This article was originally on GET.com at: HDB Flat Grants 101 - Which One Is For You?
Ever thought of buying an HDB flat but not sure if you qualify for any type of HDB grant or subsidies? Being able to get a grant of subsidy will help reduce the purchase price of your flat, which means you get quite a bit of extra savings!
We at GET.com bring you this HDB Subsidies Guide which is extremely helpful for those of you who'd like to learn more about the different grants available for HDB flats, whether you're interested in getting a new flat or a resale flat.
It's something everyone in Singapore should read before committing to a flat purchase!
Are These Grants Any Good?
For the uninitiated, CPF Housing Grants can be used to offset the purchase price of your flat or reduce the home loan for your flat purchase. In other words, they make your life easier!
Buying a flat or EC is a long-term financial commitment, so any grant that can help us with our cash flow or reduce our cash outlay is very much welcome!
So yes, to answer my own question, these grants are great...but only if we’re eligible! These grants cannot be used for the minimum cash downpayment (if any) and monthly home loan instalment payments, though.
The CPF Housing Grants will be fully credited into the CPF Ordinary Accounts of eligible Singapore Citizen applicants.
No cash will be disbursed, so don’t even harbour any thoughts to warm this “windfall” in your pockets.
Additionally, take note that if you are buying your flat with a bank loan, the grant will also be included in the computation of the CPF withdrawal limit.
New HDB Flat
If you're looking to purchase a new HDB flat, grants are available for:
First-timer & second-timer couple applicants
Single Singapore citizen scheme
Joint singles scheme or orphans scheme
Resale HDB Flat
If you’re looking to purchase a resale HDB flat, grants are available for:
First-timer & second-timer couple applicants
Applicants living with/near parents or married child
Joint singles scheme or orphans scheme
Single Singapore citizen scheme
CPF Housing Grants For New HDB Flats
First-Timer Applicants
Type of CPF Housing Grants that you may be eligible for:
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG)
Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG)
These CPF Housing Grants may be applicable to you if you, the co-applicants and essential occupiers are all first-timers.
How To Determine If You Are Considered A First-Timer Applicant
You will be considered a first-timer applicant if you haven’t received any housing subsidy from HDB. This means that you must not:
Be the owner of a flat bought from HDB.
Have sold a flat bought from HDB.
Have bought an Executive Condominium (EC), Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) flat or an HDB resale flat with CPF Housing Grant, or taken over ownership of such a flat or EC.
Have transferred the ownership of a flat bought from HDB, or an HDB resale flat bought with a CPF Housing Grant.
Have ever taken other forms of housing subsidy, such as Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme benefits or privatisation of HUDC estate.
Grant Amount
From $5,000 to $40,000 for both AHG and SHG from November 2015 sales launch onwards. If eligible, you may receive both AHG and SHG totaling up to a maximum of $80,000.
Eligibility
To qualify for the AHG and SHG, your average household income ceiling sits at $5,000 and $8,500 respectively. You may apply for AHG if the flat type you’ve applied for is a 2-room Flexi or larger flat. For SHG, the flat type should range only from a 2-room Flexi to a 4-room flat in a non-mature estate!
How To Apply
If eligible, you may download the relevant AHG application form or AHG/ SHG application form. Bring the necessary income documents and submit the form to HDB during your flat booking appointment.
Second-Timer Applicants
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Step-Up CPF Housing Grant
The Step-Up CPF Housing Grant is available to eligible second-timer Singaporeans applying for a second subsidised HDB flat to help offset their cost in upgrading from a current 2-room subsidized flat in a non-mature estate to a 3-room new flat in a non-mature estate.
Grant Amount
You will get a $15,000 grant.
Eligibility
Your current 2-room subsidised flat in a non-mature estate must be your first subsidized flat. And it has to have been bought from HDB after October 1995, or bought from the resale market with a CPF Housing Grant.
How To Apply
If you are eligible, the application form for the Step-Up CPF Grant will be given to you at the flat booking appointment for your new 3-room flat in a non-mature estate. Bring the necessary income documents and submit the form to HDB during your flat booking appointment.
