recommended raising the indicative annual remuneration of an MR4-level minister from S$1.1 million to S$1.8 million. Wong said that a one-off adjustment of up to 9% will be applied for now, and no special future increases are planned to narrow the gap to S$1.8 million.
The size of the increase will vary among office-holders and will depend, among other things, on performance and the time of the last salary review. According to the prime minister, the S$1.1 million benchmark includes fixed pay as well as expected bonus payouts. Actual annual remuneration may be higher or lower depending on the specific minister’s pay level and variable payments.
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Review of position grades
Ministers currently have four grades: MR4, MR3, MR2 and MR1. Ten of the 16 ministers are at the MR4 grade, while six are at higher grades due to seniority and broader responsibilities.
The committee also recommended merging the MR2 and MR3 grades, reducing their number to three, and widening the salary range for each grade to plus or minus 25%. The government agreed with this proposal. Wong expects that by the end of the current government term, most ministers who remain at MR4 will be in the lower part of the new range, at about S$1.35 million.
The prime minister also said that over the next five years, if he remains in office, he will donate the entire increase in his own salary resulting from this adjustment to charity.
