CareShield Life Premium & Payout Calculator Singapore 2026
Estimate your net CareShield Life premium after subsidies and your projected payout — free calculator with real-time results in SGD.
🛡️ CareShield Life Premium & Payout Calculator
Understanding CareShield Life for Singapore Investors and Planners
CareShield Life is Singapore's national long-term care insurance scheme, administered by the CPF Board and Ministry of Health (MOH). Since 2020, it has automatically covered every Singapore Citizen and Permanent Resident born in 1980 or later once they turn 30, with older cohorts covered under the earlier ElderShield scheme or given the option to join. For anyone building a retirement or healthcare cost plan, CareShield Life is a foundational layer — it pays out for life if you become severely disabled, and understanding what you'll pay and receive helps you size any private CareShield Life Supplement correctly instead of over- or under-insuring.
Not financial advice. All figures are estimates based on CPF Board and MOH published data as at Q2 2026. Your actual premiums and subsidies depend on your personal circumstances — verify with the official CareShield Life Premium Checker.
Why This Calculator Matters
Most Singaporeans only discover their CareShield Life premium when MediSave auto-deducts it, and rarely check whether they qualify for means-tested subsidies. This calculator gives you an instant, SGD-denominated estimate of your net premium and projected payout, so you can plan MediSave usage and decide if a private Supplement plan from insurers like Great Eastern, Singlife, or Income Insurance is worth the extra premium.
How This Calculator Estimates Your Numbers
The tool applies the 2026 published base premiums (S$206 for men, S$254 for women at age 30), an approximate annual increase for older joining ages, and the CPF Board's official subsidy bands based on monthly per capita household income, citizenship, and your property's Annual Value (AV). It then projects your total premiums payable until age 67 (when premiums stop) and estimates your monthly payout at 67 based on the scheme's published escalation path.
How to Use This CareShield Life Calculator
- Enter your current age: The calculator accepts ages 30 to 73, since CareShield Life coverage starts at 30.
- Select your gender: Premiums differ by gender because women statistically claim long-term care for longer.
- Choose your citizenship status: Singapore Citizens receive higher subsidy rates than Permanent Residents at every income tier.
- Enter your monthly per capita household income: Divide total household income by the number of household members — this determines your subsidy tier.
- Select your property's Annual Value (AV) band: Higher AV bands reduce or remove your subsidy eligibility.
The calculator instantly shows your premium before subsidy, your subsidy rate, your net premium payable this year, your projected total premiums until age 67, and your estimated monthly payout at 67.
Pro tip: Combine this with our Insurance Gap Calculator to see whether CareShield Life alone is enough, or whether you need a Supplement plan on top.
What Is CareShield Life?
CareShield Life is Singapore's compulsory long-term care insurance scheme, replacing the older ElderShield plans from 2020 onward. It provides a monthly cash payout for life if you become severely disabled — defined as being unable to perform at least 3 of 6 Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): feeding, toileting, washing, dressing, walking, and transferring. Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents born in 1980 or later are automatically enrolled once they turn 30, and cannot opt out. Those born before 1980 remain on ElderShield but may apply to switch. Premiums are fully payable using MediSave, either your own or a family member's, which keeps the scheme cash-flow neutral for most households.
How CareShield Life Premiums Work: The Maths Behind Your Payment
Your CareShield Life premium depends on your age when you join, your gender, and the year's premium schedule. In 2026, the published base premium at age 30 is S$206 for men and S$254 for women, with women paying more because they statistically claim for longer periods. Premiums increase modestly each year you age while still paying — roughly 3% annually in recent schedules — until you turn 67, at which point premiums stop but your coverage continues for life. If you join CareShield Life at age 59 or later, you instead pay for a fixed 10-year period, with the amount capped once you pass 67. On top of the age-based increase, the CareShield Life Council reviews and adjusts the entire premium schedule periodically — indexation of roughly 4% a year is scheduled from 2026 to 2030, moderated by a S$570 million government top-up, then about 2% a year after that.
CareShield Life Premiums vs Payouts: What You Actually Get
It helps to separate what you pay from what you'd receive. In 2026, the base monthly payout for a member assessed as severely disabled is S$689, payable for life once a valid claim is approved. This payout also escalates over time under the same review framework as premiums, so a payout triggered decades from now will be higher in nominal SGD terms than today's S$689. The trade-off is straightforward: you pay a modest, MediSave-funded premium for decades in exchange for guaranteed lifetime income if you can no longer care for yourself — a form of longevity and disability risk-pooling that's difficult to replicate privately at the same cost.
Do You Need a CareShield Life Supplement?
