Parliament approves increases to salaries of President, Speaker of Parliament and Deputy Speakers

[SINGAPORE] Parliament has unanimously approved increases to the salaries of the President, Speaker of Parliament and Deputy Speakers.

Leader of the House Indranee Rajah proposed the changes in three parliamentary motions on Oct 6, after the Government accepted recommendations by an independent committee that had been appointed to review Singapore’s political salary framework.

The privy purse sum will be increased from S$1,568,900 to S$2,568,200, to give effect to the revisions to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s salary and medical benefits as recommended by the committee.

The sum is part of the Civil List, which provides the funds to maintain the President’s Office.

Indranee noted that the president’s salary is pegged to the reference monthly salary of the prime minister, and consists of a monthly base salary of S$180,000, a 13th month bonus and an annual variable component pegged at the rates received by the general civil service.

The proposed privy purse sum budgets for an annual variable component of 1.25 months, which is consistent with the budgeting practice in past years, she added.

The actual number of months of annual variable component that the president receives each year will be calculated on the same basis as that for civil servants.

Indranee said the privy purse sum also includes provision for medical benefits of S$3,200, with the actual amount possibly being less depending on the claims.

She noted that Parliament had earlier in 2026 approved increases to the budget covering Istana operations and the President’s staff, as operating costs had risen.

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In March, the House had approved the allocation of an additional S$2,559,100 to the Civil List, including an increase in the salaries of President Tharman’s personal staff from S$6,696,700 to S$7,318,000.

On the annual salary of the Speaker of Parliament, Indranee said it is pegged to the reference annual salary for a minister at the entry-level MR4 grade as of Oct 15, 2026.

The sum similarly comprises a monthly base salary, 13th month bonus and an annual variable component pegged at the rates received by the general civil service.

As it is a part-time post, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng will receive 50 per cent of the MR4 reference annual salary, and his salary will be increased from S$550,000 to S$900,000 assuming an annual variable component of one month.

The annual salary for the Deputy Speaker – also a part-time post – is pegged at 15 per cent of the Speaker’s part-time annual salary.

That means Deputy Speakers Christopher de Souza and Xie Yao Quan will each get S$135,000 a year, assuming an annual variable component of one month.

Similar motions were tabled in Parliament after the review of ministerial salaries in 2012, and those were passed without debate. THE STRAITS TIMES