Passing on wealth in Singapore, 2026: no estate duty, CPF nominations, the family office, and the part the law can't carry

• Estate duty was abolished for deaths on or after 15 February 2008; there is no capital gains tax and no gift tax.

• CPF savings pass by CPF nomination outside the estate; without a nomination they go to the Public Trustee for distribution under the Intestate Succession Act (or the Administration of Muslim Law Act), with a fee taken from the balance.

• Muslim estates are distributed under faraid through the Syariah Court, and a Muslim's will can dispose of at most one third of the estate to non-heirs; non-Muslim estates pass under the Wills Act or the Intestate Succession Act.

No estate duty since 2008 and no capital gains tax, so a Singapore estate passes untaxed. Stamp duties apply to property in life: buyer's stamp duty on any purchase, additional buyer's stamp duty of 65% on residential property bought by an entity or into a trust (with remission where the beneficial owner is an identifiable individual who would have paid a lower rate), and seller's stamp duty on residential property sold within three years. A transfer of property on death to a beneficiary under a will or intestacy carries no stamp duty; a transfer among beneficiaries that departs from the will does.

A will under the Wills Act, signed before two witnesses; probate through the Family Justice Courts, typically in one to three months for a straightforward estate. Without a will, the Intestate Succession Act distributes: a spouse with children takes half and the children share half; a spouse without children takes half and the parents half; and so on down the schedule, with no provision for a cohabiting partner or a stepchild. For Muslims, the Administration of Muslim Law Act applies faraid through a certificate of inheritance from the Syariah Court, with fixed shares (a widow takes an eighth where there are children, a son twice a daughter's share), and a will can only dispose of a third of the estate to people who are not faraid heirs. Families who did not expect faraid to apply, including converts and mixed families, are the most common surprise in Singapore estates. Nominations, joint accounts and insurance held on trust sit outside faraid, which is where Muslim families do their planning.

Central Provident Fund savings pass by CPF nomination, outside the will; a will that contradicts the nomination loses. Without a nomination the Board transfers the balance to the Public Trustee, who distributes it under the intestacy rules and charges a fee of up to 2.4% of the first S$1,000 and sliding down. Insurance policies pass under a trust nomination (irrevocable, for a spouse or children, creditor-protected) or a revocable nomination; a trust nomination cannot be changed without the beneficiaries' consent, which is a reason to think before signing one. Check CPF, insurance and Supplementary Retirement Scheme nominations at every life event; marriage does not revoke a CPF nomination, though it does revoke a will made before it.

The lasting power of attorney under the Mental Capacity Act, registered with the Office of the Public Guardian, covers personal welfare and property and affairs; the standard Form 1 gives the donee general powers, Form 2 is drafted by a lawyer for specific ones. The Advance Medical Directive covers life-sustaining treatment. Without an LPA, the family applies to the court for a deputy, which takes months and costs thousands. About one in ten Singapore residents over sixty has dementia, and the Ministry's push for LPA registration is the reason the fee has been waived for citizens.

Singapore's Sections 13O and 13U of the Income Tax Act exempt a family office's fund from tax on qualifying income. Under the conditions in force since 2023 the 13O fund needs at least S$20 million under management, the 13U fund at least S$50 million; both need at least two investment professionals (one from outside the family for 13U), tiered local business spending from S$200,000 a year, and at least 10% of assets or S$10 million (whichever is lower) invested locally in listed equities, qualifying debt, Singapore-managed funds or private credit, with philanthropy and blended-finance concessions counting toward it. The Variable Capital Company and the private trust company are the vehicles; the Monetary Authority of Singapore approves the incentives, with a processing time that had stretched to a year before the 2024 streamlining. The Global Investor Programme gives permanent residence to a principal who establishes a family office with S$200 million under management, S$50 million of it in Singapore. Where to base a family office compares Singapore with Switzerland, Dubai and the United States; The family office covers governance and succession.

Singapore has no fiduciary-access law for digital accounts; executors rely on platform tools and the asset record, and the Personal Data Protection Act's disclosure rules continue for ten years after death. There is no right of publicity; passing off protects a name with commercial goodwill. Crypto held on a Singapore-licensed exchange passes with the executor's grant; self-custodied crypto passes only with the keys. Digital assets and your estate.

The CPF nomination and the will that disagree, and faraid where the family expected the will to govern.

A Singapore private-client lawyer; for offices, a licensed fund manager or family-office adviser familiar with the MAS conditions. Bring the CPF and insurance nominations.