FamilyHub SG / If something happens to you
If something happens to you: a checklist for your family in Singapore
Most families do not lack money. They lack a way to find it, and they do not know which paper decides who gets what. Two things can happen: you die, or you are alive but lose the ability to decide for yourself. Singapore has a different document for each, and they do not overlap. This guide shows which one does what, and what to write down so your family can act.
The short version
- Check your two nominations and your will. CPF, insurance and your will each control different money.
- Make a Lasting Power of Attorney in case you lose mental capacity while alive.
- Write one list of where everything is, and tell one person where it is.
Which document controls which money
The most common mistake is thinking a will covers everything. It does not.
| What | What decides who gets it | If you have nothing in place |
|---|---|---|
| CPF savings | Your CPF nomination. CPF says a will cannot be used to distribute CPF savings. | The Public Trustee distributes it under the intestacy rules, for a fee. CPF says claiming can take up to six months. |
| Life insurance payouts | The nomination you made with the insurer (trust or revocable). | The payout usually becomes part of your estate. |
| Other assets in your name | Your will. | The Intestate Succession Act sets fixed shares (not for Muslims, see below). |
| Decisions if you lose mental capacity | A Lasting Power of Attorney. | No one you chose has the authority to act for you. |
Property and joint accounts depend on how they are owned. That is a question for a lawyer, and this guide does not cover it.
1. Your CPF nomination
- Marriage cancels it. CPF says a marriage automatically revokes an existing nomination, and it asks you to make a new one. A divorce does not revoke it, so an ex-spouse could still be your nominee. Check yours after either event.
- A new nomination replaces the old one. You can make one online with Singpass at my cpf, with two witnesses. If you cannot find witnesses, ServiceSG Centres can act as witnesses for an online nomination.
- Having one is faster and cheaper for your family. CPF says it generally contacts nominees within 10 working days of being told of a death and takes no administration fee. Without a nomination, the Public Trustee charges a fee before your family can claim.
- Tell your nominees yourself. To see what you nominated, log in to my cpf and look for your nomination details (menu names change from time to time).
2. Your insurance nominations
For life policies, the Insurance Act lets you choose one of two types:
- Revocable nomination. You can change who gets the money whenever you like.
- Trust nomination. It is for your spouse and children only, and you cannot change it freely afterwards.
You make or change a nomination on your insurer's own form. If you never named anyone, the payout usually becomes part of your estate, so it goes through your will or the intestacy rules, which can take longer. Review nominations after a marriage, a birth or a divorce, and write down which type each policy has. If you do not know what you hold, start with how to track all your family's insurance policies.
3. A will
Nobody has to make a will. But without one, the Intestate Succession Act decides, whatever you wanted. According to MoneySense:
- Spouse and children: half to the spouse, half shared equally by the children. Your parents get nothing.
- Spouse only, with no children or parents: the spouse gets everything.
- Children only: shared equally among them.
- Spouse and parents, no children: half to the spouse, half to the parents.
The Act does not apply to Muslims, whose estates follow a separate set of rules. A will also lets you name who manages your estate and who looks after young children. A lawyer can draft one, and this is the one step here where paying for advice is usually worth it.
A will is not an LPA. An LPA (next section) works while you are alive and ends when you die. A will works only after you die. They solve different problems.
4. A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)
An LPA lets people you trust (donees) make decisions for you if you lose mental capacity. Anyone aged 21 or older can make one. Without it, your family may have to go to court to get authority.
- It only starts when needed. A donee can use it only after a medical practitioner certifies that you have lost mental capacity.
- You make it online. Log in to OPG Online with Singpass, fill in the form, get your donees to accept, then have it certified by a Certificate Issuer (an accredited doctor, a lawyer or a psychiatrist).
- Cost. The standard Form 1 is free for Singapore Citizens. The Certificate Issuer charges their own fee, and the amount depends on who you pick. PRs and foreigners pay an application fee.
- It takes time. The OPG says processing takes about 8 working days, followed by a mandatory 3-week wait before registration. Do it while you are well.
Also consider an Advance Care Plan: a conversation with a trained facilitator about the care you would want. If you are treated at a public healthcare institution, you can ask your care team to arrange a session.