First-Timer and Second-Timer Couple Applicants
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) (Singles)
Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG) (Singles)
You can get these CPF Housing Grants if you are a first-timer Singaporean and your spouse/ fiancé(e) is a second-timer who has previously received a housing subsidy. Therefore, when allocating the AHG and SHG grants, HDB takes into account the “single” party who hasn’t received any subsidies prior to the flat application.
Grant Amount
Maximum AHG (Singles) and SHG (Singles) amount goes up to $20,000. The AHG (Singles) and/ or SHG (Singles) amount received depends on the average gross monthly household income (halved) for the 12 months prior to the submission of your flat application. Families with lower income will receive a larger grant amount.
Eligibility
From the November 2015 sales launch onwards, for the AHG (Singles), half of the average monthly household income for the past 12 months must be no more than $2,500.
For the SHG (Singles), the income ceiling for half of the average monthly household for the past 12 months must be no more than $4,250.
You may apply for AHG (Singles) if the flat type you’ve applied for is a 2-room Flexi or larger one. For SHG (Singles), the flat type should range only from a 2-room Flexi to a 4-room flat in a non-mature estate!
How To Apply
If eligible, you may download the relevant AHG application form or AHG/ SHG application form. Bring the necessary income documents and submit the form to HDB during your flat booking appointment.
Non-Citizen Spouse Scheme
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) (Singles)
Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG) (Singles)
You may be eligible for these grants if you are a first-timer Singaporean applicant who is 35 years old or above, married to a non-citizen. Note that the full grant amount will not be applicable in this case as your spouse is a non-citizen.
Grant Amount
The maximum grant amount for AHG (Singles) and SHG (Singles) is $20,000 (each). The AHG (Singles) and/ or SHG (Singles) amount received depends on the average gross monthly household income (halved) for the 12 months prior to the submission of your flat application. Families with lower income will receive a larger grant amount.
Eligibility
From the November 2015 sales launch onwards, for the AHG (Singles), half of the average monthly household income for the past 12 months must be within $2,500.
For the SHG (Singles), the income ceiling for half of the average monthly household income for the past 12 months must be within $4,250.
You may apply for AHG (Singles) and/or SHG (Singles) if the flat type you’ve applied for is a 2-room flat flat in a non-mature area!
How To Apply
If you are eligible, you may download the relevant AHG/ SHG application form. Remember to bring the necessary income documents and submit the form to HDB during your flat booking appointment.
Note: The CPF Housing Grants will be fully credited into the CPF Ordinary Account of the first-timer Singaporean applicant. No cash will disbursed.
Single Singapore Citizen Scheme
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) (Singles)
Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG) (Singles)
You may be eligible for these grants if you are a single Singaporean Citizen who is 35 years old or above, and this is your first time applying. This grant is applicable for those of you who are buying a new 2-room Flexi flat in a non-mature estate.
Grant Amount
The AHG (Singles) and/ or SHG (Singles) amount received depends on your average gross monthly income for the 12 months prior to you submitting your flat application.
Applicants with lower incomes will receive a larger grant amount, up to a maximum of $20,000 for the AHG (Singles) and $20,000 for SHG (Singles).
Eligibility
From the November 2015 sales launch onwards, for the AHG (Singles), the monthly household income for the past 12 months must be within $2,500.
For the SHG (Singles), the monthly household income for the past 12 months must be within $4,250. You may apply for the AHG (Singles) and/or SHG (Singles) if the flat type you’ve applied for is a 2-room Flexi flat in a non-mature area.
How To Apply
If you are eligible, you may download the relevant AHG/SHG application form. Make sure to bring the necessary income documents and submit the form to HDB during your flat booking appointment.
Joint Singles Scheme Or Orphans Scheme
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) (Singles)
Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG) (Singles)
These grants may be applicable for first-timer applicants that are Singaporean singles 35 years old or above, and buying a new 2-room Flexi flat in a non-mature estate under the Joint Singles Scheme.
Orphans who are first-timer Singaporean applicants and 35 years old or above may be eligible, too, though flat types do not matter in this case.
