13O vs 13U: What Are the Requirements for a Singapore Family Office?

By Ray Tay, Head of Marketing at VIVOS Pte. Ltd. — ACRA Registered Filing Agent FA20240323 · MOM Employment Agency Licence 24S2425 · Last reviewed: 17 August 2026

The 13O incentive requires S$20 million AUM and 2 investment professionals; 13U requires S$50 million and 3 investment professionals, at least one non-family. Both exempt qualifying fund income from Singapore tax, require tiered local business spending (S$200k–1M), and commit 10% or S$10M of AUM to local investments.

13O vs 13U at a glance

Key facts (2026)

• As of 15 June 2026, qualifying single family offices operate under a single, structure-agnostic framework rather than case-by-case licensing exemptions — see our Singapore Single Family Office Framework guide.
• GIP Option C connects family offices to permanent residency: S$200M AUM with at least S$50M deployed in Singapore — see our GIP / Singapore PR guide.

Who chooses which

13O typically suits first-generation wealth consolidating a single family’s assets into one Singapore vehicle — the lower AUM and professional-headcount bar make it the more accessible route. 13U is built for institutional-scale families: the higher thresholds (S$50M AUM, 3 investment professionals with at least one non-family hire) reflect a more mature governance structure, and MAS treats 13U applicants closer to a licensed fund manager in terms of expected substance.

Both incentives run through MAS’s application process and require the fund vehicle, the local business spending, and the investment professionals to be in place before approval — this is structuring and compliance work best done before you apply, not after. Once operating, a family office can also anchor Employment Pass applications for family members working in it, and at S$200M+ AUM it connects directly to the Global Investor Programme as a route to Singapore PR.

Family offices sit alongside VIVOS’s core tax structuring and compliance services — see our tax page for the wider Singapore corporate and personal tax picture your family office will operate within.

FAQs

Does a family office give my family residency?
Not by itself — but it anchors Employment Pass applications for family members working in it, and at S$200M+ AUM it can qualify under GIP Option C for permanent residency.

Are the tax exemptions permanent?
They’re incentive awards subject to ongoing conditions (AUM, spending, professionals) — breach the conditions and the exemption is at risk.

Can the AUM include overseas assets?
AUM is measured on the fund vehicle the incentive covers; structuring which assets sit inside is exactly the design work to do before applying.

Talk to a specialist: WhatsApp +65 9366 9399 or contact@vivos.com.sg — incorporation, passes and compliance handled by one licensed team.