5. Write the list your family will need
All of the above only helps if people can find it. Record these, in one place:
| Write down | Why |
|---|---|
| Where your will, LPA and policies are kept, and who your lawyer or adviser is | Your family needs these first. |
| Who your CPF and insurance nominees are, and when you last checked | Nominations go out of date silently. |
| Each insurance policy: insurer, policy number, who is covered | Policies nobody knows about are never claimed. |
| Banks, loans, investments, and who to call for each | Your accounts will be frozen until someone has authority, so they need to know what exists. |
| Regular payments and subscriptions | So nothing lapses by accident. |
| Who to call first | One name, one number. |
Do not write passwords or full card numbers in it. Tell one trusted person where the list is. A list that nobody knows about does not help.
What your family does first after a death
According to ICA, a death in Singapore is registered automatically once a doctor certifies it online, so your family does not need to go to a registration counter. The next of kin then downloads the digital death certificate within 30 days (ICA's page explains where), and it is free. ICA also says the person's NRIC is invalidated once the death is registered.
If you stored records on My Legacy
MyLegacy@LifeSG will delete the information users stored themselves on 4 January 2027. If you kept a will record or notes there, copy them out before that date. See what to save before 4 January 2027.
What FamilyHub SG does for this
FamilyHub SG is a free beta web app for Singapore families. For this list, it can hold your insurance policies with nominees, and your loans and other records, in one shared household. You choose whether each family member can edit or only view, and you can download a full copy of your records at any time.
Honest limits: it is still in testing, reminders appear inside the app only (no email yet), and you type in what you want recorded. It does not make your will, your LPA or your nominations, and it cannot check them for you. Your data is stored in Singapore, and the founder and one IT developer can access stored data to run the service. See the privacy policy.
Common questions
Can I use my will to decide who gets my CPF savings?
No. CPF says a will cannot be used to distribute CPF savings. Only a valid CPF nomination does that. Without one, your CPF savings go to the Public Trustee, who distributes them under the intestacy rules (or the Inheritance Certificate for Muslims).
Does getting married cancel my CPF nomination?
Yes. CPF says a marriage automatically revokes an existing nomination, so make a new one after you marry. A divorce does not revoke it, so check it after a divorce too.
What happens to my life insurance if I never named a nominee?
The payout usually becomes part of your estate, so it is shared under your will, or under the Intestate Succession Act if you have no will. A valid nomination normally sends it straight to the nominee instead.
Is a Lasting Power of Attorney the same as a will?
No. An LPA lets people you choose act for you if you are alive but lose mental capacity, and it ends when you die. A will deals with what you own after you die. You need both.
Is it free to make a Lasting Power of Attorney?
For Singapore Citizens, the OPG application for the standard Form 1 is free. You still pay the certificate issuer, and the fee depends on who you choose. PRs and foreigners pay an application fee.
A note on who wrote this. This guide is by the founder of FamilyHub SG, who is not a lawyer or a licensed financial adviser. It is general information, not legal or financial advice, and rules and fees change. Check the official pages below, and speak to a lawyer about your will and your own situation.
Sources
- CPF Board, Simple steps to making a CPF nomination (no nomination, Public Trustee fee, timing, witnesses). Checked 16 October 2026.
- CPF Board, Additional important notes on CPF nomination (marriage revokes, divorce does not, a will cannot distribute CPF). Checked 16 October 2026.
- CPF Board, How do I change my CPF nomination? Checked 16 October 2026.
- Prudential Singapore, Making a nomination (trust nomination under s49L and revocable nomination under s49M of the Insurance Act). Checked 16 October 2026.
- Great Eastern, What happens if you do not name an insurance nominee? Checked 16 October 2026.
- MoneySense, Intestacy: what if you don't have an estate plan? Checked 16 October 2026.
- LifeSG on Ask.gov.sg, Is there any legal requirement to make a will? Checked 16 October 2026.
- Ministry of Social and Family Development, Office of the Public Guardian (how to make an LPA, processing time, when it can be used). Checked 16 October 2026.
- MSF on Ask.gov.sg, When does the LPA fee waiver end? (Form 1 free for Singapore Citizens from 1 April 2026). Checked 16 October 2026.
- Agency for Integrated Care, Office of the Public Guardian and My Legacy, Find out more: LPA and ACP. Checked 16 October 2026.
- Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, Register and download digital death certificate. Checked 16 October 2026.
Related: Track your family's insurance policies · My Legacy data deletion on 4 January 2027.