SINGAPORE: In December, 2.9 million Singaporeans aged 21 and older in 2025 will receive between $200 and $600 in cash to alleviate cost of living pressures, offset healthcare costs, and build up their savings for retirement.
The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Manpower said this in a joint media release on Thursday (Nov 14).
The additional support is part of the S$1.9 billion enhancement to the Assurance Package announced when the national Budget was rolled out in February.
In his speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong acknowledged the challenges of higher cost of living and pledged greater support for Singaporean households, particularly lower- to middle-income families.
“SGBudget 2024 is about taking steps to build our shared future together,” said Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, on Feb 16.
Additional cash has been allocated for distribution to eligible adult Singaporeans every December from 2022 to 2026.
Furthermore, around 1.4 million Singaporeans born between 1974 and 2003 will receive a one-time MediSave top-up of $300 to $500 next month.
There are also around 1.6 million Singaporeans born in 1973 or earlier will receive a one-time MediSave top-up of $1,250 or $2,000 in December under the Majulah Package.
Around 800,000 eligible people in this age group will also receive a one-time Retirement Savings Bonus of $1,000 or $1,500 in their CPF, depending on the amount of CPF retirement savings they have. This is also part of the Majulah Package.
A summary of the additional support announced by the Finance, Health and Manpower ministries may be seen below:
Those who need to check their eligibility may do so on the government benefits website (govbenefits.gov.sg) by logging in with their Singpass.
Eligible persons will receive their additional support automatically and will be notified via SMS next month after the benefits have been credited.
For recipients with no Singpass-registered mobile number, a letter will be sent to the address listed on their Singapore Identity Card.
The media release added, however, that the SMS from “gov.sg” will only inform recipients about their benefits. Recipients will not need to reply to the SMS, click on any links, or provide any information to the sender. This is to safeguard against scams.
Furthermore, government agencies will not send messages through WhatsApp or other platforms.
More information on the schemes may be found at govbenefits.gov.sg. Singaporeans may also call the hotline: 1800-2222-888. /TISG
Read also: SG Budget 2024: Lawrence Wong announces S$1.9B to enhance Assurance Package