Press Releases
1.4 Million Singaporeans to Receive $570 Million in GST Vouchers in August 2020
Topics
Government Transfers
1 July 2020
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Eligible Singaporeans will receive up to $300 in GST Voucher – Cash; eligible seniors will receive up to $450 in GST Voucher – MediSave top-ups.
This is a permanent scheme introduced in 2012 to help lower- and middle-income Singaporeans offset some of their GST expenses.
Since 2012, GST Voucher (GSTV) benefits have been disbursed to eligible Singaporeans in August. This year, 1.4 million Singaporeans will be receiving their GSTV benefits next month. Of these eligible citizens, nine in 10 will receive their GSTV payouts automatically.
2 There is a small number of citizens who qualify for GSTV but have not signed up for government payouts in the past. They will be invited via SMS or letter to sign up at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg, before the deadline of 31 May 2021.
3 The following table summarises what the eligible citizens can expect in the coming months.
Table caption
Month | What Citizens Can Expect |
|---|---|
July 2020 | Notification of GST Voucher Benefits Eligible Singaporeans who have registered their mobile numbers with SingPass will receive SMS notifications between 1 to 3 July, informing them of their GSTV benefits. The rest will receive letters from 1 July. To verify the authenticity of the SMS notification, citizens can check that the SMS is sent by “GSTV”. These SMS notifications only inform citizens of their benefits. Citizens will not be asked to reply to their SMS or to provide any information to the sender “GSTV”. Those who wish to view their GSTV – Cash and MediSave benefits online can do so at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg (using SingPass to log on). |
August 2020 | GST Voucher – Cash The GSTV – Cash of up to $300 will be credited directly into citizens’ bank accounts from 1 August 2020. Those who have not provided their bank account numbers can do so easily at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg. Those who do so by 22 July 2020 will receive their payouts via bank transfer on 1 August 2020. The rest will receive cheques sent to their official address, by 17 August 2020. In total, the GSTV – Cash payouts will amount to about $410 million. |
GST Voucher – MediSave About 545,000 Singaporeans aged 65 and above in 2020 will receive a top-up to their MediSave accounts of up to $450 each from 1 August 2020. In total, the top-ups will amount to about $160 million. |
Annex A (394 KB) provides more information on the benefits, and Annex B (373 KB) lists illustrations of how various households are expected to benefit from the schemes mentioned.
Summary of Other Benefits for Singaporeans and Households in 2020
4 Other Government payouts which Singaporeans can receive in 2020 include:
For Individuals
• 5-Year MediSave Top-up scheme: Singaporeans who were born on or before 31 December 1969 (51 and above in 2020) and do not receive Pioneer Generation or Merdeka Generation benefits will each receive a MediSave top-up of $100 credited into their MediSave accounts in end August 2020. This is the 5-Year MediSave Top-up scheme that was announced in Budget 2019. Eligible citizens will receive the MediSave top-up annually from 2019 to 2023.
• Solidarity Payment: Each adult Singaporean (aged 21 and above in 2020) would have received a cash payout of $600 in April 2020. This comprises $300 of the Care and Support – Cash which has been brought forward to be paid out earlier, and an additional $300. Adult Permanent Residents living in Singapore with Singaporean parent(s), spouse or child(ren), and Long-Term Visit Pass-Plus (LTVP+) holders living in Singapore would have received $300 each[1].
• Care and Support – Cash: Each adult Singaporean (aged 21 and above in 2020) will receive a cash payout of $900, $600, or $300, depending on income and number of properties owned. $300 of the Care and Support – Cash has been paid out in April under the Solidarity Payment of $600. Each Singaporean parent with Singaporean children aged 20 and below in 2020 will receive an additional cash of $300. Singaporeans aged 50 and above in 2020 will also receive an additional cash of $100, in place of the earlier announced PAssion Card Top-up[2].
• Workfare Special Payment: All Singaporean workers who received Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) payments for work done in 2019 will receive a Workfare Special Payment in the form of a cash payout of $3,000. This will be paid in two equal payments of $1,500 each, in July and October 2020.
• Grocery Vouchers: All Singaporeans aged 21 and above, who live in 1-room or 2-room HDB flats and do not own more than one property, will receive Grocery Vouchers worth $300 in 2020, and $100 in 2021. The 2020 Grocery Vouchers will be given to eligible citizens in October and December 2020.
For Households
• GSTV – U-Save: Eligible HDB households will receive double their regular GSTV – U-Save in FY2020, through a one-off GSTV – U-Save Special Payment. Eligible households with five or more members will receive an additional GSTV – U-Save rebate, and will thus receive a total of 2.5 times their regular GSTV – U-Save in FY2020. The GSTV – U-Save benefits amount to about $630 million and benefit about 940,000 Singaporean HDB households[3].
• Solidarity Utilities Credit: All households in Singapore with at least one Singaporean member will receive a one-off $100 utilities credit, to thank them for doing their part in staying home for Singapore during the period of heightened safe distancing measures. Eligible households will receive the Credit automatically in their SP Group utilities account for their residential property, in the July or August 2020 utilities bills.
• Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) Rebate: The S&CC Rebate provides additional support for households. Around 940,000 Singaporean HDB households will receive 1.5 to 3.5 months of S&CC Rebate between April 2020 to January 2021, depending on their HDB flat type[4].
Contact Information
5 More information on the GSTV is available at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg, and details of other benefits announced in Budget 2020 can be found at: www.singaporebudget.gov.sg. For more information on the specific schemes, the contact details are as follows:
Table caption
Scheme | Telephone | Contact |
|---|---|---|
GSTV – Cash and MediSave | 1800-2222-888 | www.gstvoucher.gov.sg |
5-Year MediSave Top-up | ||
Solidarity Payment | ||
Care and Support – Cash | ||
Workfare Special Payment | 1800-227-1188 | |
GSTV – U-Save | 6671-7117 | |
Solidarity Utilities Credit | ||
S&CC Rebate | 1800-866-3078 |
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Issued by Ministry of Finance
Singapore
1 July 2020
[1] More information on the Solidarity Payment at https://www.mof.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/budget-2020-solidarity-payment-nine-in-10-singaporeans-will-receive-600dollars-each-directly-credited-into-their-bank-accounts-on-tuesday-14-april-2020.
[2] More information on the Care and Support – Cash at https://www.mof.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/budget-2020-care-and-support-cash-to-be-paid-from-18-june-2020.
[3] More information on the GSTV – U-Save at https://www.mof.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/budget-2020-care-and-support-package-940-000-hdb-households-to-receive-gst-voucher-u-save-in-april-2020.
[4] More information on the S&CC Rebate at https://www.mof.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/budget-2020-care-and-support-package-134-million-in-s-cc-rebate-for-940-000-hdb-households.