Before applying for a Singapore Employment Pass (EP), employers and foreign professionals should determine whether the candidate is likely to qualify.
The good news is that Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) provides an official Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) that employers and employment agents can use to obtain an indicative assessment before submitting an actual Employment Pass application.
However, checking Employment Pass eligibility involves more than simply entering a salary into a calculator.
Under Singapore’s current framework, most Employment Pass applicants need to satisfy a two-stage eligibility assessment:
Stage 1: Meet the applicable Employment Pass qualifying salary.
Stage 2: Unless exempted, obtain at least 40 points under the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS).
Employers also need to comply with other requirements, including the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) job advertising requirements where applicable.
This guide explains how to check Singapore Employment Pass eligibility, how the MOM Self-Assessment Tool works, how COMPASS points are calculated, and what employers should review before submitting an EP application.
What Is a Singapore Employment Pass?
The Employment Pass is one of Singapore’s principal work passes for foreign professionals.
It is generally intended for foreign professionals, managers, executives and other skilled employees who will be working for a Singapore employer.
Unlike an S Pass, Employment Pass eligibility is not determined simply by whether the employer has sufficient foreign-worker quota.
Instead, Singapore assesses whether the candidate satisfies the qualifying salary and, in most cases, whether the application passes COMPASS.
Therefore, an employer should conduct an eligibility assessment before submitting an application.
What Is the Fastest Way to Check EP Eligibility?
The most direct way is to use MOM’s official Employment / S Pass Self-Assessment Tool (SAT).
MOM Employment / S Pass Self-Assessment Tool
The enhanced SAT is designed to give employers and employment agents an indicative outcome for an EP application, including the candidate’s COMPASS assessment.
According to MOM, if the SAT shows that a candidate is not eligible, the employer should not submit the Employment Pass application because it will be rejected.
If the SAT shows eligible, MOM states that there is around a 90% chance that the candidate will obtain the pass. This is not a guarantee because final processing includes additional checks that the SAT cannot fully account for, and the actual COMPASS score may differ.
This makes the SAT an extremely useful pre-application screening tool.
Who Can Use the Employment Pass Self-Assessment Tool?
The enhanced SAT is primarily intended for employers and employment agents assessing potential EP or S Pass candidates.
Access to the enhanced SAT requires access to MOM’s EP eService.
This is partly because COMPASS contains firm-specific information relating to criteria such as workforce diversity and support for local employment. MOM restricts access to protect this company information.
The assessment itself is free.
MOM indicates that completing the SAT generally takes approximately 10 to 20 minutes.
How Does Singapore Determine Employment Pass Eligibility?
Singapore uses a two-stage Employment Pass eligibility framework.
Understanding these two stages is essential because passing COMPASS alone does not necessarily make someone eligible for an Employment Pass.
Stage 1: Meet the EP Qualifying Salary
The first requirement is the applicable minimum qualifying salary.
As of 2026, the minimum qualifying salary currently starts at:
S$5,600 per month for most sectors
S$6,200 per month for financial services
However, these are only the starting figures.
The required salary increases progressively according to the candidate’s age.
For non-financial sectors, the current qualifying salary increases from S$5,600 for candidates aged 23 or below to S$10,700 for candidates aged 45 and above.
For financial services, it increases from S$6,200 to S$11,800.
MOM benchmarks these qualifying salaries against the top one-third of local PMET salaries by age.
Therefore, employers should never assume that S$5,600 is the universal minimum salary for every EP applicant.
EP Salary Requirements Are Changing in 2027
Companies planning future Employment Pass applications should also be aware that the qualifying salary will increase.
For new EP applications submitted from 1 January 2027, the minimum will start at:
S$6,000 per month for most sectors
S$6,600 per month for financial services
The age-adjusted maximum for candidates aged 45 and above will rise to S$11,500 for most sectors and S$12,700 for financial services.
The revised thresholds will apply to renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028.
Employers planning recruitment for 2027 should therefore check eligibility against the new salary thresholds.
Why Age Matters When Checking EP Eligibility
A common mistake is to check whether the applicant earns more than the headline EP minimum without considering age.
Consider two candidates:
Candidate A is 25 years old and earns S$7,000 per month.
Candidate B is 45 years old and earns S$7,000 per month.
Although both earn exactly the same salary, they will not have the same outcome under the qualifying-salary assessment.
The older candidate is subject to a considerably higher qualifying salary.
This reflects MOM’s principle that more experienced candidates should command salaries comparable with experienced local professionals.
