Below are the rates posted at Salary.sg. It is part serious and part light hearted. Hope people don’t take this too seriously like ang bao rates for wedding dinner. The ang bao tradition has several thousand years of cultural history and must not be commercialised to a point of being killed.
The ang bao for wedding is reaching a level that people felt pissed or unduly burdened by the invitation that some may even curse for being invited. It is not a small sum and if the inflation of ang bao and restaurant prices is not curbed, it would kill the wedding dinner tradition as well, or it will revert to a new and greatly downsized version, among very close friends or relatives only.
The giving of ang bao is also meant to be a gesture or token of goodwill and not to make undue demands on the givers. It is best to cap the amount to a minimum and kept there to prolong this fine tradition and not turning it into a fine for the givers. For those who are able to give, they should give it in other forms and standardise the amount for ang bao in the spirit of giving.
May the rich continues to be generous and the not so rich be blessed with the wisdom to keep this tradition going without feeling the pain in the pocket.
High Income - Combined income of $150k and above annually
Parents $88 – $200
In Laws $88 – $200
Own Children $20 – $80
Nephews and Nieces $20 – $50
Children of Friends and Colleagues $20 – $50
Grandchildren $20 – $50
Middle Income - Combined income of $30k – $150k annually
Parents $48 – $100
In Laws $48 – $100
Own Children $8 – $28
Nephews and Nieces $5 – $18
Children of Friends and Colleagues $8 – $28
Grandchildren $5 – $10
Low Income - Combined income of $30k and below annually
Parents $8 – $20
In Laws $8 – $20
Own Children $2 – $5
Nephews and Nieces $2 – $5
Children of Friends and Colleagues $2 – $5
Grandchildren $2 – $5
Chua Chin Leng aka redbean
* The writer blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/