Singapore Armed Forces (Pensions) Regulations

Chapter 2 — Conditions of Retirement,
Pensions and Gratuities

Retirement age

20. Subject to regulation 21, a member recruited or appointed to the pensionable service shall, if not selected for further promotion, be required to retire at the age appropriate to his rank, whether he has been confirmed in that rank or not, as follows:

Rank

Normal Retirement Age

(a)	Lieutenant-Colonel and above

55 years

(b)	Warrant Officer to Major

50 years

(c)	Master Sergeant and below

45 years

[S 238/2012 wef 01/06/2012]

Compulsory retirement age

21. Where the Armed Forces Council considers it desirable or necessary in the interests of the armed forces, the Armed Forces Council may upon being satisfied as to his medical fitness, require a member recruited or appointed to the pensionable service to continue in the Singapore Armed Forces beyond the age which he would normally have retired under regulation 20 but not beyond the compulsory retirement age, appropriate to his rank, whether he has been confirmed in that rank or not, as follows:

Rank

Compulsory Retirement Age

(a)	Lieutenant-Colonel and above

60 years

(b)	Warrant Officer to Major

55 years

(c)	Master Sergeant and below

50 years

[S 238/2012 wef 01/06/2012]

Grounds for retirement

22. It shall be lawful for the Armed Forces Council to require or permit, as the case may be, a member serving in the pensionable service to retire —

(a)	if he has attained the retirement age limit laid down in regulation 20 or 21, as the case may be;
(b)	if he is considered to be unsuitable, such unsuitability being due to causes not within his control or due to causes within his control that do not amount to misconduct;
(c)	on a certificate from his commanding officer and on medical evidence to the satisfaction of the Armed Forces Council that the member is incapable by reason of infirmity of mind or body of discharging his duties and that such infirmity is likely to be permanent;
(d)	if his retirement is considered by the Armed Forces Council to be desirable in the public interest, having regard to the conditions and needs of the armed forces and the usefulness of the member thereto;
(e)	where the Armed Forces Council considers that he has made outstanding contributions to the Singapore Armed Forces and that he should retire as part of the process of leadership renewal in the Singapore Armed Forces;
(f)	where such member has been superseded for further promotion;
(g)	if, on or after completing 15 years of service, requests the permission of the Armed Forces Council to retire; or
(h)	if he requests the permission of the Armed Forces Council to retire in circumstances not covered in the preceding paragraphs. [S 238/2012 wef 01/06/2012]

Eligibility for pension

23.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), a member in the pensionable service who has not less than 10 years of pensionable service who retires, or is required to retire, on any of the grounds specified in regulation 22 may on his retirement be granted a pension to be computed according to regulation 24.

(2) A member who retires on the ground referred to in regulation 22(d) or (g) shall not be paid a pension until he has attained the minimum age.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2), a member who retires on the ground referred to in regulation 22(d) or (g) may —

(a)	if he becomes physically or mentally incapacitated to such an extent that he is incapable of continuing in any employment before he attains the minimum age, be paid the pension granted to him with effect from the date of the physical or mental incapacity; and
(b)	if he opts to be paid a commuted full pension gratuity under regulation 26 without pension, be paid the gratuity, discounted in the manner prescribed in regulation 26A, before he attains the minimum age.

(4) Where a member who had retired on the ground referred to in regulation 22(d) or (g) dies before he attains the minimum age and was not paid a pension under paragraph (3) at any time before his death, the Armed Forces Council may pay his dependants or, where there are no dependants, his personal representatives, a gratuity amounting to the higher of the following sums:

(a)

a sum ascertained by —

(i)	multiplying the amount of monthly full pension that may have been granted to the member under this regulation by the relevant commutation factor; and
(ii)	discounting the sum obtained under sub-paragraph (i) at the relevant discount rate in respect of each year or part thereof falling between the date the member would have obtained his pension had he not died and the date of his death (both dates inclusive); or

(b)

a sum amounting to one year’s pensionable emoluments.