Therefore, one of the first pieces of information needed for an EP eligibility check is the candidate’s age.
Stage 2: Check COMPASS Eligibility
Passing the qualifying salary requirement is only Stage 1.
Most applicants must then pass the Complementarity Assessment Framework, commonly known as COMPASS.
An application generally needs to score at least 40 COMPASS points to pass.
COMPASS assesses both the individual candidate and the company employing the candidate.
There are four foundational criteria:
C1 – Salary
C2 – Qualifications
C3 – Diversity
C4 – Support for Local Employment
Additional bonus criteria may also provide points in qualifying situations.
C1: Salary
COMPASS compares the candidate’s fixed monthly salary against salaries of local PMETs of a similar age within the relevant sector.
This is different from the minimum EP qualifying salary.
Under C1:
| Candidate’s salary compared with sector benchmark | COMPASS Points |
|---|---|
| 90th percentile or above | 20 |
| 65th to below 90th percentile | 10 |
| Below 65th percentile | 0 |
This distinction is extremely important.
A candidate can meet the basic EP qualifying salary but still receive zero points for C1 Salary.
The minimum qualifying salary determines whether the candidate can get past Stage 1.
C1 determines how the candidate’s salary contributes towards the 40 COMPASS points required in Stage 2.
C2: Qualifications
The second foundational COMPASS criterion considers the candidate’s qualifications.
Candidates with degree-equivalent qualifications from certain highly recognised institutions can receive 20 points.
Other recognised degree-equivalent qualifications can generally receive 10 points.
A candidate without a degree-equivalent qualification receives zero points under C2.
However, this does not automatically mean that a person without a university degree cannot obtain an Employment Pass.
MOM explicitly states that candidates without degree-equivalent qualifications can still pass COMPASS by accumulating at least 40 points from other criteria.
This is an important distinction for experienced executives and specialists whose professional experience may be substantial even though they do not possess conventional academic qualifications.
Do Qualifications Need to Be Verified?
If an applicant requires COMPASS points from the qualifications criterion, verification proof generally needs to be submitted together with the relevant qualifications.
Employers should therefore determine early whether the candidate actually needs C2 points.
If the candidate can pass COMPASS without qualification points, MOM states that the qualifications and verification proof do not need to be submitted for the purpose of claiming C2 points.
This can affect how an employer prepares the application.
C3: Diversity
COMPASS does not assess only the candidate.
It also considers the employer’s existing workforce.
C3 Diversity looks at how much of the organisation’s PMET workforce consists of employees of the same nationality as the candidate.
For organisations with at least 25 PMET employees:
| Candidate nationality share | COMPASS Points |
|---|---|
| Less than 5% | 20 |
| 5% to below 25% | 10 |
| 25% or more | 0 |
For companies employing fewer than 25 PMETs, the application receives 10 points by default under C3.
This is particularly relevant to SMEs.
A small Singapore company does not necessarily need to perform complicated nationality-percentage calculations manually because the default scoring mechanism applies where it has fewer than 25 PMET employees.
C4: Support for Local Employment
The fourth foundational criterion considers the company’s employment of local PMETs relative to other companies in its sector.
For companies with at least 25 PMETs:
| Local PMET share relative to sector | COMPASS Points |
|---|---|
| 50th percentile and above | 20 |
| 20th to below 50th percentile | 10 |
| Below 20th percentile | 0 |
Companies with fewer than 25 PMET employees receive 10 points by default for this criterion.
MOM also provides the Workforce Insights tool through myMOM Portal to help employers understand their C3 and C4 positions.
How Can an SME Reach 40 COMPASS Points?
Consider a smaller Singapore company with fewer than 25 PMET employees.
Because of its size, the application may receive:
C3 Diversity: 10 points
C4 Support for Local Employment: 10 points
Suppose the candidate also receives:
C1 Salary: 10 points
C2 Qualifications: 10 points
The total would be:
10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 40 points
The candidate would meet the standard COMPASS passing score.
Indeed, MOM provides an example of an application meeting expectations across the four foundational criteria and scoring exactly 40 points, which is sufficient to pass COMPASS.
Can You Get an EP Without a Degree?
Potentially, yes.
This is another common misunderstanding about Singapore Employment Pass eligibility.
A candidate without a degree-equivalent qualification receives zero points under C2, but that does not automatically make the person ineligible.
The candidate could potentially accumulate enough points through salary, employer-related criteria and applicable bonus criteria.
