Professional and Authority Fees for Singapore Landed Homes

Professional and authority fees are separate parts of a Singapore landed-home budget. Professional fees cover agreed architectural, engineering and other services, while authority fees cover applicable regulatory applications and processes; a consultant’s submission service does not automatically include every authority payment. Start by separating these amounts in the full landed home cost breakdown. A proposal that looks cheaper may cover fewer stages or leave more third-party costs outside its total. The useful comparison is what each appointment delivers and what you must still procure separately.

What BCA’s fee guidance establishes

BCA’s building-plan submission guidance states that fees are payable at the first plan submission and refers applicants to the Second Schedule of the Building Control Regulations. This is a defined regulatory payment, distinct from the work needed to prepare and coordinate the submission. Ask the project team to identify the applicable fee basis and source when preparing your budget. An old example from a different project is insufficient evidence. Keep the application type, calculation, date and tax treatment with the allowance so it can be checked before payment.

Read professional and authority fees as separate commitments

Architectural services

An architectural appointment may include feasibility, design, documentation, submissions, tender assistance and construction-stage services, depending on its terms. Do not assume every proposal includes all these stages. Ask what information you receive, which meetings are included and when the agreed service ends. The existing guide to architectural fee structures and service scope provides supporting context. Whether the fee is fixed, staged or calculated by percentage, its basis should be clear. For a percentage arrangement, identify the cost definition and how changes affect the calculation.

Engineering and specialist services

Identify civil and structural engineering, relevant building-services input, surveying and other specialist work required by the scheme. Confirm which appointments the owner makes directly and which are included elsewhere. An architect coordinating consultants does not necessarily mean their fees are included in the architectural fee. List investigations separately from professional interpretation. A survey, site investigation or testing service may involve its own supplier and scope. Ask who commissions it, who receives the results and whether the quoted allowance includes access arrangements or reinstatement after investigative work.

Authority applications and related charges

The relevant applications depend on the works. URA’s planning-permission guidance distinguishes applicable permission routes and exemptions. Ask the Qualified Person to identify the intended route before carrying over a planning allowance from a previous project. BCA building and structural submissions, technical-agency matters and other applicable processes should each be considered. Record actual charges where established and clearly label estimates. Avoid a vague submission lump sum that mixes professional time, government charges and unrelated expenses without explanation.

Check exclusions before accepting the total

Look for disbursements, additional copies, specialist reports, travel where relevant and services triggered by changed instructions. Clarify how extra work is agreed and priced. A written appointment should make it possible to tell whether a later request falls within the original scope. Confirm GST treatment line by line. IRAS lists the current GST rate as 9%, but the amount payable depends on the supplier and the transaction. Check whether quoted amounts include applicable tax rather than automatically adding it to every entry. A hypothetical S$50,000 taxable fee quoted excluding GST becomes S$54,500 where 9% GST applies. This is an arithmetic example, not a market fee benchmark. Repeat the same inclusion check for every proposal before comparing their final totals.

Separate potential land charges from routine submission fees

SLA explains that Land Betterment Charge replaced Development Charge, Differential Premium and Temporary Development Levy from 1 August 2022. Do not carry an old development-charge label or blanket assumption into a current budget without checking its relevance. Whether a charge applies and how it is assessed require consideration of the actual proposal and relevant provisions, including any applicable relief. Ask the appropriate advisers to establish the position. An increase in proposed accommodation should not be treated as sufficient evidence of a particular payable amount.

Use a fee register that follows the project

For each appointment or charge, record the payee, scope, amount, tax basis, payment trigger and approval status. Include the document supporting the figure. Update the register when the design changes or a new service is commissioned, rather than waiting for an unexpected invoice. Keep fees distinct when reviewing construction cost per square foot. A construction rate and a professional-service proposal measure different things. Combining them without stating the basis makes both harder to compare. Uncertain future work belongs in a clearly explained allowance, not a hidden fee assumption. Our guide to contingency and hidden costs explains how to separate known commitments from unresolved risks.

Agree the scope before committing

Bring the fee proposals and intended project scope to Joya Architects for a discussion. Ask which services are included, which require separate appointments and what could change the fee. A clear appointment should leave both sides able to describe the same work.

Frequently asked questions

Does an architect’s fee include authority charges?

Only if the appointment explicitly includes them. Professional fees and authority charges serve different purposes, so ask for separate amounts and payment responsibilities. A service described as submission preparation may cover professional work while excluding application charges, specialist reports and other third-party expenses required for the project.

Is a fixed fee always better than a percentage fee?

Neither format is automatically better. Compare the services, assumptions, exclusions and treatment of changes. A fixed fee still needs a defined scope, while a percentage fee needs a clear cost basis. The appointment should explain payment stages and how additional services are authorised before they proceed.

Should engineering fees be budgeted separately?

Yes, unless the relevant services are expressly included in another appointment. Identify each discipline, supplier and deliverable to avoid gaps or duplication. Coordination by the architect does not by itself establish that another consultant’s fees, investigations or testing costs are included in the architectural service price.

Can I use an old project’s authority fees as my budget?

Use them only as a prompt for checking, not as a confirmed amount. Application routes, project scope and fee provisions can differ. Ask the team to calculate the relevant charges using current official guidance and record which amounts remain estimates until the proposal and submission requirements are established.