Singapore's government agencies publish the starting pay for many of their jobs on their careers pages. This article collects those figures by qualification, as published on 20 October 2026.
Government starting pay at a glance
- Teachers: MOE pays S$3,625 a month to a new teacher with a degree and S$2,970 to one with a diploma.
- Uniformed degree entry: Home Team and SAF officer jobs start between S$4,500 and S$5,990 at the low end of their ranges, including allowances.
- Pay revision: the Management Executive Scheme and the support schemes got rises of 2% to 9% from 1 August 2026.
- Bonus: civil servants received a 0.45-month mid-year payment in June 2026.
How to read these figures
The figures are not all on the same basis.
- Home Team and SAF: gross monthly pay, including allowances for frontline or shipboard duty.
- MOE: basic salary. Bonuses and the 13th-month payment come on top.
- Ranges: the starting point depends on the interview, relevant work experience and full-time National Service.
- Sign-on bonuses: paid once, in tranches, and left out of every monthly figure here.
Degree holders
| Job | Entry qualification | Starting pay a month |
|---|---|---|
| DIS C4 expert (ME4-1) | Computing degree | S$5,990 to S$7,210 |
| SCDF Lieutenant (rota commander) | Degree | S$5,821 to S$6,997 |
| Police Inspector | Degree | Up to S$6,704 |
| Army military expert (ME4 trainee) | Degree | S$4,700 to S$6,520 |
| Navy officer cadet | Degree | S$5,400 to S$6,330 |
| Senior Prison Officer | Degree | S$5,171 to S$6,212 |
| ICA Inspector | First or second upper honours | S$5,310 to S$6,048 |
| ICA Inspector | Second lower, third class or pass | S$4,890 to S$5,802 |
| CNB Inspector | Degree | S$5,171 to S$5,797 |
| SAF Band musician (military expert) | Music degree | S$4,500 to S$4,800 |
| Teacher (General Education Officer) | Degree | S$3,625 |
The highest published figure for a degree holder is S$7,210, the top of the range for a Digital and Intelligence Service C4 expert. The lowest starting point is the MOE teacher at S$3,625, which is basic salary without allowances.
- Police Inspector: up to S$6,704 including allowance, with a sign-on bonus of S$20,000.
- SCDF Lieutenant: S$5,821 to S$6,997, with a sign-on bonus of S$15,000.
- ICA Inspector: S$5,310 to S$6,048 with first or second upper honours, and S$4,890 to S$5,802 otherwise.
- Senior Prison Officer and CNB Inspector: both start from S$5,171.
Diploma and A-Level holders
| Job | Entry qualification | Starting pay a month |
|---|---|---|
| MOE Kindergarten teacher | Early childhood diploma | S$3,250 to S$5,900 |
| SCDF Sergeant (fire and rescue or paramedic) | A-Level, Higher Nitec or diploma | S$2,940 to S$4,370 |
| Police Sergeant | Not split by qualification | Up to S$3,860 |
| Navy officer cadet | Diploma | S$3,840 |
| Navy officer cadet | A-Level | S$3,590 |
| Army military expert (ME4 trainee) | A-Level or diploma | S$3,110 to S$3,490 |
| Prison Officer | Diploma or A-Level | S$3,040 to S$3,320 |
| ICA Sergeant | Diploma or A-Level | S$2,870 to S$3,233 |
| CNB Sergeant | Not stated | S$2,290 to S$3,170 |
| Navy marine systems expert (ME1 trainee) | Diploma | S$3,170 |
| Teacher (General Education Officer) | Diploma | S$2,970 |
- Teachers: S$2,970 for a diploma holder entering through the Diploma in Education.
- Police Sergeant: up to S$3,860 including allowance, with a sign-on bonus of S$35,000.
- SCDF Sergeant: S$2,940 to S$4,370, with a sign-on bonus of S$30,000.
- Navy officer cadet: S$3,840 with a diploma and S$3,590 with A-Levels.
Nitec, Higher Nitec and O-Level holders
| Job | Entry qualification | Starting pay a month |
|---|---|---|
| Army specialist cadet | N-Level to diploma | S$2,590 to S$3,490 |
| Army military expert recruit | N-Level to diploma | S$2,160 to S$3,340 |
| Navy marine systems expert (ME1 trainee) | Higher Nitec | S$2,960 |
| Prison Officer | Higher Nitec, Nitec or O-Level | S$2,452 to S$2,676 |
| ICA Sergeant | Higher Nitec or Nitec | S$2,342 to S$2,618 |
| Navy marine systems expert (ME1 trainee) | Nitec | S$2,550 |
ICA Sergeants with a Nitec or Higher Nitec start at S$2,342 to S$2,618. Prison Officers with the same qualifications start at S$2,452 to S$2,676.
