SINGAPORE: Central Provident Fund (CPF) nominations can now be made online, making it more convenient and secure for members to authorise who would inherit their CPF savings.



Previously CPF members had to sign a hardcopy form in the presence of two witnesses.



To make an online nomination, the CPF member and two appointed witnesses would only need to login using their SingPass and fill in the online form.

After providing particulars such as NRIC and contact information online, the witnesses will then receive emails and/or SMSes in order to confirm the member's intention to make the nomination.



Witnesses are given seven days to confirm, and the CPF board will then process the online nomination.



The CPF Board said in a media release on Wednesday (Jan 22) that this new service "provides better protection for members' personal information".

"Under the hardcopy process, details of the nomination such as who the nominees are and the amount to be distributed to them, may inadvertently be seen by the witnesses," said the board.

With the new online service, details such as the identities of nominees will not be revealed to witnesses, added the board. "This is to protect the CPF member’s privacy."

More than 900 members have used the online nomination service since its launch this month, added the CPF Board.

Mr Low Pat Chin, CPF Board's group director of member accounts and investment group, said that members can now make nominations "in a hassle-free manner".

"There is now one less reason for members not to make their nomination," said Mr Low.

"Members who have previously made a nomination in person can also conveniently review their nomination online especially when their life circumstances change," he added.



A CPF nomination gives members the option to decide who will receive their CPF savings, as well as how much each nominee would receive, upon their demise.

Members who do not have a CPF nomination will have their CPF savings distributed by the Public Trustee Office (PTO) in accordance with the legally entitled beneficiaries as set out in intestacy laws or the Inheritance Certificate under the Syariah Court for Muslims.

The board reminded members that their CPF savings are excluded from their estate and cannot be covered under a will.

This ensures that that the savings are protected from any creditor claims on outstanding loans that the CPF members may have had when they were alive, and that the savings are preserved fully for their loved ones to claim, it added.

