SG employee says his boss “has not submitted CPF payments and issued payslip”

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean employee took to social media to express his concern about his employer’s failure to submit CPF payments. He also noted that the HR department continually “makes up excuses” whenever he brings up this problem.

“… was paid salary for Feb 2024 work month on 1 March 2024 minus my CPF contributions. However, it is now almost the end of March and Employer has not contributed CPF yet. Also, they did not issue [a] payslip,” the employee wrote on r/askSingapore on Tuesday (March 26).

The employee stated that he had consistently followed up with the HR department regarding the submission of CPF contributions for the past week. 

However, the HR representative always gave him excuses like, “no response from boss,” “my hands are tied,” ” and “I already reminded the boss.”

“The bosses are not physically present in the office, so one can only approach HR.”

The employee has also called the CPF board, who have informed him that they have already “sent chasers to the company and that his boss is well aware of the need for them to make CPF contributions asap.”

In addition, the board also advised the employee to lodge a report.

“What steps will the CPF board take and how much more time do the employers have to wait before they are made to pay up? To me it seems like there’s nothing impactful being done and the bosses are not serious about paying cpf to staff.”

“CPF is mandatory, and your employer will get into trouble if they don’t credit it or if they credit it late”

In the comments section, Singaporean Redditors explained that employers are legally required to submit CPF contributions for their employees, and not doing so can lead to penalties.

They also reassured the employee that if the employer failed to submit the contributions despite warnings and follow-ups, the CPF board would take action against them.

One individual commented, “CPF is mandatory, and your employer will get into trouble if they don’t credit it, or if they credit it late. A CPF staff has told me before that late contributions will result in the employer being fined. So no, they cannot get away with this.”

While another said, “Your boss can go to jail for not paying CPF.”

A few also speculated that his company might have ‘some cash flow problems’ and suggested he start planning his exit strategy.

One individual stated, “Means your company got no cash anymore.”

What steps should I take if my employer doesn’t pay CPF contributions on time?

According to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board, if your employer fails to pay the CPF contributions on time, you should take the following actions:

Talk to your employer. Don’t be afraid to ask them about the late CPF contributions and when they could possibly make the payment. 

File a report on the CPF board’s website. If the first step didn’t work out or if your employers or HR representatives continue to give you vague responses about when the payment will be made, it’s time to take the next step: file a report on the CPF board’s website.

You can go to their website, fill out their form, and attach important documents like payslips or contracts to support your case.

Stay in touch with the CPF board.  From time to time, check for updates on the status of your report.

Keep documentation. Record all emails, letters, or other documentation related to late CPF contributions. This documentation can be helpful in case you need to take further action.

Read also: Employee says, “My employer refuses to pay the last month’s salary despite me giving 3-month resignation notice”

Featured image by Depositphotos