(5) No pension or gratuity shall be granted under this regulation to a member who is —

(a)	discharged on any of the grounds specified in regulations 17 and 18 of the Enlistment Regulations (Cap. 93, Rg 1);
(b)	discharged with ignominy; or
(c)	dismissed as a result of the sentence of a subordinate military court or Military Court of Appeal or a sentence substituted by the Armed Forces Council.

(6) For the purposes of this regulation —

“minimum age” means —

(a)

in the case of a person who retires on the ground referred to in regulation 22(d), the retirement age appropriate to his age set out in regulation 20; and

(b)

in the case of a person who retires on the ground referred to in regulation 22(g) —

(i)	the age of 45 years in the case of a member below the rank of warrant officer; and
(ii)	the age of 50 years in the case of a member of or above the rank of warrant officer;

“one year’s pensionable emoluments” means the emoluments which would be taken for the purpose of computing any pension or gratuity granted to the member if he had retired at the date of his death in the circumstances described in regulation 22(c).

[S 161/2008 wef 01/04/2008]

Rate of pension

24.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the rate of pension payable to a member who is granted a pension under regulation 23 shall be as follows:

Ground for retirement

Rate of pension per year

(a)	On retirement under regulation 22(a), (c), (f), (g) or (h)

one six-hundredth (1/600th) of his annual pensionable emoluments in respect of each complete month of pensionable service.

(b)	On retirement under regulation 22(b)

the award of a pension on this ground shall be at the discretion of the Armed Forces Council and shall, if granted, be at such rate as it may decide but shall not in any event exceed the rate of pension which would have been applicable had the member retired under regulation 22(c).

(c)	On retirement in the public interest under regulation 22(d)

one six-hundredth (1/600th) of his annual pensionable emoluments in respect of each complete month of pensionable service or such lower rate as the Armed Forces Council may in all the circumstances decide.

(d)	On retirement under regulation 22(e)

one five-hundredth (1/500th) of his annual pensionable emoluments in respect of each complete month pensionable service for the first 240 months and one six-hundredth (1/600th) in respect of each complete month of pensionable service in excess of 240 months.

(2) A pension granted to a member under paragraph (1) shall not exceed two-thirds of his annual pensionable emoluments.

(3) A pension granted under paragraph (1)(d) to a member who joins the Singapore Armed Forces on or after 24th August 1990 shall not exceed the pension which he would have been granted under paragraph (1)(a) on retirement under regulation 22(a) if he had continued in service until he reached the retirement age laid down in regulation 20.

Gratuity where service is insufficient for pension

25.—(1) Every member who is otherwise qualified for a pension and has not completed serving a minimum period of 10 years of service which is counted as pensionable service under regulation 17 and retires —

(a)	on any of the grounds referred to in regulation 22(a), (b), (c), (e), (f) or (h) may be granted on retirement a gratuity at a rate not exceeding 12% of his monthly pensionable emoluments for each complete month of service which is counted as pensionable service under regulation 17; and
(b)	on the ground referred to in regulation 22(d) may be granted on retirement a gratuity at a rate not exceeding five six-hundredths (5/600th) of his annual pensionable emoluments for each complete month of service which is counted as pensionable under regulation 17.

(2) Such rates as are set out in paragraph (1)(a) and (b) may be reduced to such extent as the Armed Forces Council may decide after having regard to the circumstances of the case, if the ground upon which the member retires is a ground referred to in regulation 22(b) or (d).

(3) A gratuity shall not be granted to a member who is —

(a)	discharged on any of the grounds referred to in regulations 17 and 18 of the Enlistment Regulations (Cap. 93, Rg 1);
(b)	discharged with ignominy; or
(c)	dismissed as a result of the sentence of a subordinate military court or Military Court of Appeal or a sentence substituted by the Armed Forces Council.

