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CDA spending tracker: what it pays for and how long it lasts
Enter your child's birth year, the CDA balance and what you spend from it. You'll see when the money runs out, when the account closes and what's left to move into the PSEA.
Figures checked 3 Oct 2026 against official government sources · Fussy Mama
Your CDA lasts until
Your balance, year by year
| Year | Child turns | Spent from CDA | Top-ups and matching | Balance at year end |
|---|
The first row covers only the months left in this year, and bank interest is left out.
What can the CDA be used for?
CDA money can only be paid to a Baby Bonus Approved Institution, and only for your child or their siblings, so you can't withdraw it as cash. MSF's summary of approved uses, published 1 January 2026, has five categories.
| Approved Institution type | What you can pay for |
|---|---|
| Childcare centres and kindergartens | Registration fees, programme fees and deposits, plus approved incidental charges. Since 1 May 2025 that includes enrichment run by the preschool, like speech and drama, robotics or coding |
| Medical institutions | Medical services and prescribed medication from a doctor employed by the approved hospital, polyclinic or GP clinic |
| Special education schools and early intervention centres | Approved fees. For early intervention, only MSF-registered programmes for children up to 6 |
| Assistive technology device providers | Buying, renting, repairing or maintaining a device recommended by a doctor, therapist or social worker, and the assessment for it |
| Childminding operators | Childminding fees under ECDA's infant childminding pilot. Diapers, deposits and meals are excluded |
Source: MSF Summary of Approved Uses of CDA (1 Jan 2026) and the LifeSG CDA page.
What the CDA can't pay for
- Glasses at an optical shop, or anything at a retail pharmacy. MSF stopped both from 1 January 2026 after audits found misuse. Hospital and polyclinic pharmacies are still fine.
- Primary or secondary school fees.
- Tuition or enrichment centres outside your child's preschool.
- Admin charges, such as a fee for processing a CDA payment or a late payment penalty. Approved Institutions aren't allowed to deduct these.
- Anything for an adult. MSF can ask for the money to be refunded into the CDA.
How to check if a place is an Approved Institution
Search the official list at go.gov.sg/listofais before you book. Not every clinic or preschool has signed up. If your child's GP isn't on it, you pay cash or use MediSave where that applies.
When the CDA closes and what moves to the PSEA
| Child born | CDA stays open until | Then |
|---|---|---|
| On or after 1 Jan 2015 | 31 December of the year they turn 16 | Unused money moves to the Post-Secondary Education Account, up to the child's PSEA cap. Anything above the cap is paid out by PayNow |
| Before 1 Jan 2015 | 31 December of the year they turn 12 |
Source: LifeSG SG Child Support Package page and LifeSG CDA page.
In the closing year MSF writes to you in August. The last day to make a deposit and still get matching without delay is 15 December. The account closes on 31 December and MOE opens the PSEA in January.
The PSEA cap is the total of your matching cap, the deposits that were matched, the First Step Grant, any Child Development Credit and bank interest. If your balance is above that, MSF sends the extra to the bank account linked to your child's PayNow, and tells you the details by February.
Separately, every citizen child turning 17 from 2026 gets a $10,000 PSEA top-up under the new package. It's paid in June of the year they turn 17 (June 2027 for those who turn 17 in 2026) and doesn't depend on what's left in the CDA.
Matching caps change on 1 October 2027
You can keep saving up to your child's current matching cap until 30 September 2027. From 1 October 2027 every cap becomes $5,000. If your cap is above $5,000 (a 2nd child or later), put the money in before the deadline. Our CDA calculator shows how much to save by then.
Worked example
Child born in 2024, $9,000 in the CDA today. You pay $400 a month of childcare fees from it, plus about $300 a year at the clinic. That's $425 a month.
The last 3 months of 2026 use $1,275. All of 2027 uses $5,100, which leaves $2,625 going into 2028. At $425 a month that covers 6 more months, so the CDA runs dry around June 2028.
The account itself stays open until 31 December 2040. From July 2028 until the end of K2 in 2030, and for clinic visits after that, you'd pay $15,675 from your own pocket unless you top up. With no matching left, a top-up only moves your cash into the CDA.
Questions parents ask
What can CDA be used for?
Preschool and kindergarten fees, medical bills at approved hospitals and clinics, special education and early intervention fees, assistive devices, and childminding under ECDA's pilot. The place must be a Baby Bonus Approved Institution, and the spending must be for your child or a sibling.
Can I use CDA at pharmacies or optical shops?
No, not since 1 January 2026. MSF ended CDA use at optical shops and retail pharmacies after audits found a high risk of misuse. You can still use it for medication prescribed at hospitals, polyclinics and GP clinics that are Approved Institutions.
Can CDA pay for enrichment classes?
Only enrichment offered by your child's preschool, such as speech and drama or coding. That has been allowed since 1 May 2025. Outside tuition and enrichment centres aren't covered.
Can I use one child's CDA for a sibling?
Yes. MSF allows CDA money to be used for the account holder or their siblings. So an older child's leftover balance can pay a younger one's preschool fees.
When does the CDA close?
For children born from 1 January 2015, on 31 December of the year they turn 16. This was extended from age 12 under the SG Child Support Package. For children born before 2015, it still closes in the year they turn 12.
What happens to unused CDA money?
It moves to your child's Post-Secondary Education Account, up to their PSEA cap. Any amount above the cap is paid to the bank account linked to your child's PayNow, so set that up before the closing year.
Can I withdraw CDA money as cash?
No. It can only be paid to Approved Institutions for approved expenses. Shops or centres that help parents cash it out are breaking the rules.
How do I check my CDA balance?
Log in to Family View on LifeSG with Singpass. It shows the balance, the First Step Grant, and how much government matching you still have.
Can CDA pay primary school fees?
No. MSF says CDA money can't be used for primary or secondary school fees. Whatever is left when the CDA closes moves to the PSEA, which is for post-secondary education.
Sources (Figures checked 3 Oct 2026)
- LifeSG - Baby Bonus Child Development Account (CDA)
- LifeSG - SG Child Support Package
- AskGov MSF - Where can I use the CDA funds? (summary of approved uses, 1 Jan 2026)
- MSF - CDA use to be discontinued at optical shops and retail pharmacies from Jan 2026
- AskGov MSF - Newly approved incidental charges at preschools from 1 May 2025
- AskGov MSF - Can I use the CDA for primary or secondary school fees?
- AskGov MSF - Maximum CDA balance transferred to the PSEA
- AskGov MSF - Can an Approved Institution deduct administrative fees?
- Search for Baby Bonus Approved Institutions
