Finance

Living in One Country, Earning in Another

Singapore counts 183 days, Malaysia 182, Indonesia more than 183 — and all three count them over different windows, which is why the same year of travel can land you in a different place in each. Plus what a one-year work pass actually promises you, why a part-day in Malaysia is a whole day, what it costs to take your CPF out, and where the money really goes when you remit.

1 Aug 2026 · 9 min read

Finance

How to Read Your Payslip in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia

Every line on your payslip, what it actually is, who pays it, and which ones you can change. Including the Singapore deduction that is a default rather than a legal obligation — the CPF Board says so in writing, and almost nobody who pays it knows. Written after auditing our own payroll tools, one of which turned out to be two years out of date.

31 Jul 2026 · 11 min read

Finance

What Changed in the Statutory Rates This Year

If you earn S$60,000 in Singapore, your tax bill this year is S$200 higher on identical income — and no rate changed, no bracket moved, nothing was withdrawn. The YA2025 rebate simply was not extended, and a rebate that lapses produces no announcement and no change to any published rate table. That is the shape of most statutory change. The CPF ceiling finished its four-year climb in January, Malaysia's real moves landed eighteen months ago and are only now visible across a full year of payslips, and the charge that moved most is not a tax at all.

29 Jul 2026 · 8 min read

Finance

EPF vs CPF: How Malaysia's and Singapore's Retirement Systems Compare (2026)

Side-by-side 2026 comparison of Malaysia's EPF and Singapore's CPF: contribution rates, ceilings, dividends vs floors, withdrawals and cross-border rules.

21 Jul 2026 · 14 min read

Finance

How to Estimate a Mortgage You Can Actually Afford (Singapore & Malaysia, 2026)

TDSR, MSR and the 4% floor in Singapore; bank DSR practice in Malaysia — two worked examples show exactly how much home loan you can afford in 2026.

14 Jul 2026 · 12 min read

Finance

SST in 2026: What's Taxed, What's Not, and How to Compute It

Malaysia's SST in 2026, receipt by receipt: which goods carry 5% or 10%, which services pay 6% or 8%, the Jan 2026 rental cut, and three worked examples.

14 Jul 2026 · 9 min read

Finance

How BPJS Kesehatan & Ketenagakerjaan Deductions Work (2026)

What BPJS Kesehatan and Ketenagakerjaan take from an Indonesian salary in 2026: rates, the two different wage caps, and a full Rp10 million example.

14 Jul 2026 · 7 min read

Finance

Singapore vs Malaysia Income Tax: Where Does Your Salary Go Further? (2026)

Three salaries computed under SG YA2026 and MY YA2025 rules: tax bands, CPF vs EPF deductions, and the honest cash vs tax-only take-home split.

14 Jul 2026 · 9 min read

Finance

CPF Contributions Explained: Rates, Ceilings & What Changed in 2026

The 2026 CPF rate table, the $8,000 OW ceiling, the AW bonus formula, and a full worked example — plus the senior-rate step-up already set for 2027.

14 Jul 2026 · 7 min read

Finance

How to Read Your Malaysia PCB (MTD) Deduction — the Formula Explained (2026)

Your PCB deduction is an estimate of your annual tax, spread across the months. Here's the LHDN formula behind it, with 2026 rates and a worked example.

14 Jul 2026 · 9 min read