Every sale is split the same way: fees, the bank, your CPF, and finally you. Move the sliders and the plan redraws to scale.
Sale price$
Mortgage still owed$
CPF used, with interest$
Mortgage and CPF together can't add up to more than the sale price.
Cash to you $847,500 · Back into CPF $320,000
Sale price $1,500,000
B
C
D
Yours $1,167,500
A Agent and legal fees
$32,500
B Mortgage repaid to the bank
$300,000
C Refunded to your CPF
$320,000
D Cash to you
$847,500
The CPF refund could add about$2,320 to $2,470 a month from 65
Drawn to scale. Assumes 2% agent fee and $2,500 legal.
Estimate only. The CPF LIFE range comes from CPF's published example ($3,200 to $3,400 a month from 65 for a member aged 55 in 2026 who tops up to the Enhanced Retirement Sum), scaled to your refund. Your own figure depends on your age and plan, so use CPF's payout estimator.
Your options, age by age
CPF and housing rules change at set ages. Pick your home and your age to see what opens, and when.
My age
Already passedAge 35
Own early, hold long
A flat you start paying off in your 30s can be loan-free by your 50s, which opens the most choices later. Time does the heavy lifting.
Two worked examples. Each sale drawn to scale, from the price down to what was left.
HDB right-sizing
From a 5-room in Bedok to a 3-room near the grandchildren
Mr and Mrs Rahman, 62 and 60. Children married and moved out.
Where they started
Fully paid 5-room flat valued at $780,000. They had used $260,000 of CPF, including accrued interest.
What they did
Sold, bought a 3-room resale flat for $380,000, and looked at topping up CPF for the Silver Housing Bonus.
Fees $18,100Back to CPF $260,000Next flat and duty $389,000Cash left $112,900
Cash left after the new flat
$112,900
Back in their CPF
$260,000
Possible Silver Housing Bonus
up to $30,000
The CPF refund was the surprise. Two decades of accrued interest meant far more went back to CPF than they had put in, which lifts their CPF LIFE payouts instead of their cash.
Condo to resale HDB
Clearing a condo mortgage at 57 by moving to a resale flat
Mr and Mrs Lim, 57 and 56. Tired of $3,000 monthly instalments.
Where they started
Three-bedroom condo worth $1,650,000, with $350,000 left on the loan and $300,000 of CPF used.
What they did
Sold the condo and bought a $680,000 4-room resale flat with cash and CPF, no HDB loan, so no wait-out applied.
Fees $35,500Mortgage $350,000Back to CPF $300,000Next flat and duty $698,000Cash left $266,500
Cash left after the new flat
$266,500
Back in their CPF
$300,000
Monthly mortgage
none
The timing mattered more than the price. They lined up the sale and purchase so the CPF refund and cash landed before completion, and rented nothing in between.
Illustrative examples, not actual clients. Names, places and figures are invented to show how the rules work. Fees assume 2% agent fee and $2,500 legal; purchases include buyer’s stamp duty and $3,000 legal.
I'm a property consultant with PropNex (CEA R068687C). I help owners in their 50s and 60s plan the move that pays for retirement, and I show every number before we talk about listing anything.
