You can use your CPF Ordinary Account (OA) for the downpayment (above any minimum cash), monthly loan instalments, stamp duty and legal fees. The amount is capped. Normally you can use up to the Valuation Limit, which is the lower of the price and the valuation. With a bank loan you can go up to 120% of that figure once you have set aside your Basic Retirement Sum. If the remaining lease does not cover the youngest buyer to age 95, the cap is pro-rated, and below 20 years of lease you cannot use CPF at all.
Figures as at 10 October 2026. Check the official source before acting.
What CPF can and cannot pay for
| CPF OA can pay for | You pay in cash |
|---|---|
| The downpayment, above the minimum cash part of a bank loan | The minimum cash downpayment for a bank loan: at least 5% of the lower of price and valuation |
| Monthly instalments on the housing loan | Any amount paid above the valuation |
| Stamp duty: for a completed property, usually paid in cash first and then reimbursed from CPF | The option fee, and for an HDB resale flat the option exercise fee |
| Legal fees for the purchase |
Stamp duty, legal fees and upgrading costs paid from CPF do not count towards your CPF housing limits. The limits below apply to the price and the loan. They do still count when you sell: everything you took from your OA for the purchase, including stamp duty and legal fees, has to be refunded to your CPF account.
The Valuation Limit
The Valuation Limit (VL) is the lower of the purchase price and the valuation at the time you buy.
- For a new flat bought from HDB with an HDB loan, CPF can cover the full purchase price.
- For a resale HDB flat or a private home, CPF use is capped at the VL. Anything you pay above the valuation, often called cash over valuation, must come from cash, because neither CPF nor a loan covers it.
The 120% Withdrawal Limit
Once your CPF use reaches the VL, you can keep using your OA to pay the housing loan up to the Withdrawal Limit (WL), which is 120% of the VL. You must first set aside your Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) in your CPF.
- This applies to a bank loan, on an HDB flat or a private property.
- For a resale HDB flat with an HDB loan, CPF says you can keep using your OA for the remaining loan after reaching the VL, if you have set aside your BRS.
The limits are designed so that you do not spend your retirement savings on a home beyond its value.
The lease rule: covering the youngest buyer to age 95
Since 10 May 2019, the test is about the buyer, not just the flat. You add the age of the youngest buyer using CPF to the remaining lease.
- The total reaches 95 or more: you can use CPF up to the VL as usual.
- It falls short of 95: CPF use is pro-rated, based on the youngest buyer's age and the remaining lease. Once the total CPF used by all owners reaches that pro-rated limit, no more CPF can be used, even if you set aside your BRS.
- The remaining lease is under 20 years: no CPF can be used.
CPF and MND publish examples for a 25-year-old buyer. A 55-year lease allows 70% of the VL, a 65-year lease allows 90%, and a 75-year lease allows the full VL. In effect, the share is the lease above 20 years divided by the years needed to reach age 95, also above 20 years. PropAce's calculator reproduces those published examples. Use CPF's own calculator for your exact limit.
Worked examples
We ran three cases through PropAce's CPF usage calculator. Each assumes a bank loan. In Examples 1 and 2 the buyers' OA savings are large enough not to limit the result; Example 3 states the OA balance.
Example (hypothetical) 1: two buyers aged 25 buy an HDB resale flat for S$550,000, valued at S$550,000, with 65 years of lease left.
Example (hypothetical) 2: the same buyers and flat, but with 75 years of lease left.
Example (hypothetical) 3: a buyer aged 40 buys a leasehold condominium for S$1,150,000, valued at S$1,150,000, with 80 years of lease left and S$250,000 in their OA.
| Result | Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age plus remaining lease | 90 | 100 | 120 |
| Valuation Limit | S$550,000 | S$550,000 | S$1,150,000 |
| Withdrawal Limit (120%) | Does not apply (pro-rated) | S$660,000 | S$1,380,000 |
| Most CPF usable | S$495,000 (90% of VL) | S$550,000 | S$250,000 (all of the OA) |
| Minimum cash for a bank loan (5% of the lower of price and valuation) | S$27,500 | S$27,500 | S$57,500 |
Example 1 matches CPF's own published example: S$495,000, because the lease only lasts until the buyers are 90. In Example 3, the limits are not what binds: the buyer's OA balance is. If the same flat in Example 1 had only 19 years of lease left, the calculator returns S$0, because the lease is below the 20-year floor.
The affordability calculator shows how your CPF and cash together limit the price you can pay. For older flats, the guide Buying an older HDB flat covers the lease rules in more detail.
What happens when you sell
Every dollar you take out of CPF for the property, plus the interest it would have earned, goes back into your CPF account when you sell. That interest is called accrued interest, and it reduces the cash you receive from the sale. The HDB sale proceeds page estimates it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use CPF to pay the amount above the valuation?
No. CPF use is capped at the lower of price and valuation, and a loan is too. The difference has to be paid in cash.
Does the 120% Withdrawal Limit apply to everyone?
It applies once your CPF use reaches the Valuation Limit, and only after you set aside your Basic Retirement Sum. Below the VL, it does not come into play.
What if the youngest buyer is much younger than the other?
The lease test uses the youngest buyer who is using CPF. A long lease relative to that buyer's age gives full use; a short one gives a pro-rated limit for all the owners together.
Can I use CPF for a flat with 18 years of lease left?
No. Below 20 years of remaining lease, no CPF can be used for the purchase, whatever your age.
Do stamp duty and legal fees reduce my CPF housing limit?
No. CPF used for stamp duty, legal fees and upgrading costs is not counted in the housing limits.
Sources
- CPF Board: How much CPF savings you can use for your home purchase: the Valuation Limit, the 120% Withdrawal Limit, the BRS condition and the age-95 cap.
- CPF Board: CPF use when the lease does not cover the youngest buyer to age 95: pro-rating and the S$550,000, 65-year-lease example.
- MND: Updated rules on CPF usage and HDB housing loans (Annex A): the pro-rating examples for a 25-year-old buyer and the 20-year floor.
- MOM and MND release, 9 May 2019: More flexibility to buy a home for life: the date the age-95 rule took effect.
- CPF Board: Can I use my CPF savings for the downpayment of my property: what must be paid in cash first (option fees, at least 5% of the lower of price and valuation, any amount above market value).
- CPF Board: HDB option fee and housing expenses you should know: stamp duty and legal fees payable from CPF, stamp duty reimbursement, and refunding them on sale.
- CPF Board: How much CPF savings can I use for my property purchase: stamp duty, legal fees and upgrading costs are outside the housing limit.