Grant Amount
From $5,000 to $40,000 for both AHG (Singles) and/or SHG (Singles) from November 2015 sales launch onwards, depending on your average gross monthly household income for the 12 months prior to the submission of your flat application.
Disbursement
If two eligible Singaporeans applicants apply for this grant, each applicant will receive half of the full grant credited into his/her CPF Ordinary Account.
Eligibility
To qualify for the AHG (Singles) and SHG (Singles), your average monthly household income ceiling sits at $5,000 and $8,500, respectively.
Under the Joint Singles Scheme, for both AHG (Singles) and SHG (Singles), the flat type that you’ve applied for must be a 2-room Flexi flat in a non-mature estate.
Under the Orphans Scheme, the flat type that you’ve applied for can range from a 2-room Flexi to a 4-room flat in a non-mature estate.
How To Apply
Joint Singles Scheme
If you are eligible for the AHG and/or SHG (Singles), you may download the AHG/SHG application form and submit it to HDB during your flat booking appointment.
Orphans Scheme
If eligible, you may download the AHG application form or AHG/SHG application form and submit it to HDB during your flat booking appointment. Make sure to bring the necessary income documents too.
CPF Housing Grants For Resale Flats
First-Timer Applicants
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Family Grant
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG)
Proximity Housing Grant (PHG)
Married/engaged couples or families who are first-timer applicants for an HDB resale flat may be eligible for these loans.
Families who are buying a resale flat to live near or together with their parents/married child can also apply for the Proximity Housing Grant.
Grant Amount
Family Grant
You will get a maximum of $30,000 if both you and your spouse/fiancé(e) are first-timer Singaporean applicants OR $20,000 if you are a Singaporean married to a Singapore PR (SPR); a separate $10,000 will be withheld at the point of flat purchase. Once your SPR spouse get Singapore Citizenship or you have a Singaporean child, you can apply for the $10,000 Citizen Top-Up Grant.
AHG
Get an additional $5,000 to $40,000.
PHG
Get a $20,000 (family) grant if you're buying a resale flat to live with your parents/married child, or if you're buying a resale HDB flat or private property in the same town or within 2km from your parents/married child. If you are a single person who is buying a resale flat to move in with your parents, you may be eligible for a $10,000 (single) grant.
Eligibility
Family Grant
Married/engaged couples must be formed by one Singaporean citizen and at least another SC or Singapore PR.
Your average gross monthly income can't exceed $12,000 or $18,000 if you are applying with an extended family. Note that you must produce your marriage certificate before the date of completion of the flat purchase if you applied to purchase the resale flat with your spouse-to-be. Also, the remaining lease of the resale flat should be at least 30 years.
AHG
Your average gross monthly household income for the 12 months before your flat application mustn't exceed $5,000. Also, at least 1 of the applicants must have worked continuously for the 12 months prior to the flat application and still be employed at the point of the flat application.
PHG
All Singaporeans are only eligible for it once, regardless of whether they have enjoyed housing subsidies before (including the Higher-Tier CPF Housing Grant), their household income, or if they own private property. The grant recipients and their parents or married child must live with or in close proximity to each other for at least 5 years.
First-Timer and Second-Timer Couple Applicants
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Half-Housing Grant
Top-Up Grant
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) (Singles)
Proximity Housing Grant (PHG)
You may be eligible for these grants if you are a first-timer Singaporean applicant that is married/engaged to a second-timer applicant who has previously received a housing subsidy.
Those who are buying a resale flat to live near or with their parents may also apply for the Proximity Housing Grant (PHG).
Grant Amount
Half-Housing Grant
First-timer Singaporean applicants who’ve never received any housing subsidies will get $15,000. The Half-Housing Grant amount is half of the Family Grant ($30,000) that you and your spouse/spouse-to-be would qualify for if both of you were first-timer Singaporean applicants.
Top-Up Grant
The Top-Up Grant is essentially the Family Grant that you are now eligible for. It's either $30,000 (if you and your spouse are Singaporeans) or $20,000 (if you are a Singaporean citizen that's married to a Singapore PR), minus the grant amount you previously received when you were single.
