A man has taken to social media to argue his case that $750 a month for full-time national servicemen (NSF) is not enough in today’s economy.
In a TikTok video on Wednesday (Dec 24), the man named Sheldon said that he decided to speak up after seeing social media comments where people complained that they were paid up to $400 while serving national service.
The latest adjustment in July 2025 saw an increase of between $35 and $75 in the NS monthly allowance.
Recruits in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), as well as trainee special constables in the Singapore Police Force saw their allowance rise from $755 to $790.
But Sheldon argued that even with the latest revision, the allowance did not account for inflation.
He cited an example, saying that the price of a McSpicy — an NSF favourite book out meal — was previously $4.50 and is now about $9.50.
This means that NSFs today can buy fewer burgers, he said, adding that his commander could have bought 106 burgers.
“With $750, you can get a whopping 77 McSpicies,” he said. “Yes, while we are making more money, we have less buying power.”
The video has since garnered over 260 comments, 10,000 likes and 100,000 views.
While several netizens agreed with Sheldon’s take, others disagreed — pointing out that an NSF’s expenses are covered when he is in camp on weekdays.
“It’s an allowance given on top of full sponsorship of living expenses and professional training,” one of them said. “Calling recruits underpaid just by looking at the cash figure ignores the real total cost and value behind national service.”
Another simply said: “$750 is enough if you still stay with your parents.”
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