What are the three scenarios for CPF cash withdrawal at age 55?

CPF Cash Withdrawal Scenarios at Age 55

When you turn 55, your Retirement Account (RA) is created. Your Special Account (SA) savings are used to top up the RA to meet the Full Retirement Sum (FRS), which is S$213,000 in 2025. Any excess SA savings flow to your Ordinary Account (OA), and your SA is closed. The amount you can withdraw depends on the balances in your OA and RA at that time. Based on CPF Board guidelines, there are three main scenarios:

Scenario 1: Sufficient Funds in OA

If you have money in your OA at age 55, you can withdraw 100% of your OA balance in cash. Furthermore, if you have pledged a property, you can withdraw any amount in your RA that is above the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) (S$106,500 in 2025).

Scenario 2: Insufficient Funds in RA and No OA Balance

If your total combined balance across your RA (after topping up to FRS) and OA is less than the BRS (S$106,500 in 2025), you are generally allowed to withdraw up to S$5,000 in cash from your RA/OA combined balance.

Scenario 3: Funds Between BRS and FRS in RA, with No OA

If your RA balance is between the BRS (S$106,500 in 2025) and the FRS (S$213,000 in 2025), and you have no money left in your OA, you cannot withdraw any cash by default. The only way to access funds above the BRS in your RA is by pledging a property that covers the shortfall (i.e., pledging property to meet the BRS requirement).

Important Note on Withdrawals at 65:

Regardless of the scenario at age 55, once you reach age 65 and start CPF LIFE payouts, you can withdraw up to 20% of your RA balance (excluding government grants, direct top-ups, and interest earned after payouts begin). The remaining RA balance is used for CPF LIFE payouts.