Civilian officers in the Home Team
| Job | Entry qualification | Starting pay a month |
|---|---|---|
| CNB Home Affairs Senior Executive (MXS) | Not stated | S$3,950 to S$4,500 |
| CNB Management Executive Officer | Not stated | S$2,095 to S$2,580 |
| SPF Management Executive Officer (MX14) | Diploma | S$2,335 to S$2,551 |
| ICA Civilian Officer | Diploma | S$2,050 to S$2,414 |
| SPF Management Executive Officer (MX16) | Nitec to A-Level | S$1,841 to S$2,153 |
| ICA Civilian Officer | A-Level or Higher Nitec | S$1,700 to S$1,848 |
| ICA Civilian Officer | Nitec or O-Level | S$1,560 to S$1,708 |
Civilian jobs pay less than the uniformed ones at the same qualification. An ICA Civilian Officer with a diploma starts at S$2,050 to S$2,414, against S$2,870 to S$3,233 for an ICA Sergeant.
The CNB civilian pages were last updated in March 2026, before the August 2026 revision, so their figures may now be lower than current pay.
The August 2026 civil service pay revision
The Public Service Division (PSD) announced on 20 February 2026 that about 22,000 officers would get salary adjustments from 1 August 2026.
| Scheme | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Management Executive Scheme | 2% to 9% |
| Technical Support Scheme | 4% to 9% |
| Operations Support Scheme | 4% to 8% |
| Management Support Scheme | 4% to 5% |
| Corporate Support Scheme | 4% to 5% |
The last revision to these schemes was in 2022. PSD did not publish new starting salaries with the announcement, and it publishes no current starting figure for the Management Executive Scheme.
Civil service bonuses
| Payment | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-year | – | 0.4 month | 0.45 month |
| Year-end | 1.05 months | 1.3 months | Not yet announced |
| Full year | 1.5 months | 1.7 months | – |
| 13th-month payment | 1 month | 1 month | – |
Junior grades also get fixed sums. In 2025 and 2026 the mid-year payment added S$250 for MX13(I) and MX14 officers and S$400 for MX15, MX16 and Operations Support officers.
The 2025 year-end payment added S$600 for MX15, MX16 and Operations Support officers. PSD announced the year-end payment on 24 November in 2025.
Public healthcare
MOH does not publish starting salaries by job. Its figures come from parliamentary replies and pay announcements.
- Nursing graduates: a starting base salary of S$2,050 to S$4,050, without shift allowances, overtime or bonuses, as stated in August 2024.
- July 2025 rise: up to 4% for 26,000 nurses, and up to 7% for allied health professionals, pharmacists and support staff.
- Junior doctors: starting pay rose 7% for house officers and 13% for first-year medical officers from 1 January 2023. MOH gave no dollar figures.
Questions
What is the starting pay for a teacher in Singapore?
MOE pays S$3,625 a month to a fresh university graduate and S$2,970 to a fresh diploma holder, before bonuses. Pay is topped up after the teacher completes the Postgraduate Diploma or Diploma in Education.
How much does a police officer earn in Singapore?
SPF lists a Direct-Entry Sergeant at up to S$3,860 a month and a Direct-Entry Inspector, who needs a degree, at up to S$6,704, both including allowance. The sign-on bonuses are S$35,000 and S$20,000.
What is the civil service starting pay for graduates?
PSD does not publish a current starting salary for the Management Executive Scheme, which most graduate officers join. Agencies that publish figures for degree jobs start between S$3,625 and S$5,990 at the low end of their ranges.
What bonus do civil servants get?
For 2025 the total was 1.7 months: 0.4 month at mid-year and 1.3 months at year-end, plus the 13th-month payment. The 2026 mid-year payment was 0.45 month; the year-end payment had not been announced by 20 October 2026.
Related guides
Sources
MOE, SPF, SCDF, ICA, Singapore Prison Service, CNB and MINDEF careers pages, PSD press releases and MOH parliamentary replies
- MOE, Postgraduate Diploma in Education: Overview Starting salary for degree holders; page last updated 6 August 2026.
- MOE, Diploma in Education: Overview Starting salary for diploma holders; page last updated 2 April 2026.
- SPF, Direct-Entry Inspector and Direct-Entry Sergeant Starting pay including allowance and sign-on bonus.
- SCDF, careers pages for the Specialist and Officer schemes Salary ranges shown as images, dated 30 October 2025; pages last updated August 2026.
- ICA, Inspector, Sergeant and Civilian Officer careers pages Last updated 23 September 2026.
- Singapore Prison Service, Prison Officer and Senior Prison Officer careers pages Last updated September 2026.
- CNB, careers pages Narcotics officer pages last updated 2 July 2026; civilian pages 3 March 2026.
- MINDEF and SAF careers pages (Army, Navy, Air Force, Digital and Intelligence Service) Army figures correct as of 1 September 2026.
- PSD, Eligible civil servants to receive salary adjustments of 2% to 9% 20 February 2026; effective 1 August 2026.
- PSD, Civil Service Mid-Year Payment 2026 23 June 2026.
- PSD, Civil Service Year-End Payment 2025 24 November 2025.
- MOH, Salary increases of up to 7% for 63,000 staff in public healthcare clusters from 1 July 2025 27 March 2025.
- MOH, Statistics on proportion of Singaporean nursing graduates and median salary in public and non-public hospitals Parliamentary reply, 7 August 2024.
- MOH, Pay rise in starting salaries for junior doctors Parliamentary reply, 23 February 2023.