CPF Dependants' Protection Scheme (DPS): sum assured, premiums, who is covered automatically, and how it relates to commercial term life

Definition: what DPS is

The Dependants' Protection Scheme (DPS) is a term life insurance scheme set up by the CPF Board for CPF members: if a member dies, is certified to have a terminal illness or suffers total and permanent disability (TPD), a fixed sum assured is paid to help the family through the first few years of financial difficulty (CPF Board, 26 May 2025). MoneySense classes it as optional term insurance: a maximum sum assured of S$70,000, worldwide cover, and an annual premium deducted automatically from the CPF account unless the member opts out (MoneySense, updated 28 Sep 2026).

As for the insurer, DPS has been administered by Great Eastern Life as the sole insurer since 1 Apr 2021. On 26 May 2025 the CPF Board announced a three-year extension of Great Eastern Life's contract, from 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2028, and disclosed that more than 2 million Singapore citizens and permanent residents are covered under DPS. As term insurance, DPS pays only during the period of cover and has no investment element; MoneySense describes term insurance as usually having no cash value, and once cover ends neither the member nor the family is covered.

Sum assured and annual premium: the CPF Board's figures

The table below comes from the CPF Board's announcement of the revised DPS effective 1 Apr 2021, and the same premium table was restated in the press release of 26 May 2025. Age is counted as age last birthday, and the premium is paid once a year, deducted when cover starts and on each policy renewal date (CPF Board, updated 26 Feb 2026). Before 1 Apr 2021 the maximum sum assured was S$46,000. The actual amounts are as most recently published on the CPF website.

Three points stand out in reading the table. First, the premium steps up with age, in the same direction as commercial term pricing, except that DPS premiums are published by CPF uniformly by age band rather than priced person by person. Second, the annual premium for ages 60 to 64 is the same as for 55 to 59 (S$298), but the sum assured falls to S$55,000; the CPF service page explains that the sum assured is reduced from S$70,000 to S$55,000 around the policy anniversary on which the member turns 60, with the exact effective point as explained by CPF and the insurer. Third, the sums assured in the table are maximums, and DPS offers no option to raise them; anyone needing more cover can only arrange commercial cover separately.

Who is covered automatically, and who can apply

DPS cover is defined by status, age and contribution status:

• Covered automatically: Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 21 to 65 who make a valid CPF working contribution and are in good health (CPF Board, 26 Feb 2026).
• Apply directly: members aged 16 to 65 who are not covered automatically can apply to Great Eastern Life to join (CPF Board, 26 May 2025).
• Existing cover: no action is needed; cover renews automatically each year until the member's 65th birthday; Great Eastern Life's page states that renewal requires no health check (information as at 1 Aug 2023).
• Outside the scheme: DPS is for citizens and permanent residents and does not include foreigners on work passes or other statuses; cover is not renewed after the 65th birthday.
• Reinstating lapsed cover: according to Great Eastern Life's page, cover that lapsed after 1 Apr 2021 can be reinstated once a valid CPF working contribution is made.

A reminder: automatic cover means cover starts automatically; it does not mean the sum assured is enough for the family's needs. Whether it is enough should be checked against the methods in sizing the sum assured.

Scope of cover and definitions

LIA's underwriting guide notes that TPD is defined in the policy and may differ between insurers (LIA, Apr 2024). The DPS definition of TPD therefore cannot be carried over to a commercial policy, or vice versa. When reading the riders on a commercial term policy, check the definition separately; see Riders.

How premiums are paid, how the sum assured adjusts, and how to opt out

DPS premiums are deducted automatically from CPF savings; the CPF service page does not specify the order of accounts for the deduction, and this site does not infer it. Great Eastern Life's page states that the renewal notice is sent 30 days before the renewal date and that there is a 60-day grace period (information as at 1 Aug 2023).

When CPF savings are insufficient, the CPF page (updated 26 Feb 2026) handles it in two tiers:

The page also suggests paying premiums in cash by GIRO to avoid an interruption in renewal.

DPS is not a compulsory scheme. A member can terminate DPS by submitting an opt-out form to the insurer; after opting out, rejoining requires a fresh application (CPF Board, 26 Feb 2026), and Great Eastern Life's page notes that rejoining requires good health and advises members to weigh the benefits of cover first. Whether to keep it depends on existing cover and budget; this site explains the rules only and does not advise opting out or staying in.

DPS and commercial term life: complementary, not substitutes

An order-of-magnitude comparison shows why DPS cannot be taken as evidence that cover is "already enough": How much sum assured you need applies MoneySense's 9x annual income rule of thumb (updated 16 Oct 2026) to MOM's median gross monthly income of full-time employed residents for June 2025 (including employer CPF, published 28 Nov 2025) and arrives at an illustrative need of about S$620,000; the DPS maximum of S$70,000 is only about 11% of it. This is illustrative: the median represents no individual, 9x is only a rule of thumb, and actual need depends on family structure, debt and existing resources.

DPS cover ends on the 65th birthday, while children's education, parents' support or loans may run later. The insurer's public page also notes that members can arrange supplementary term cover separately; the renewal premiums of such term products are usually re-priced at the age reached and mostly not guaranteed (MoneySense), the parameters are as per each product summary, and this site neither compares nor recommends specific products.

How DPS, HPS and CareShield Life divide the work

DPS is often mentioned alongside several other government schemes, but their covered events, forms of payment and recipients differ.

None of the three substitutes for another. For example, DPS pays TPD as a lump sum, whereas CareShield Life pays monthly for severe disability, and the two assessment criteria differ. Hospital bills are handled by medical insurance such as MediShield Life and are outside the scope of DPS.

Checklist

1. Confirm whether you are covered automatically (citizen or permanent resident, aged 21 to 65, making CPF contributions, in good health).
2. Check the sum assured and annual premium for your age band against the table above, and note the DPS policy anniversary and the age at which the sum assured is reduced (60).
3. Confirm that CPF savings are sufficient for the premium; if not, understand the cash top-up or GIRO arrangements.
4. Take stock of other existing cover: HPS, employer group insurance, commercial term life, and check the expiry age of each.
5. Estimate the gap using the income-multiple and needs-based methods, then decide whether to arrange commercial term life.
6. Make a revocable nomination for DPS, and review it after changes such as marriage or the birth of a child.
7. Plan the hand-over after 65: once DPS ends, does the term of your commercial cover run to the children's independence or the loan's repayment?
8. If considering opting out, confirm first that rejoining requires a fresh application and good health, and assess whether giving it up is worthwhile.

The above is compiled from public materials of the CPF Board, LIA and the insurer, with data dates marked, and is not advice to join or opt out. For an interpretation that takes your own circumstances into account, you can register your needs through the contact details on this site.