Employment Pass for family office staff: what the application looks at

Who applies for an Employment Pass at a Singapore family office?

The Employment Pass allows foreign professionals, managers, executives and technicians to work in Singapore (MOM, 2026). The employer applies for it, so the entity that employs the person owns the application and answers the questions of the authority. A family office with a small team often lets its company secretary or an adviser coordinate the file, and the employer signs the final submission.

The application passes 2 stages. Stage 1 checks the minimum fixed monthly salary, and stage 2 scores the candidate on COMPASS. A candidate who misses stage 1 is not eligible for the pass, so the salary conversation comes first in a hiring discussion. Write the salary, the age of the candidate and the date of the offer on one line, and the first stage becomes a simple check.

Which salary floor applies to a family office Employment Pass?

The qualifying salary rises with age. Today it ranges from $5,600 at age 23 or below to $10,700 at age 45 or above for most sectors, and from $6,200 to $11,800 for the financial services sector (MOM, 2026). The age of the candidate therefore sits in the budget, because an older candidate meets a higher floor than a younger one.

From 1 January 2027, new applications use $6,000 to $11,500 for most sectors and $6,600 to $12,700 for financial services. MOM links a FAQ on how a company knows whether it counts as financial services, so ask your adviser to read it for your office before you set the salary.

How does COMPASS score a family office hire?

COMPASS is the second stage, and an application must earn 40 points to pass. It scores salary against the sector, qualifications, the diversity of nationalities in the organisation, and support for local employment, with up to 20 points per criterion (MOM, 2026). Each criterion has its own table in the MOM pages, and the family reads each one against the profile of the candidate.

2 bonuses add points: 20 or 10 for an occupation on the Shortage Occupation List, and 10 for the Strategic Economic Priorities bonus. Organisations with fewer than 25 professionals, managers, executives and technicians receive 10 points by default on the diversity and local employment criteria. A small family office can therefore read its likely score early. Keep the likelihood of each bonus modest until MOM confirms it.

How do qualifications count for a family office candidate?

Qualifications earn up to 20 points. Degree-equivalent qualifications from top-tier institutions, such as top 100 QS-ranked universities or Singapore’s Autonomous Universities, earn 20 points, while other degree-equivalent qualifications earn 10 points (MOM, 2026). Top-tier status follows the lists that MOM publishes, so check the institution against the official wording.

A candidate with no degree-equivalent qualification earns 0 points on this criterion and can still pass COMPASS with at least 40 points from the other criteria. Collect the evidence of qualifications for each candidate early, so the points on the sheet match the documents in the file. A short note from the adviser on each document helps the reviewer.

Which family office hires are exempt from COMPASS?

COMPASS has 3 exemptions: a fixed monthly salary of at least $22,500, an overseas intra-corporate transferee and a role that lasts one month or less (MOM, 2026). Check which exemption fits before you build the scoring sheet. An intra-corporate transferee moves within a group of companies, and the family reads the MOM definition before it relies on this route.

Where the salary sits below the exemption, the COMPASS sheet matters. Build the sheet per candidate, with points for each criterion and the evidence behind each number, and compare the total with the 40-point mark before the offer letter goes out. Record the reason for the chosen route in the same file.

Which advertising steps must a family office finish before it applies?

The employer meets the Fair Consideration Framework job advertising requirement before it submits a new application, and the Employment Pass page adds that employers advertise on MyCareersFuture and consider all candidates fairly (MOM, 2026). The advertisement is therefore the first dated step of the file. A tidy folder shortens every later conversation with the authority.

Keep copies of the advertisement, the applications received and the reasons for each shortlist decision. A complete file shows fair consideration, and it lets the office answer questions without delay. Place the file next to the COMPASS sheet in the same folder.

How can a family prepare an Employment Pass application for its office?

Use a 5-line routine: fix the role and the employer entity, set the salary against the age floor, advertise and keep the file, score the candidate on COMPASS and read the official MOM page again on the day you file. Official figures change, and the 2027 floors show how. Set a reminder to check the MOM page 2 weeks before the filing, so the figures in your sheet stay current.

EQOS Asia scores a family decision and ranks the options (EQOS Asia private page, 2026). A pre-diagnostic applies that method to your hiring decision, and your adviser or employer files the application with MOM.

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About the author

Stéphane Jambu

President, EQOS Forecast Asia

Stéphane Jambu leads EQOS Forecast Asia and works as a consultant in e-commerce, search visibility, and AI. LinkedIn profile