AHG (Singles)
Get an additional grant of $2,500 to $20,000.
PHG
Get an additional $20,000 if your parents/married child are either living with you in the resale flat, or living in an HDB flat in the same town or within 2km, or owner-occupants of private property in the same town or within 2km from you.
Eligibility
Half-Housing Grant
You must meet all of the eligibility conditions for a Family Grant for Singapore Citizens, except for the household status requirements. Your average gross monthly income must not exceed $12,000 (or $18,000 if you’re applying with your extended family). The remaining lease of the resale flat should be at least 30 years.
AHG (Singles)
Half of your average gross monthly household income for the 12 months before your flat application mustn't exceed $2,500. Also, at least 1 of the applicants must have worked continuously for the 12 months prior to the flat application and still be employed at the time of the flat application.
Top-Up Grant
If the second-timer applicant has previously received a Singles Grant to buy a resale flat or bought a 2-room BTO flat under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme or Joint Singles Scheme, but is now married to a Singaporean or Singapore PR, the couple may now request the CPF Top-Up Grant for their existing flat or next resale flat.
You may be eligible for the Top-Up Grant if you’ve previously received a Singles Grant to buy a resale flat or a 2-room BTO flat under the Non-Citizen Spouse Scheme, and your spouse or child is now a Singapore Citizen or Singaporean PR.
Note that for both cases listed above, your application for the Top-Up Grant must be submitted within 6 months of your marriage registration or spouse/child becoming a Singapore Citizen or Singapore PR, and your average gross monthly income must not exceed $12,000.
PHG
All Singaporeans are only eligible for it once, even if they've enjoyed housing subsidies before, (including the Higher-Tier CPF Housing Grant) and regardless of their household income or ownership of private property. The grant recipients and their parents or married child must live with or in close proximity to each other for at least 5 years.
Living With/Near Parents Or Married Child
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Proximity Housing Grant (PHG)
Extended families buying a resale flat to live with or close to their families for mutual care and support can apply for the PHG.
Singaporeans who are single can also enjoy the PHG when they buy a resale flat with their parents.
A recent news report corroborated positive results on the newly rolled out PHG, where many are said to be benefiting from aid in buying resale units with or close to parents/children.
It was reported that more than 1 out of 5 HDB resale flat buyers have applied for the PHG since its introduction in August 2015.
Grant Amount
All Singapore citizen families who buy a resale flat to live with or near their parents or married child will receive a PHG of $20,000 on top first-timer Family Grants, whenever applicable. Eligible singles will also enjoy a PHG of $10,000 if they buy a resale flat with their parents.
According to the joint press release from MND and HDB, with the implementation of the newly rolled out PHG, eligible first-timer families who buy a resale flat to live with or near their parents/married child will receive a doubled additional grant quantum from $10,000 to $20,000.
Likewise, the additional grant quantum eligible singles will receive is doubled from $5,000 to $10,000. Therefore, the previous Higher-Tier CPF Housing Grant has since been discontinued.
Nonetheless, the basic CPF Housing Grant for Family/Singles and Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) will still be available for those that are eligible. Please refer to Annex A for a summary of the changes.
Eligibility
All Singaporeans are only eligible for a PHG once, no matter if they've enjoyed housing subsidies before (including the Higher-Tier CPF Housing Grant), and regardless of their household income or whether or not they own private property.
The grant recipients and their parents or married child must live with or in close proximity to each other for at least 5 years. Also, the remaining lease of the resale flat has to be at least 30 years.
You must be a Singapore Citizen and at least one of your parents or married child must be a Singapore PR or a Singapore Citizen. Your family nucleus must comprise at least another Singapore Citizen or Singapore PR. Singles who are applying for a resale flat with their parents must be aged 35 years or above.
Non-Citizen Spouse Scheme
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Singles Grant
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) (Singles)
You may be eligible for these grants if you are a first-timer Singaporean applicant who is 21 years old or above, and married to a non-citizen or non-Singapore PR. If you are buying a resale flat together with your parents, you may also apply for the Proximity Housing Grant.