MOM explicitly confirms that candidates without degree-equivalent qualifications can still pass COMPASS if they obtain at least 40 points from other criteria.
Therefore:
No degree does not automatically mean no Employment Pass.
The entire application needs to be assessed.
What Are the COMPASS Bonus Criteria?
Certain candidates may be able to obtain additional COMPASS points.
One important example is the Skills Bonus, which applies to eligible jobs on Singapore’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL).
The SOL identifies occupations based on considerations such as their importance to Singapore’s economic priorities, the extent of the labour shortage and the relevant sector’s efforts to develop a local talent pipeline.
Candidates seeking these bonus points must meet the specific requirements attached to the occupation.
These can include relevant qualifications, work experience or registration requirements.
Employers should therefore not assume that selecting an occupation from the Shortage Occupation List automatically guarantees bonus points.
Who Is Exempt From COMPASS?
Not every Employment Pass candidate needs to undergo the COMPASS assessment.
MOM currently states that candidates are exempt from COMPASS if they satisfy any of the following conditions:
- Earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$22,500
- Apply as an eligible overseas intra-corporate transferee
- Fill a role lasting one month or less
These candidates still need to satisfy the applicable Employment Pass requirements, but they do not need to obtain the standard 40-point COMPASS score.
How to Check EP Eligibility Using MOM’s SAT
For employers, the practical process is relatively straightforward.
First, gather the candidate’s relevant details.
These will typically include information relating to the candidate’s age, salary, job, qualifications and other information required for the assessment.
Next, access MOM’s Employment / S Pass Self-Assessment Tool using an authorised EP eService account.
Enter the candidate and job information accurately.
The enhanced SAT incorporates both the EP qualifying salary and COMPASS criteria to provide an indicative outcome.
The result can also be downloaded as a PDF, which can be useful for internal HR approval or discussion with the candidate.
What Does “Eligible” on the SAT Mean?
If the SAT says the candidate is eligible, that is a strong preliminary indication—but it is not a guarantee of approval.
MOM states that where the SAT indicates that a candidate is eligible, there is around a 90% chance of obtaining the pass.
However, the final application remains subject to additional checks.
MOM specifically notes that the actual COMPASS score in the final EP application can differ from the SAT result.
Employers should therefore interpret the SAT result as an indicative assessment rather than an approval.
What If the SAT Says “Not Eligible”?
MOM’s guidance is particularly clear on this point.
If the SAT shows that the candidate is not eligible, the employer should not submit the EP application because it will be rejected.
Instead, the company should determine which eligibility requirement has not been satisfied.
For example, the issue could involve the qualifying salary or insufficient COMPASS points.
Where circumstances legitimately change, the employer can conduct another assessment using the updated information.
Can an Individual Check His or Her Own EP Eligibility?
An individual foreign professional can perform a preliminary assessment by reviewing MOM’s published qualifying salary and COMPASS rules.
However, an exact assessment can require employer-specific information.
This is particularly important because C3 Diversity and C4 Support for Local Employment depend on the employing organisation’s workforce.
Access to the enhanced SAT requires EP eService access because MOM considers some of this firm-level information sensitive.
Therefore, a foreign professional considering a job in Singapore may be able to estimate eligibility based on age, salary and qualifications, but the prospective employer is generally better placed to perform the full SAT assessment.
Don’t Forget the Fair Consideration Framework
Passing the salary and COMPASS requirements does not mean the employer should immediately submit an EP application.
Employers must also comply with the Fair Consideration Framework job advertising requirement where applicable.
MOM states that employers are required to advertise the job opening on MyCareersFuture and fairly consider applicants before applying for an Employment Pass, unless an applicable exemption applies.
This requirement is separate from the candidate’s COMPASS score.
Companies should therefore include FCF compliance in their overall EP application process.
EP Eligibility Checklist
Before submitting an Employment Pass application, employers should check the following:
Candidate’s age: Determine the correct age-adjusted qualifying salary.
Sector: Determine whether the ordinary or financial-services salary requirements apply.
Fixed monthly salary: Confirm that the candidate meets the Stage 1 qualifying salary.
COMPASS salary score: Determine the likely C1 score.
Qualifications: Determine whether C2 points are required and whether verification is necessary.
Company diversity: Check the likely C3 score.
Local employment: Check the company’s C4 position.
Bonus criteria: Determine whether the candidate qualifies for applicable COMPASS bonus points.
Overall COMPASS score: Confirm that the application reaches at least 40 points unless exempt.
