Election deposit for candidates remains at $13,500

Candidates contesting this year's general election will need to pay $13,500 each, the same as in the 2020 election.

- Lim Min Zhang

This and other details were revealed on April 15 by the Elections Department (ELD) shortly after President Tharman Shanmugaratnam dissolved Parliament and issued the Writ of Election.

Polling Day will be on May 3, a Saturday, if more than one candidate or group of candidates are nominated for an electoral division on Nomination Day. Nomination Day will be next Wednesday, April 23.

Candidates' election deposits will be forfeited if they are not elected and do not secure more than 12.5 per cent of the votes polled.

The deposit is set as the fixed monthly allowance payable to an elected MP for the month immediately before the date of dissolution of Parliament, rounded to the nearest $500. The current fixed monthly allowance is $13,750.

Candidates are encouraged to pay their deposits early, and not wait until Nomination Day to do so. Other than using a cheque, electronic payment methods, such as PayNow and bank transfer, are also available.