Pension options

26.—(1) Subject to these Regulations, a member to whom a pension is granted under regulation 23 may, at his option exercisable in accordance with this regulation, be paid —

(a)

in the case of a member retiring from, or appointed to, the pensionable service on or after 1st January 1995 but before 13th June 1997 —

(i)	a full pension without any gratuity;
(ii)	a reduced pension together with a gratuity ascertained in accordance with regulation 26A; or
(iii)	a commuted full pension gratuity ascertained in accordance with regulation 26A without any pension; or

(b)

in the case of a member appointed to the pensionable service on or after 13th June 1997 —

(i)	a full pension without any gratuity;
(ii)	a commuted full pension gratuity ascertained in accordance with regulation 26A without any pension.

(2) The option under paragraph (1) is exercisable not later than the day immediately before the date of the member’s retirement, but if the member does not exercise the option before the date of his retirement, the Armed Forces Council may, if it appears in the circumstances equitable to do so, allow the member to exercise the option on the date of his retirement, or at any time between the date of his retirement and the day before the date of payment of a pension or gratuity to him.

(3) If a member exercises the option under paragraph (1), his decision shall, subject to paragraph (5), be irrevocable so far as concerns the pension or gratuity referred to in this regulation.

(4) A member who has not exercised an option in accordance with this regulation is deemed to have opted to receive a commuted full pension gratuity ascertained in accordance with regulation 26A without any pension.

(5) A member who is paid a reduced pension pursuant to his option exercised in accordance with this regulation is eligible for the full pension without reduction after the expiration of 12 years and 6 months from the date he was granted the reduced pension.

(6) Where a member opts in accordance with this regulation to receive a commuted full pension gratuity ascertained in accordance with regulation 26A, the commuted full pension gratuity shall, subject to paragraph (7), be payable as follows:

(a)

part of the commuted full pension gratuity, being a sum equal to the difference between the total amount paid by the Government to the Central Provident Fund on account of the member with respect to his service, and the total amount payable to the Government to that Fund on account of the member with respect to the same service if the member had not been on the pensionable service, together with the interest thereon, shall be paid to the member’s account in the Central Provident Fund; and

(b)

the balance of the commuted full pension gratuity shall be paid to the member.

(7) Where the commuted full pension gratuity ascertained in accordance with regulation 26A is less than the sum referred to in paragraph (6)(a), the entire commuted full pension gratuity shall be paid to the member’s account in the Central Provident Fund.

(8) For the purposes of paragraph (6)(a), the reference to the total amount paid or payable by the Government to the Central Provident Fund in respect of any member does not include a reference to any amount thereof which is recoverable from the member’s salary under the Central Provident Fund Act (Cap. 36) or any regulations made under that Act.

Reduced pension plus gratuity and commuted full pension gratuity

26A.—(1) The reduced pension and gratuity referred to in regulation 26(1)(a)(ii) payable to a member shall be —

(a)	a reduced pension proportionate to the sum of his annual pension less ths of the gratuity specified in sub- paragraph (b); and
(b)	a gratuity equal to ths of his one year’s pensionable emoluments in respect of each complete month of pensionable service subject to a maximum of his pensionable emoluments for 3 years.

(2) The commuted full pension gratuity referred to in regulation 26(1)(a)(iii) and (b)(ii) payable to a member shall be —

(a)

a capital sum ascertained by multiplying the commutation factor by the amount of the monthly full pension that may be granted to the member under regulation 23; or

(b)

in the case of a member retiring on the ground referred to in regulation 22(d) or (g), a capital sum ascertained in accordance with sub-paragraph (a), from which sum there shall be a discount at the relevant discount rate in respect of each year or part thereof falling between —

(i)	the date on which he will attain the minimum age; and
(ii)	the date on which the commuted full pension gratuity is to be paid to him.

(3) For the purposes of this regulation —

“commutation factor” means 175.14;

“discount rate” means 5 per cent;

“relevant commutation factor” and “relevant discount rate”, in relation to a member, mean the commutation factor and discount rate specified in this paragraph as in force on either the date of the member’s retirement from the Singapore Armed Forces (or the date of the member’s death, as the case may be) or his enlistment into the Singapore Armed Forces, whichever is the more favourable; and for this purpose, all members enlisted into the Singapore Armed Forces before 1st January 1995 shall be deemed to be enlisted into the Singapore Armed Forces on that date.

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