Absentee Payroll (AP) Funding

Who qualifies

• Must be registered in Singapore.
• The training course must be SWDA-funded and listed in the Course Directory for Business.
• The employee claimed for must be a Singapore Citizen, Permanent Resident, or Long-Term Visit Pass Plus holder and be fully sponsored for the training.
• The employer must make CPF contributions for the employee.
• For training outside working hours, the employer must have an HR policy providing overtime pay or the applicable MOM-stipulated allowance and must pay it for those training hours.
• One trainee and training course can qualify for only one form of wage compensation, either Absentee Payroll or salary support, at any point in time.
• The 95% Workfare Skills Support rate applies to Singapore Citizens aged 30 and above, or persons with special needs aged 13 and above, earning a monthly salary of not more than S$2,500.

What it funds

• Employee training, upskilling, course fees

Costs covered: Internal staff salary attributable to the project.

Maximum support: up to 95%.

Standard AP funding for Tier 1 or Tier 2 courses is $4.50 per hour. Under Workfare Skills Support, Singapore Citizens aged 30 and above, or persons with special needs aged 13 and above, earning at most $2,500 monthly receive 95% of hourly basic salary, capped at $13 per hour.

Recorded cap: S$100,000.

Standard AP funding is capped at $100,000 per enterprise per calendar year.

Payment: Paid after the company incurs the cost and files a claim.

How to apply

Inform the course provider that Absentee Payroll funding is required. After the employee completes the course, the provider starts the claim and the employer receives an email to complete the AP application in the SWDA/SkillsFuture portal.

The specific AP page publishes the claim flow and disbursement timing, but the linked claim guide was not present in the local vault and the page does not name claim documents.

1. Inform the course training provider about Absentee Payroll funding.
2. Wait for the employee to complete the SWDA-funded course and for the provider to start the claim.
3. After receiving the email, log in to the Absentee Payroll funding claim service.
4. Open the AP Funding tab and declare the employees’ hourly salary information before CPF deduction.

Before applying

• The employee must have completed the training course before the employer can claim.
• The organisation, course, employee sponsorship, residency status, and CPF contribution conditions must be met.

Processing time: Funding is disbursed to the employer’s corporate PayNow within two and a half weeks after submission if the claim is approved.

Claiming support

Complete the AP application in the online claim service after the training provider starts the claim and the employer receives the email.

Application window: The current training subsidies page does not state a closing date.