MediSave Withdrawal Limit

Singapore MediSave withdrawal limits for 2026 — hospitalisation, surgery, outpatient, insurance premiums, and the Basic Healthcare Sum explained.

The MediSave withdrawal limit is the maximum amount CPF members can withdraw from their MediSave Account (MA) to pay for specific healthcare expenses — including hospitalisation, approved outpatient treatments, and medical insurance premiums. Limits are set by the CPF Board and MOH, and are updated periodically to keep pace with healthcare costs.

Not financial advice. All figures are for educational reference only. Data as at Q1 2026 unless noted.

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What Is the MediSave Withdrawal Limit?

MediSave is Singapore’s national healthcare savings component of CPF. It earns a guaranteed interest rate of 4.0% p.a. (with extra interest for the first S$60,000 across OA and SA/MA combined), and can only be used for specific approved healthcare expenses. The withdrawal limits define how much you can use for each category of expense.

Because MediSave must last a lifetime for healthcare needs, CPF Board imposes limits to prevent depletion. If your bill exceeds the MediSave withdrawal limit, the excess must be paid in cash or through other means (e.g. MediShield Life, Integrated Shield Plans, or MediFund for those with financial difficulties).

The MediSave Account accrues contributions from your monthly CPF contributions (the allocation rate to MA depends on age — roughly 8%–10.5% of wages for employees under 35) until it reaches the Basic Healthcare Sum (BHS), after which excess contributions overflow to your SA or OA.

How MediSave Withdrawals Work

MediSave withdrawals are triggered at the point of billing — you do not need to pre-arrange this. When admitted to a hospital or undergoing a day surgery, the hospital bills CPF directly, and your MA is debited up to the applicable withdrawal limit. Any remaining bill is payable in cash or through your Integrated Shield Plan (if you have one).

For insurance premium payments (MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans), MediSave is automatically deducted annually when the premium is due — subject to the prevailing Medisave withdrawal limits for insurance (MWLI).

Key categories of MediSave-approved withdrawals:

— Hospitalisation and day surgery — limits by ward class and procedure type
— Outpatient treatments — limited approved conditions including chemotherapy, dialysis, and certain chronic disease management
— MediShield Life premiums — fully payable from MediSave
— Integrated Shield Plan (IP) premiums — subject to Additional Withdrawal Limits (AWL) by insurer tier
— Caregiver training and mental health outpatient — recently expanded categories

2026 MediSave Limits Breakdown

Basic Healthcare Sum (BHS): S$75,500 in 2026. This is the target MediSave balance — once your MA exceeds the BHS, additional mandatory contributions flow to your SA (under 55) or OA (55 and above). The BHS is reviewed annually and generally increases each year.

Hospitalisation (Medisave Hospitalisation Limit, MHL): S$700/day for general ward hospitalisation, with higher limits for ICU and procedures. There is also a Medisave Surgical Limit of S$2,150–S$8,500 depending on complexity (Table 1A to 7A classification). These limits apply per hospitalisation episode.

Outpatient Chronic Disease Management (CDMP): Up to S$500 per year for management of approved chronic conditions (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and others). This was expanded under MOH’s chronic disease framework updates in 2024.

Medisave withdrawal limit for insurance (MWLI): The amount you can use from MediSave to pay Integrated Shield Plan premiums. In 2026, the MWLI is S$300–S$600/year depending on age and IP tier (Plan A, Plan B1+). MediShield Life premiums are separately deductible in full from MediSave without affecting the MWLI cap.

For retirement planning, ensuring your MA stays topped up (toward the BHS) means your healthcare costs in retirement are largely pre-funded. Learn more about CPF strategies in our CPF Investment Strategy guide and use the CPF OA/SA Calculator to track your allocation across accounts.

Real-World Examples

Hospitalisation — B2 ward: John is hospitalised for 5 days in a public hospital B2 ward. Daily MediSave withdrawal = S$700 × 5 = S$3,500. The actual bill after government subsidy and MediShield Life coverage is S$1,800 — fully payable from MediSave. No cash outlay needed.

Day surgery — Table 3 procedure: Mary undergoes a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal) classified as a Table 3 surgical procedure. MediSave surgical limit: S$4,550. The subsidised bill at a restructured hospital is S$3,200 after MediShield Life — payable from MediSave with no cash top-up.

IP premium top-up: David has a Plan B1+ Integrated Shield Plan with annual premium of S$1,200. Of this, S$450 is covered by MediShield Life (deducted from MediSave automatically). The remaining S$750 IP rider premium: S$300 is within the MWLI (deductible from MediSave); S$450 must be paid in cash. David must pre-fund cash savings for the rider component.

Why It Matters for Healthcare Planning

Understanding MediSave limits is critical for two reasons. First, it informs how much out-of-pocket cash you may need even with MediSave and MediShield Life coverage — particularly for complex surgeries or expensive IP riders. Second, it highlights the importance of keeping your MA balance healthy.

For investors approaching retirement, the MA should ideally be at or near the BHS (S$75,500 in 2026) to ensure healthcare costs from age 65 onwards are well-covered. Voluntary MediSave top-ups (up to the BHS) also qualify for income tax relief, as covered in our CPF Top Up Tax Relief guide.

Pairing adequate MediSave savings with an Integrated Shield Plan and a solid retirement income (from CPF LIFE, dividends, or REITs) reduces the risk of healthcare costs derailing your retirement finances. Plan your full retirement picture with our Retirement Planning Calculator.

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