FCF requirements: Confirm that the employer has fulfilled the applicable job-advertising requirements.
SAT: Run the final candidate profile through MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool before applying.
This process can significantly reduce the risk of submitting an application that clearly does not meet the published requirements.
Example: Checking EP Eligibility for a Candidate
Suppose a Singapore SME wants to hire a 30-year-old overseas business-development manager.
The employer should not begin by asking only:
“Does the candidate earn more than S$5,600?”
Instead, the employer should work through the framework systematically.
First, check the age-adjusted qualifying salary applicable to a 30-year-old candidate.
Second, determine whether the proposed salary satisfies Stage 1.
Third, assess C1 salary points.
Fourth, assess whether the candidate’s qualifications generate C2 points.
Fifth, check the company’s C3 and C4 scores.
If the company employs fewer than 25 PMETs, it generally receives 10 points each under C3 and C4.
Finally, calculate whether the candidate reaches 40 points and run the information through MOM’s SAT.
This provides a much more meaningful eligibility assessment than simply checking the headline EP minimum salary.
Does Passing COMPASS Guarantee EP Approval?
No.
Passing COMPASS means the candidate has satisfied an important part of the eligibility framework, but it does not create an automatic entitlement to an Employment Pass.
Similarly, an “eligible” SAT result is indicative rather than guaranteed.
MOM can conduct additional checks during the actual application process, and the final COMPASS score can differ from the SAT assessment.
The employer should therefore ensure that all information provided is complete, accurate and supported where necessary.
How Long Does the EP Application Take After Eligibility Is Checked?
Once the employer has confirmed that the candidate appears eligible and has fulfilled the relevant pre-application requirements, the EP application can be submitted through MOM’s Employment Pass eService.
MOM currently states that online EP applications are generally processed or given an update within 10 business days.
If additional information or documents are required, processing can take longer.
Conducting the SAT assessment before applying can help employers avoid submitting applications that clearly fail the published eligibility criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions About Employment Pass Eligibility
How do I check whether I qualify for an Employment Pass?
The most reliable approach is for the employer or employment agent to use MOM’s enhanced Self-Assessment Tool.
The tool assesses the candidate against the EP requirements and provides an indicative result.
What is the minimum salary for an Employment Pass?
In 2026, the qualifying salary currently starts at S$5,600 per month for most sectors and S$6,200 for financial services.
However, the qualifying salary increases progressively with age.
What will the EP minimum salary be in 2027?
For new applications from 1 January 2027, the minimum will start at S$6,000 for most sectors and S$6,600 for financial services.
How many COMPASS points do I need?
Most applicants subject to COMPASS need at least 40 points.
Can I qualify for an EP without a university degree?
Potentially, yes.
A candidate without a degree-equivalent qualification receives zero C2 qualification points but can still pass COMPASS by accumulating at least 40 points from other criteria.
Does a high salary guarantee EP approval?
No.
A higher salary can contribute to eligibility and COMPASS scoring, but most applicants must still satisfy the overall framework and other applicable requirements.
Is the MOM Self-Assessment Tool accurate?
It is intended to provide an indicative assessment.
MOM states that when the SAT shows a candidate as eligible, there is around a 90% chance of obtaining the pass, but approval is not guaranteed because additional checks take place during the actual application.
What happens if the SAT says I am not eligible?
MOM advises employers not to submit the EP application because it will be rejected.
Is the SAT free?
Yes. MOM states that there is no charge for using the Self-Assessment Tool.
Conclusion
So, how do you check Employment Pass eligibility in Singapore?
The most reliable starting point is MOM’s official Employment / S Pass Self-Assessment Tool.
Check Employment Pass eligibility with MOM’s Self-Assessment Tool
Before using the tool, employers should understand the two-stage Employment Pass framework.
First, the candidate must meet the applicable age-adjusted EP qualifying salary. In 2026, this starts at S$5,600 for most sectors and S$6,200 for financial services, but increases progressively with age.
Second, most applicants must obtain at least 40 COMPASS points, based on criteria including salary, qualifications, workforce diversity and support for local employment.
An eligible result from MOM’s SAT provides a strong preliminary indication, but it should not be treated as guaranteed approval. The final Employment Pass application remains subject to MOM’s assessment and additional checks.
For companies hiring foreign professionals, checking EP eligibility before making firm relocation arrangements or submitting an application can save time, reduce unnecessary application costs and identify potential eligibility issues early.