Extravagant and fancy gelish nail manicures and pedicures have become so commonplace nowadays that every other Singaporean “Influencer” on Instagram…
In the flurry of CNY celebrations and gatherings, you may have missed the Budget 2021 speech which was given by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Tuesday (Feb 16).
As Singapore’s Covid-19 cases remain relatively low compared to the rest of the world, Budget 2021 will shift from “containment to restructuring”, bearing the theme Emerging Stronger Together.
It all sounds very nice, but I’m sure you’re wondering which parts of Budget 2021 are relevant for you. In other words, what can you stand to benefit from Budget 2021’s initiatives? Gahmen giving money or not?!
Yes, don’t worry. The government has us in mind, especially if lower- and middle-income households, or those with children. In the $900 million Household Support Package, there will be five different schemes and initiatives that will directly benefit you, if you’re eligible.
Lower-income Singaporeans who qualify for the $300 GST Voucher – Cash, which is paid every August, will receive an additional, one-off Cash Special Payment of $200 in June 2021. In total, that will be $500 in GST Vouchers. This sum is meant to help with daily living expenses.
Do note that in order to qualify, your assessable income must be lower than $28,000 in the financial year of $28,000. Additionally, the annual value of your home must be under $21,000. Individuals with more than one property do not qualify for GST vouchers, nor the Cash Special Payment.
| Singapore citizens aged 21 and above in 2021, with assessable income FY2020 up to $28,000 | Annual value of home up to $13,000 | Annual value of home $13,001 to $21,000 |
| Regular payment | $300 | $150 |
| Cash Special Payment | $200 | $200 |
| Total in 2021 | $500 | $350 |
Source: 2021 Budget Announcements
Unsure if you qualify? You can log in to Your 2021 GST Voucher to check. If you have received a previous payout, you do not need to do anything and will receive your GST Voucher automatically via PayNow. If you have not signed up previously, you can Sign Up online. Those with no PayNow will receive a cheque.
All eligible HDB households will receive an additional 50% of their regular GSTV — U-Save this year, through a one-off Special Payment. This will be credited in April 2021 and July 2021, together with their regular U-Save.
This amount of money is not in cold hard cash, but in rebates that will be credited to your HDB flat’s utilities account.
To be eligible, there must be at least one Singapore citizen owner or occupier if you own and live in your HDB flat, or are subletting it. Immediate family members living in the same flat must not own or have any interest in more than one property.
This is the payment schedule:
| April 2021 | July 2021 | October 2021 | January 2022 | Total (FY2021) | |||
| Regular | Special Payment | Regular | Special Payment | Regular | Special Payment | ||
| 1R & 2R | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $100 | $95 | $595 |
| 3R | $90 | $90 | $90 | $90 | $90 | $85 | $535 |
| 4R | $80 | $80 | $80 | $80 | $80 | $75 | $475 |
| 5R | $70 | $70 | $70 | $70 | $70 | $65 | $415 |
| Exec/ Mutli-gen | $60 | $60 | $60 | $60 | $60 | $55 | $355 |
Source: 2021 Budget Announcements
image credit: unsplash
If you own an HDB flat in Singapore, you will know this term: Service and Conservancy Charges, or S&CC. It’s basically a fee that you pay town councils in Singapore, who organise things like lift cleaning, fumigation, and changing of lights in the corridors.
This fee ranges from $20 to as high as $79, depending on what flat type you live in and where. For a typical 4-room flat in Singapore, you would pay around $61.50 to $64.
Under Budget 2021 Household Support Package, S&CC rebates will be extended. It will be the same as Budget 2020.
| No. of months of S&CC Rebate in FY2021 | |||||
| HDB Flat Type | April 2021 | July 2021 | October 2021 | January 2022 | Total (FY2021) |
| 1R & 2R | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 3.5 |
| 3R & 4R | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| 5R | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 2.0 |
| Exec/Multi-Gen | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | – | 1.5 |
To “thank Singaporeans” for their sense of solidarity, as well as encourage spending, Budget 2021 includes the issuance of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers to everyone, worth $100, that can be used at participating heartland shops and hawker centres.
More details on this will be announced by the CDCs later.
image credit: Unsplash
Budget 2021 will also be topping up your child’s education account, either the Edusave or Post-Secondary Education Account. Even babies will benefit from this through their Child Development Account.
The Edusave account can be used for approved fees and enrichment programmes or miscellaneous fees for autonomous government and government-aided schools.
Funds in the Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) can also be used to repay government education loans and financial schemes. It can be also used to pay for your own or your siblings’ approved programmes in our list of approved institutions.
So there you have it! If you find this information useful, pass it on.
Or if you have no need for these money why not donate and volunteer at these places base on your personality trait
