Saving for your child's education in Singapore: what the Government puts in

You can start saving for your child's education by counting what the Government already puts in. The CDA matches your savings dollar for dollar, Edusave pays the miscellaneous school fees from Primary 1, and LifeSG gives every citizen child turning 17 from 2026 a $10,000 PSEA top-up. For a four-year NTU degree at today's $8,300 a year, that leaves $23,200 to save, about $107 a month from age 1 to 19 with no growth assumed, so re-check the fees once a year.

How to save for your child's education, step by step

1. Enrol your child at birth registration on LifeSG, then open the CDA when the instructions arrive. LifeSG says you open it with DBS/POSB, OCBC or UOB, and the First Step Grant arrives within 2 weeks.
2. Look up your child's co-matching cap in Family View. For babies born before 1 April 2027 it's $4,000 for a first child, $7,000 for a second, $9,000 for a third or fourth and $15,000 for a fifth or later.
3. Save into the CDA up to that cap first, since the Government adds $1 for each $1 within 2 weeks. A first child's CDA can then hold $5,000 grant + your $4,000 + the Government's $4,000 = $13,000, and the CDA calculator works out other cases.
4. Deposit up to any cap above $5,000 by 30 September 2027. From 1 October 2027 LifeSG sets every cap at $5,000, which also lifts a first child's cap from $4,000.
5. Pay preschool fees from the CDA after subsidies. Check KiFAS and the preschool fee cap first, so the CDA pays only what's left.
6. Set up an Edusave Standing Order in MOE's Student Finance System when your child starts Primary 1. In 2026 MOE pays $230 a year into Edusave in primary school and $290 in secondary.
7. Pick a target from a fee that's published today. NTU lists $8,300 a year for a citizen in most courses in AY2026/2027, after the Tuition Grant, and MOE lists $3,100 a year for a polytechnic diploma.
8. Subtract the $10,000 PSEA top-up, then divide by the months you have left. The worked example below does this for a degree.
9. Check the Edusave and PSEA balances once a year in the Student Finance System with Singpass. Re-check the fee too: NUS publishes each year's fees between February and April.

What the Government already puts in

Your child's education money sits in three accounts, and they hand over to each other. The CDA and Edusave both empty into the PSEA, which pays for courses after secondary school or junior college. Our CDA guide covers the account itself, and Baby Bonus and the SG Child Support Package covers which rules apply by birth date.

You can't pay into Edusave yourself; MOE says so. The CDA is where your own money gets matched. For a child born from 2015, finish that saving before the CDA closes at 16, because MOE says unused co-matching doesn't carry over to the PSEA. Babies born from 1 April 2027 get a $5,000 First Step Grant and a $5,000 cap: $5,000 + your $5,000 + the Government's $5,000 = $15,000.

Child Credits are separate. LifeSG pays $2,000 a year in cash from April 2027 to the bank account linked to your child's PayNow ID, so set that up before 1 April 2027. Any part you keep counts toward the same target.

What school and university cost today

For a citizen in a government school, MOE's fees checker gives these 2026 fees. MOE works out school fees for the year and spreads them over 12 months.

Edusave covers the miscellaneous fees with some to spare. In primary school that's $230 - ($13 x 12 = $156) = $74 a year. In secondary school it's $290 - ($20 x 12 = $240) = $50 a year. School enrichment programmes draw on the same balance, and whatever is left moves to the PSEA.

The university figure is tuition only. NTU charges miscellaneous fees on top, and some courses cost more: it lists $9,500 a year for accountancy and business courses and $36,100 for medicine.

A worked example: one degree, no growth assumed

This is an example using NTU's fee for most courses today, a 4-year course, and saving from the year your child turns 1 until 19. NTU sets the fee for each new intake, so swap in the newest figure each year and re-run the sum.

Any CDA or Edusave money that reaches the PSEA comes off the $23,200 too. Child Credits can carry the same target: $23,200 / 16 payouts = $1,450 kept from each $2,000, for a baby born from 1 April 2027 who gets all 16. For a 3-year polytechnic diploma (an example length), $3,100 x 3 = $9,300, which the $10,000 top-up covers on its own.

To find room for the monthly amount, start with budgeting for a baby in Singapore.

If your child was born before 2015

Children born in 2014 or earlier keep the old CDA rule. LifeSG closes their CDA on 31 December of the year they turn 12. A child born in 2014 turns 12 in 2026, so 15 December 2026 is the last day to deposit and get the match without delay. If the cap isn't used up, MOE lets you keep saving into the PSEA with dollar-for-dollar matching before your child's 18th birthday. From 1 October 2027 that cap becomes $5,000 for everyone in this group.

When to get help

• Money is short right now: call the ComCare hotline at 1800 222 0000 or visit your nearest Social Service Office, as MSF advises.
• School fees are hard to pay: ask your child's school about MOE financial assistance, which helps citizens with school fees and other expenses.
• Questions on the CDA, Child Credits or the PSEA top-up: call the Child Support Package hotline at 1800 111 2222.
• Edusave or PSEA balances: log in to MOE's Student Finance System with Singpass.
• University fees when the time comes: CPF lists MOE's Higher Education Student Loan, interest-free while studying and covering up to 90% of fees, and the CPF Education Loan Scheme.
• Your child has special needs: LifeSG lets the CDA pay SPED schools and Early Intervention Centres. Our guide to financial planning for a special needs child covers the rest.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I save for my child's education?

Start from today's fee and take off what the Government adds. For a 4-year NTU degree at $8,300 a year, that's $33,200 - the $10,000 PSEA top-up = $23,200. Over 216 months from age 1 to 19, it's $107.41 a month. Re-check the sum each year when new fees come out.

What education savings does Singapore give my child?

Three accounts: the CDA from birth, Edusave from Primary 1, and the PSEA, which takes over when the CDA closes. The CDA is the one where your deposits get matched. MOE pays into Edusave, and the PSEA collects both balances plus the $10,000 top-up.

What can Edusave be used for?

In MOE-funded schools, Edusave pays for school enrichment programmes, miscellaneous fees, autonomous school fees and personal learning devices from secondary school, and only MOE can pay into it. To use it, set up a Standing Order in the Student Finance System with Singpass, and a new one each time your child changes school.

What is the PSEA used for, and what happens to the balance?

The PSEA is MOE's account for post-secondary education. It pays for approved courses for your child or their siblings and can repay government education loans, but it can't pay junior college costs. It closes around the middle of the year your child turns 31, and unused money moves to their CPF Ordinary Account.

Can CDA pay for school fees?

Only preschool and a few other places. LifeSG's list covers child care centres, kindergartens, childminding, medical bills, assistive devices, SPED schools and Early Intervention Centres. Primary and secondary school isn't on it, and MOE's fees page says the CDA can't be used for its fees GIRO, so Edusave picks up the miscellaneous fees in those years.

How does the CPF Education Scheme work?

CPF's page calls it the CPF Education Loan Scheme. You can use your Ordinary Account savings for your child's full-time subsidised diploma or degree at an approved school in Singapore, and your Education dashboard shows how much is available. Your child repays in cash into your Ordinary Account from one year after graduating, and CPF says interest builds up at 2.5% a year from the first deduction.