Grant Amount
Singles Grant
A Singles Grant of $15,000 will be given to Singaporean applicants.
AHG (Singles)
Low income households may be eligible for an AHG (Singles), ranging from an additional $2,500 to $20,000.
Eligibility
Singles Grant
To qualify for the Singles Grant, your average gross monthly income must not exceed $6,000 if you're buying a resale flat of 2 to 5 rooms under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme. Your income ceiling must not exceed $12,000 if you're buying a resale flat under other schemes.
AHG (Singles)
To qualify for the AHG (Singles), half of the average household income for the 12 months prior to your resale flat application must not exceed $2,500. The AHG (Singles) amount is graduated according to income brackets to offer lower-income earners a higher grant amount.
Joint Singles Scheme or Orphans Scheme
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Singles Grant
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG)
If you're at least 35 years old and you're a single Singaporean first-timer applicant, you can be eligible for this grant. Orphans over 35 years old who are first-timer applicants can also apply for this grant.
Grant Amount
Singles Grant
A Singles Grant of $15,000 will be given to eligible Singaporean applicants, capped at a maximum of 2 Single Grants per household if you're buying the resale flat with other singles under the Joint Singles Scheme or the Public Scheme.
AHG
Get an additional grant of $5,000 to $40,000.
Eligibility
Singles Grant
Single first-timer Singaporean applicants aged 35 or above who buy an HDB resale flat under either the Joint Singles Scheme or the Orphans Scheme will be eligible for this grant. Keep in mind that your average monthly gross household income cannot exceed $12,000, and the remaining lease of the resale flat must be at least 30 years.
AHG
Your average gross monthly household income for the 12 months before your flat application mustn't exceed $5,000. Also, at least 1 of the applicants must have worked continuously for the 12 months prior to the flat application and still be employed at the time of the flat application.
Single Singapore Citizen Applicants
Type of CPF Housing Grant that you may be eligible for:
Singles Grant
Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) (Singles)
These grants may be applicable for you if you are a first-timer Singaporean applicant who is 35 years old or above. If you are buying a resale flat to live together with your parents, you can also apply for the Proximity Housing Grant.
Grant Amount
Singles Grant
A Singles Grant of $15,000 will be given to the first-timer Singaporean applicant aged 35 or above who buys an HDB resale flat.
AHG (Singles)
Single Singaporeans with a lower income may be eligible for an AHG (Singles), ranging from an additional $2,500 to $20,000.
Eligibility
Singles Grant
Your average gross monthly income must not exceed $6,000 if buying a 2 to 5-room resale flat under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme. The remaining lease of the resale flat must be at least 30 years.
AHG (Singles)
The AHG amount is graduated according to income brackets to offer lower-income earners a higher grant amount.
Your average monthly household income for the past 12 months prior to buying the resale flat cannot exceed $2,500, and you must still be employed at time of application. You can also be eligible if you are a student that receives a stipend from an educational institute.
How To Apply For Grants If You Are Buying a Resale HDB Flat
You can find all of these forms online, just download (or print) them, fill them in and bring them along with all your relevant documents.
Here are the three forms that I've found with a quick online search, you can just copy and paste these titles in your browser to find them:
Application form for (I) Additional CPF Housing Grant For Family/Singles under Joint Singles Scheme (II) Additional CPF Housing Grant For Singles under Single Singapore Citizen Scheme
Application form for (I) Additional CPF Housing Grant/Special CPF Housing Grant For Family/ Singles under Joint Singles Scheme (II) Additional CPF Housing Grant/Special CPF Housing Grant For Singles under Single Singapore Citizen Scheme
Application form for CPF Housing Grant For Family (living near parents/married child)/Half Housing Grant/Additional CPF Housing Grant For Purchase of an HDB Flat.
It is recommended that you ring HDB up to clear any pressing concern or enquiry you might have. You may reach HDB's main line at 6490-1111 on weekdays, from 8:30am to 5:00pm.
* All information is correct as of 23 November 2015.
