Work Pass Quota Calculator Singapore
How many S Pass and Work Permit holders can your company hire? Work out your MOM quota from your local headcount, by sector.
Each sector has its own overall quota (dependency ratio ceiling) and S Pass sub-quota.
Singapore Citizens and PRs on CPF, averaged over the last 3 months. Each counts as one.
Each counts as half. Locals earning less than $900 do not count.
Leave at 0 to see your full quota.
Leave at 0 to see your full quota.
Your quota
Uses MOM’s quota rules: overall and S Pass quotas are shares of your total workforce (locals plus foreign workers). The Local Qualifying Salary is $1,800 from 1 July 2026. Estimates only — MOM’s online quota calculator is final.
Your foreign workforce is above the quota. New applications and renewals may be rejected.
You have more S Pass holders than the quota allows. New applications and renewals may be rejected.
Hire 0 more local(s) earning $1,800+ to add one S Pass holder.
Hire 0 more local(s) earning $1,800+ to add one Work Permit holder.
Levy for your next Work Permit hire
Tier 2
$400 a month (higher-skilled) or $600 (basic-skilled)
Work pass levy calculator →About this work pass quota calculator
Singapore employers can only hire S Pass and Work Permit holders in proportion to their local workforce. MOM sets two limits for each sector:
- the dependency ratio ceiling (DRC) — the most foreign workers (S Pass + Work Permit) as a share of your total workforce, and
- the S Pass sub-quota — the most S Pass holders as a share of the same total.
Because foreign workers are part of the total, the maths is not simply “35% of your locals”. In services, 10 local employees allow up to 5 foreign workers (5 ÷ 15 = 33%, while 6 ÷ 16 would be 37.5%), of whom only 1 can be an S Pass holder.
Only locals on your CPF payroll count, averaged over the last three months, and only if they are paid enough. From 1 July 2026 the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) is $1,800: a local earning at least that counts as one, a local earning at least half ($900) counts as half, and anyone paid less is not counted.
The calculator also shows how many more qualifying locals you would need to add one more S Pass or Work Permit holder, and — for services and manufacturing — which levy tier your next Work Permit hire would fall into.
How to use it
- Pick your sector, as registered with MOM.
- Enter your local employees earning $1,800 or more, and those earning $900 to $1,799, as a 3-month average.
- Enter the S Pass and Work Permit holders you employ now.
- Read the slots left, any over-quota warning, and how many more locals you need.
- Check the next hire’s levy tier and open the levy calculator for the full cost.
Key terms and concepts
Dependency ratio ceiling (DRC): the maximum share of foreign workers in your total workforce — 35% in services, 60% in manufacturing, 83.3% (1 local : 5 foreign) in construction and process, and 75% in marine shipyards.
S Pass sub-quota: 10% of total workforce in services and 15% in the other sectors.
Local Qualifying Salary (LQS): the minimum pay for a local to count fully towards your quota — $1,800 from 1 July 2026 (was $1,600).
Total workforce: counted locals plus all S Pass and Work Permit holders.
Levy tiers: in services and manufacturing, Work Permit levy rises as your foreign share rises.
Common use cases
- Checking whether you can hire one more S Pass holder before applying.
- Planning how many locals to hire to support a bigger foreign team.
- Seeing how the July 2026 LQS increase changes your quota.
- Comparing quotas across sectors when setting up a business.
- Finding out which levy tier your next Work Permit hire will cost.
Examples
Example 1 — services, 10 locals earning $1,800+. Up to 5 foreign workers (35% of 15), of whom 1 can be an S Pass holder (10% of 11).
Example 2 — services, 20 locals, 1 S Pass and 4 Work Permit holders. The ceiling is 10 foreign workers and 2 S Pass holders, so 1 S Pass and 5 Work Permit slots are left. The next Work Permit hire would make foreign workers 6 of 26 (23%) — levy tier 2.
Example 3 — manufacturing, 10 locals. Up to 15 foreign workers (60% of 25).
Example 4 — construction, 10 locals. Up to 50 foreign workers at 1 local : 5 foreign.
Example 5 — 4 locals earning $1,200. They count as 2 locals in total, not 4.
Important notes
Official sources (verified 14 October 2026). These figures match MOM’s published pages:
- Construction and process DRC 83.3% (1 local : 5 foreign) from 1 January 2024. Current tables: Work Permit quota and levy, construction sector, process sector. Announced in the 18 February 2022 MOM press release.
- Marine shipyard DRC 75% (1 local : 3 foreign) from 1 January 2026 (was 77.8%). Current: marine shipyard sector. Announced in the COS 2024 foreign workforce factsheet.
- Work Permit levy tiers — services 10% / 25% / 35%, manufacturing 25% / 50% / 60% of total workforce: services sector, manufacturing sector. Construction, process and marine shipyard levies are not DRC-tiered.
- Local Qualifying Salary $1,800 from 1 July 2026 (was $1,600). Part-time locals must earn at least $10.50/hour gross. Quota count: 1 at ≥ $1,800, 0.5 at ≥ $900 to below $1,800. LQS page, how to count locals, 3 March 2026 COS press release, lower-wage workers factsheet.
- S Pass sub-quota 10% (services) / 15% (other sectors); levy $650 from 1 September 2025 (daily $21.37): S Pass quota and levy.
Not modelled: nationality and source restrictions, PRC Work Permit sub-quotas (8% services / 25% manufacturing), occupation-specific Work Permit limits, and Employment Pass holders (who do not count towards quotas).
Rounding. MOM counts whole workers, so quotas are rounded down. See MOM’s guide on calculating quota and levy.
Not legal advice. MOM’s online quota calculator and your Work Permit Online account show your official balance.
Frequently asked questions
How is the S Pass quota calculated?
S Pass holders can be at most 10% of your total workforce in services and 15% in other sectors. The total includes your counted locals and all foreign workers.
How many foreign workers can I hire with 10 local staff?
In services, up to 5, of whom 1 can be an S Pass holder. In manufacturing, up to 15. In construction and process, up to 50.
What is the Local Qualifying Salary in 2026?
$1,800 a month from 1 July 2026, up from $1,600. Locals earning at least half of that ($900) count as half a worker.
Do part-time locals count towards the quota?
Locals earning at least half the LQS ($900) count as half a worker. Part-timers must also be paid at least $10.50 an hour (gross) to meet the LQS. A part-timer below $900 a month still does not count towards quota.
Do Employment Pass holders count towards the quota?
No. EP holders are not subject to quota and do not count as local workforce.
What happens if I exceed my quota?
MOM may reject new applications and renewals until you are within quota again, usually by hiring more qualifying locals.
How does quota affect the Work Permit levy?
In services and manufacturing, the levy rises in tiers as foreign workers make up a larger share of your workforce. The calculator shows the tier of your next hire.
Is this MOM’s official quota?
No. It is an estimate from published rules. Check MOM’s online quota calculator or Work Permit Online for your official balance.