Statute Details
- Title: Judges’ Remuneration (Annual Pensionable Salary) Order
- Act Code: JRA1994-OR1
- Legislative Type: Subsidiary legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Judges’ Remuneration Act (Chapter 147, Section 2(1))
- Current Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Key Provisions: Section 1 (Citation); Section 2 (Annual pensionable salary)
- Commencement / Revision History (from extract):
- 1 Sep 1994: SL 1/1994 (Revised Edition 1994)
- 2 Jan 2021: Amended by S 1058/2020 (effective 02/01/2021)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Judges’ Remuneration (Annual Pensionable Salary) Order is a Singapore subsidiary instrument that sets the annual pensionable salary for specified senior judicial offices. In practical terms, it determines the salary figures that are treated as “pensionable” for the purpose of calculating pension-related entitlements for judges covered by the Judges’ Remuneration framework.
Although the Order is short, it performs an important administrative and financial function: it translates the policy intent of the Judges’ Remuneration Act into concrete monetary amounts. The Act provides the legal authority for prescribing pensionable salary levels, while the Order specifies the actual figures for each judicial role.
The scope of the Order is narrow and role-specific. It does not create broad employment rules or disciplinary procedures. Instead, it focuses on one key variable—annual pensionable salary—broken down by office: the Chief Justice, Justices of the Court of Appeal, Judges of the Appellate Division, and Judges of the High Court.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1 (Citation) is a standard provision. It states that the instrument may be cited as the “Judges’ Remuneration (Annual Pensionable Salary) Order”. This matters for legal referencing, drafting of related documents, and ensuring that the correct instrument is identified in submissions, correspondence, or internal governance materials.
Section 2 (Annual pensionable salary) is the substantive provision. It provides that there shall be paid to the listed judicial office-holders an annual pensionable salary at the specified rates. The structure is “there shall be paid to—(a) … (b) … (c) … (d) …”, making clear that the amounts are not discretionary; they are prescribed by law.
As amended with effect from 2 January 2021 by S 1058/2020, Section 2 sets the following annual pensionable salary amounts:
- (a) Chief Justice: $347,400 per year
- (b) Every Justice of the Court of Appeal: $253,200 per year
- (c) Every Judge of the Appellate Division: $244,200 per year
- (d) Every Judge of the High Court: $234,600 per year
Practical implications of “pensionable salary”: While the extract does not reproduce the detailed pension calculation mechanics, the legal significance of the Order is that it fixes the salary base that is treated as pensionable. For practitioners advising on pension-related matters, the pensionable salary figure is typically the starting point for determining pension entitlements under the relevant pension scheme or remuneration/pension framework applicable to judges.
Role-based differentiation is also a key feature. The Chief Justice’s pensionable salary is the highest figure in the Order. The Court of Appeal Justices receive a higher pensionable salary than the Appellate Division Judges, and the High Court Judges receive the lowest of the four categories. This reflects a structured approach to remuneration and pensionable salary calibration across judicial tiers.
Temporal effect of amendments: The extract indicates that the rates for the Court of Appeal Justices, Appellate Division Judges, and High Court Judges were amended by S 1058/2020 with effect from 02/01/2021. For legal work involving historical entitlements, it is crucial to identify which version of the Order applied at the relevant time. Pensionable salary levels can affect calculations for periods of service, and therefore the effective date of amendments can be determinative.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Order is structured as a short instrument with only two sections:
- Section 1: Citation provision.
- Section 2: The operative provision prescribing annual pensionable salary amounts for designated judicial offices.
There are no additional parts, schedules, or complex procedural sections in the extract. This simplicity is typical for subsidiary legislation that performs a “rate-setting” function under an enabling Act. The legal effect is achieved entirely through the prescribed monetary amounts in Section 2.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order applies to persons holding the specified judicial offices. In particular, it covers:
- the Chief Justice;
- Justices of the Court of Appeal;
- Judges of the Appellate Division; and
- Judges of the High Court.
Because the Order is tied to office-holding, its applicability is determined by the individual’s judicial position at the relevant time. For practitioners, this means that pensionable salary entitlements are linked to the office category rather than to a generic “judge” label. Where a person’s judicial role changes (for example, from High Court Judge to Appellate Division Judge), the pensionable salary figure relevant to the period of service in each office category may become relevant.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the Judges’ Remuneration (Annual Pensionable Salary) Order is brief, it is legally significant because it fixes the pensionable salary amounts that underpin pension-related calculations for senior judicial officers. In many legal and administrative contexts, pensionable salary is a key input that affects the quantification of benefits. Therefore, accurate identification of the applicable rates and effective dates is essential.
From an enforcement and compliance perspective, the Order provides a clear statutory basis for paying pensionable salary amounts. It reduces uncertainty by prescribing exact figures rather than leaving the determination to administrative discretion. This supports consistency across the judiciary and aligns remuneration/pension administration with the enabling framework in the Judges’ Remuneration Act.
For practitioners advising on matters such as pension entitlements, service-related benefit calculations, or disputes involving the correct pensionable salary base, the Order is a primary reference point. The effective date of amendments (notably the 02/01/2021 changes) can be critical where calculations span multiple periods. Counsel should therefore verify the version of the Order applicable to the relevant time frame and cross-check the pensionable salary category corresponding to the judicial office held.
Related Legislation
- Judges’ Remuneration Act (Chapter 147), in particular Section 2(1) (authorising the making of orders prescribing annual pensionable salary)
- Judges’ Remuneration (Timeline / Legislation timeline) (useful for confirming the correct version and effective dates, including amendments such as S 1058/2020)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Judges’ Remuneration (Annual Pensionable Salary) Order for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.