AWS (Annual Wage Supplement)
Annual Wage Supplement
Here, AWS means Annual Wage Supplement, not Amazon Web Services.
Just Tell Me
In Singapore employment, AWS means Annual Wage Supplement, a single yearly payment often called the 13th-month payment.
Also called: Annual Wage Supplement, 13th month payment, 13th-month payment
Explain Like I’m Five
AWS is one annual payment on top of an employee’s total annual wage. People call it the 13th-month payment, but it is not automatically required for every employee.
Where You’ll Run Into It
The term appears in employment contracts, company handbooks, collective agreements and year-end pay discussions. A job offer may list monthly salary, AWS and performance bonus separately.
Example
“The package includes one month of AWS, subject to the contract.”
The employer is describing a separate annual wage component, not promising every kind of bonus.
The Part People Get Wrong
AWS and a performance bonus are not the same thing. MOM states that AWS is not compulsory unless it is provided for in the employment contract or collective agreement.