Singapore Disability Income Insurance Calculator
Estimate your Singapore disability income benefit and premium — AIA Premier, Singlife MyIncomeProtector, 75% income cap, CareShield Life integration and tax-free benefit.
Your Profile
1 = desk/professional, 4 = heavy manual
Monthly Benefit & Premium
Monthly Benefit (tax-free)
S$8,125
65% income replacement, capped at 75% / S$25,000/mo
Annual Premium
S$2,700
Monthly Premium
S$225
CareShield Life
S$712/mo
Combined (est.)
S$8,837/mo
Singapore DI Market
Singapore DI market is served by AIA Premier Disability Cover and Aviva (now Singlife) MyIncomeProtector, plus Prudential PRUIncome and Great Eastern GREAT Comprehensive Care. Benefit cap: 75% of gross income, to S$25,000/month. Typical waiting periods: 30/60/90/180 days. Own-occupation definition is available on Premier-tier policies for professional classes (1-2) — essential for specialists whose income depends on specific skill.
Tax Treatment
DI premiums paid from after-tax income; the benefit paid during claim is entirely TAX-FREE in Singapore (no income tax on disability benefits). You may also claim up to S$5,000/year tax relief on combined voluntary CPF top-ups + life/CI/DI premiums (the S$5k cap is for the personal income tax relief on insurance). CareShield Life premiums are deducted from MediSave and are separately tax-deductible within the same S$5k ceiling in practice.
Singapore disability income insurance — the market
Unlike life and CI, the Singapore DI market is small but meaningful. Flagship products: AIA Premier Disability Cover, Singlife (Aviva) MyIncomeProtector, Prudential PRUIncome, and Great Eastern GREAT Comprehensive Care. All cap the benefit at 75% of gross income and S$25,000/month, with waiting periods of 30/60/90/180 days. Premier-tier policies offer OWN-OCCUPATION definition for professional classes — essential for specialists (surgeons, dentists, consultants) whose income depends on specific skills.
CareShield Life — the government scheme
CareShield Life replaced ElderShield from 1 October 2020 as the national long-term care scheme. Coverage starts at age 30 for Singapore Citizens and PRs, with premiums payable from MediSave. 2026 payouts for new joiners: approximately S$712/month (rises each year until age 67), paid for life while the insured is severely disabled (unable to perform 3+ of 6 ADLs). CareShield Life addresses LONG-TERM care in old age; it does NOT replace working-age income protection — which is where private DI steps in.
How much DI should you buy?
Cap is 75% of gross income tax-free, capped at S$25,000/month. Choose a 90-day deferred period if you have 3-6 months of emergency savings plus employer sick-leave; shorten to 60 or 30 days only if you have no employer buffer. Benefit-to-65 is standard; benefit-to-60 saves ~15% if you plan early retirement. Own-occupation loading: +25-30% but essential for specialists.
Tax treatment
DI premiums are paid from after-tax personal income; the benefit received during claim is entirely TAX-FREE in Singapore (no income tax on disability benefit payouts). Personal income tax relief of up to S$5,000/year applies to combined voluntary CPF top-ups plus life/CI/DI insurance premiums. Do not expect DI alone to use up the S$5k cap — coordinate with CPF SA top-ups and term life premium to maximise the benefit.
Common questions about Disability Income
What is the 75% income cap on Singapore disability insurance?+
Singapore DI insurers cap the monthly benefit at 75% of your gross income, subject to a S$25,000/month overall ceiling. The cap exists because paying 100% of working income for not working would remove incentive to return to work — an actuarial and moral-hazard principle used globally. High earners should also check occupation-class eligibility: Classes 1-2 (professional, clerical) qualify for the full 75%; Classes 3-4 (technical, manual) often cap at 60-70% and carry higher premium loadings.
What are the main Singapore disability income products?+
The leading DI products are AIA Premier Disability Cover, Singlife (Aviva) MyIncomeProtector, Prudential PRUIncome, and Great Eastern GREAT Comprehensive Care. All pay a tax-free monthly benefit up to 75% of income, S$25,000/month ceiling, with waiting periods of 30/60/90/180 days. Premier-tier policies offer OWN-OCCUPATION definition for professional classes — essential for specialists (surgeons, dentists, senior consultants) whose income depends on specific skills that any-occ definitions would discount.
How does CareShield Life differ from private disability income?+
CareShield Life is the national long-term care scheme, replacing ElderShield from 1 October 2020. It covers severe disability in old age (unable to perform 3 or more of 6 Activities of Daily Living), paying for LIFE. 2026 payouts for new joiners are approximately S$712/month. Private DI is very different: it pays WORKING-AGE income replacement for any illness or injury that stops you working, typically to age 65. Treat CareShield Life as baseline old-age cover; rely on private DI for working-life income protection.
Which deferred period should I choose?+
The deferred period is the gap between disability onset and first benefit payment. Shorter waits are more expensive. 90 days is the Singapore default — it matches typical employer sick-leave entitlements plus a modest emergency fund, and cuts premium about 30% versus a 30-day wait. Choose 30 or 60 days only if you have no employer sick-leave buffer and thin savings. Extending to 180 or 365 days saves more premium but creates a meaningful income gap your reserves must cover.
Is the disability benefit tax-free in Singapore?+
Yes. Monthly benefits received under a Singapore disability income policy are entirely tax-free — Singapore does not tax personal disability insurance payouts. Premiums are paid from after-tax personal income, and premium counts toward the combined S$5,000/year personal income tax relief ceiling shared with voluntary CPF top-ups and life / CI insurance. The tax-free nature makes the 75% replacement much more valuable in practice than a 75% gross wage would be.
Own-occupation vs any-occupation — what is the difference?+
OWN-OCC: pays if you cannot perform the duties of YOUR specific occupation, even if you could work in another field. Gold standard, essential for specialists whose income depends on specific training (surgeons, airline pilots, dentists, senior legal partners). ANY-OCC: pays only if you cannot perform any occupation for which you are reasonably suited by education and experience — cheaper but far harder to claim on. Premier-tier AIA and Singlife policies offer own-occ for Classes 1-2; group schemes and lower tiers typically use any-occ after 24 months.
Should I buy DI if my employer offers group disability?+
Yes, as a top-up. Group DI in Singapore is usually modest: capped benefit (often S$5,000-S$10,000/month), any-occupation after 24 months, employer-paid (and the benefit may be structured as taxable wage replacement depending on policy), and LOST when you change employers. An individual own-occupation policy bought young locks today's age band rating, is portable for life, and tops up the group ceiling to the full 75% of gross income. Build it while healthy and employed — underwriting gets harder with age and medical history.