Quick Answer
Less than the sale price minus your loan suggests, because part goes back to your CPF. In this example, a S$700,000 sale leaves S$250,000 cash and S$250,000 refunded to CPF before selling costs. That is not S$500,000 cash. The S$200,000 loan is paid off first. Then the CPF you used, plus accrued interest, is refunded.
The Useful Number: In this example, a S$700,000 sale leaves S$250,000 cash and S$250,000 refunded to CPF before selling costs. That is not S$500,000 cash.
In What Order Are Sale Proceeds Paid Out?
Start with your expected sale price, the loan you still owe and the CPF you used plus accrued interest, shown in your CPF dashboard. The calculator pays off the loan first, then sets aside the CPF refund. What is left is cash.
It is not a conveyancing statement (your lawyer’s account of the sale). Enter agent fees, legal fees, loan penalties and levies as selling costs; they come out of your cash, not the CPF refund. A default of zero does not mean there are no costs.
How Much Is Left From A S$700,000 Sale For A S$1 Million Purchase?
Sell for S$700,000 with a S$200,000 loan and S$500,000 is left. S$250,000 of CPF principal plus accrued interest goes back to CPF, so S$250,000 is cash. For a S$1 million next home, the 25% downpayment (S$250,000) and BSD (S$24,600) leave a modelled combined funding remainder of S$225,400.
That assumes you can use all the cash and CPF and the next loan covers 75%, which needs a loan ending by age 65 and enough income; the tool checks both. It leaves out ABSD (Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty) and timing.
- Loan Paid Off: S$200,000
- Refunded To Your CPF: S$250,000
- Cash To You: S$250,000
- Sale Price: S$700,000
Data as of . Source: CPF Board — Housing Refunds.
Try Your Numbers
How Much Of Your Sale Is Cash?
Before selling costs such as agent and legal fees. Your next purchase is worked out in the full calculator.
Cash From The Sale
S$250,000
- Sale Price Less Loan
- S$500,000
- Refunded To Your CPF
- S$250,000
Rough estimate. See the full tool for assumptions.
How Do MOP And CPF Rules Affect Your Sale?
Pick your five- or ten-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), the time you must live in the flat before selling. Standard and most unclassified flats use five years; Plus, Prime and PLH flats usually use ten. Meeting the time you enter does not prove you can sell, so confirm your dates in HDB’s record.
If the modelled CPF refund falls short, you do not automatically owe a cash top-up; CPF has specific rules for sales at market value. Ask CPF Board and your lawyer for the real settlement.
What Should Your Funding Plan And Dates Include?
The tool runs two checks: whether your cash covers the minimum cash downpayment (5%, or 10% if your loan runs past 65) plus cash buying costs, and whether your total funds, including usable CPF, cover the purchase. It shows the larger gap, not both added, because they overlap.
Enter any refund you cannot reuse, such as money set aside in your Retirement Account (RA) from age 55. Singapore Citizens pay no ABSD once they have sold, but a PR household pays 5%. Check BSD and ABSD, get loan approval and confirm payment dates, because sale money and refunded CPF do not arrive at once.
Quick Check
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Card 1 Of 3
A S$700,000 sale with a S$200,000 loan leaves S$500,000 cash in this example.
Why?
The loan is paid off first, then the CPF used plus accrued interest goes back to CPF. Only S$250,000 is cash, before selling costs.
Read: How Much Is Left From A S$700,000 Sale For A S$1 Million Purchase?
Card 2 Of 3
Selling costs come out of your cash, not the CPF refund.
Why?
Enter them as selling costs. A default of zero does not mean there are no costs.
Card 3 Of 3
If the modelled CPF refund falls short, you must top it up in cash.
Why?
Ask CPF Board and your lawyer for the real settlement, especially if the sale money is not enough.
Your Score
Try It With Your Numbers
Open the calculator with this guide’s example filled in. Then change the numbers to match your situation.
Open HDB Upgrade Planner →Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does Part Of My Sale Proceeds Go Back To CPF?
The calculator pays off the loan first.
Then it sets aside the refund of the CPF you used plus accrued interest, shown in your CPF dashboard. Only what is left counts as cash. Selling costs, such as agent and legal fees, come out of your cash, not the CPF refund.
Try HDB Upgrade Planner →Do I Have To Top Up Cash If My CPF Refund Falls Short?
Not automatically.
If the modelled CPF refund falls short, CPF has specific rules for sales at market value. Ask CPF Board and your lawyer for the real settlement, especially if the sale money is not enough.
How Long Must I Wait Before Selling My HDB Flat?
Pick your five- or ten-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) and enter the years that count.
Standard and most unclassified flats use five years. Plus, Prime and PLH flats usually use ten. Meeting the time you enter does not prove you can sell, so confirm your period and completion date in HDB’s record.
Can I Use All My Refunded CPF For The Next Home?
Not always.
Enter any refund you cannot use for the next home, such as money set aside in your RA from age 55. Sale money and refunded CPF also do not arrive at once. Confirm payment dates before you count on money not yet released.
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Sources & Assumptions
- CPF Board — Housing Refunds ↗
- MoneySense — Property Affordability ↗
- HDB — MOP And Private Property ↗
- CPF — Housing Refund Availability ↗
Sources checked 11 September 2026. These are examples only. Check the stated assumptions and limits before you use a result.
Rough estimate only. It assumes you sell first at market value, pool household money and the valuation is at least the price. The bank loan is 75%, or 55% if it runs past age 65, and no more than your income allows under TDSR. It is not loan approval or a conveyancing statement. Check separately for a below-market sale, splits between co-owners, ABSD timing and CPF eligibility. Costs and CPF you cannot use start at zero; enter them where they apply.