SINGAPORE: About S$516 million in Central Provident Fund (CPF) arrears was recovered last year from employers who had underpaid, did not pay or made late payments of CPF contributions.

The recovered arrears benefited more than 360,000 employees, the CPF Board said on Wednesday (Jun 1).

About S$15.2 million worth of arrears recovered was due to underpayment or non-payment by 1,840 employers.

The remaining S$500.8 million recovered was due to employers being late in making CPF contributions. An average of 5,600 employers each month in 2015 were late, the CPF Board said.

One of the largest sums of CPF arrears was uncovered through a complaint lodged by a driver from a logistics company. Investigations showed that the company had wrongly classified its drivers under a contract for service and did not pay them CPF. About S$2 million in CPF arrears over eight years was recovered for 70 drivers.

Fewer employers were convicted of not paying or underpaying CPF contributions, with 36 convicted compared to 46 in 2014. However, more were hauled to court for paying CPF contributions late, with 237 convictions compared to 223 in 2014.

All convicted employers were fined and ordered to pay the CPF arrears by the State Court, the CPF Board said.