Because the base CareShield Life payout of roughly S$689 a month rarely covers the full cost of professional caregiving or nursing home fees in Singapore, three private insurers — Great Eastern, Singlife, and Income Insurance — offer CareShield Life Supplement plans (careshieldlife.gov.sg) that top up your monthly benefit, sometimes with more lenient qualifying criteria of 1–2 ADLs instead of 3. Whether a Supplement is worth it depends on your existing savings, dependants, and family caregiving capacity. Our Life Insurance Needs Calculator and Insurance Gap Calculator can help you quantify the shortfall before comparing Supplement quotes.
MediSave, Subsidies and Means Testing in Singapore
CareShield Life premiums are fully payable from MediSave, and family members can also use their MediSave or cash to help pay yours. On top of that, the CPF Board provides means-tested premium subsidies: Singapore Citizens with monthly per capita household income of S$1,500 or below receive 30% off, tapering to 25% for S$1,501–S$2,600 and 20% for S$2,601–S$3,600. Permanent Residents receive roughly half these rates. Subsidies require your home's Annual Value (AV) to be S$31,000 or below, with a reduced subsidy band for AV between S$21,001 and S$31,000, and none if you own multiple properties. If premiums remain unaffordable even after subsidies and family support, Additional Premium Support is available — see our CPF investment strategy guide for how MediSave interacts with your broader CPF planning.
CareShield Life as Part of Your Retirement and Healthcare Cost Planning
Long-term care is one of the biggest unbudgeted risks in Singapore retirement planning — a single year of nursing home care can run into tens of thousands of dollars. CareShield Life's lifetime payout provides a floor of protection that complements, rather than replaces, your CPF LIFE monthly income and personal savings. When you're building your full retirement number, factor in your projected net CareShield Life premium (funded automatically via MediSave, so it rarely competes with cash flow) alongside your CPF LIFE payout and your overall retirement plan. For a full picture of passive income sources that can help fund private Supplement premiums or top-up care costs later in life, see our passive income guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does CareShield Life cost per month in Singapore?
At age 30 in 2026, the published base annual premium is S$206 for men and S$254 for women, before any subsidy — roughly S$17–21 a month. Your actual monthly cost depends on your joining age, gender, and eligible subsidies, and it's fully payable from MediSave.
Is CareShield Life compulsory in Singapore?
Yes, for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents born in 1980 or later — you're automatically enrolled when you turn 30 and cannot opt out. Those born before 1980 remain on ElderShield unless they choose to switch.
Can I pay my CareShield Life premium fully with MediSave?
Yes. CareShield Life premiums can be paid entirely using your own MediSave savings, and family members can also use their MediSave or cash top-ups to help cover yours.
What is the difference between CareShield Life and ElderShield?
ElderShield was the predecessor scheme with lower payouts and a shorter payment period, while CareShield Life pays out monthly for life once you're severely disabled and premiums scale with the CareShield Life Council's ongoing reviews. Most ElderShield policyholders were transitioned into CareShield Life from 2020 onward.
How much subsidy do I get for CareShield Life?
Singapore Citizens get 30%, 25%, or 20% off depending on whether monthly per capita household income is S$1,500 or below, S$1,501–S$2,600, or S$2,601–S$3,600. Permanent Residents receive roughly half those rates, and subsidies require your property's Annual Value to be S$31,000 or below.
Do CareShield Life premiums stop after age 67?
Yes, if you joined before age 59, premiums stop once you turn 67 but your coverage continues for life. If you joined at 59 or later, you pay for a fixed 10 years instead, with the amount capped at the age-67 level.
Should I buy a CareShield Life Supplement?
It depends on your savings buffer, dependants, and whether the base S$689 monthly payout would cover realistic caregiving costs in your situation. Comparing quotes from Great Eastern, Singlife, or Income Insurance against your calculated protection gap is the standard way to decide.
How much is the CareShield Life payout in 2026?
The 2026 base monthly payout for a member assessed as severely disabled (unable to perform at least 3 of 6 ADLs) is S$689 for life. This amount is scheduled to escalate over time under the same review framework used for premiums.
Can I use this calculator instead of the official CareShield Life Premium Checker?
This calculator gives a quick SGD estimate for planning purposes, but it's not a substitute for the official, personalised figures. Always confirm your exact premium and subsidy via the CareShield Life Premium Checker with your Singpass login.
Plan Your Full Healthcare and Retirement Runway
CareShield Life is just one piece — see how it fits with your CPF LIFE payout and overall retirement number. Use our free tools and referral bonuses to put your knowledge into action.