Under Singapore’s political salary framework, the total annual salary for a Minister at MR4 grade is benchmarked to the median income of the top 1,000 Singaporean income earners, with a 40 per cent discount to reflect the ethos of political service.

The benchmark pool comprises Singaporeans from a diverse range of industry sectors and professions.

The MR4 reference annual salary was set at $1.1 million from 2011. In 2026, the Government accepted the recommendations of an independent review committee to update the MR4 reference annual salary, after 15 years. However, for existing political appointment holders, the Government decided not to implement a full increase now but to do a one-off adjustment of up to 9%, subject to performance and individual circumstances.

This means an MR4 Minister receiving a $1.1 million annual salary could receive an increment of up to $100,000, bringing his annual salary to around $1.2 million. Thereafter, only annual adjustments based on individual performance and responsibilities would apply.