2.9 million adult Singaporeans to receive Assurance Package (AP) support in December 2023

All adult Singaporeans will get $200 to $800 from AP Cash and AP Cash Special Payment  

1.   The Assurance Package (AP) aims to help Singaporeans tide through the period of higher inflation and cushion the impact of the GST rate increase. The package includes cash payments, rebates, Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers, and MediSave top-ups.  

2.   Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong announced at Budget 2023 that the Government would enhance the AP to account for higher inflation and provide additional one-off support to Singaporeans in 2023 to address immediate cost-of-living concerns. This enhancement ensures that the AP will continue to offset additional GST expenses for the majority of Singaporean households for at least five years, with around ten years offset for lower-income households. On 28 September 2023, DPM Lawrence Wong announced an additional $1.1 billion Cost-of-Living (COL) Support Package to provide more relief for Singaporean households, especially lower- to middle-income families. This includes a $0.8 billion enhancement to the AP, which brings its total to over $10 billion. 

3.   Adult Singaporeans aged 21 and above in 2024 will receive up cash payouts in December 2023 under the enhanced AP. The amount ranges from $200 to $800. About 2.9 million adult Singaporeans will receive up to $600 in AP Cash. About 2.5 million of these adult Singaporeans will also receive up to $200 in AP Cash Special Payment.  

I.     Useful Information 

Eligibility  

4.   For the AP Cash and AP Cash Special Payment, citizens may check their eligibility at the AP official website (go.gov.sg/assurancepackage) by logging in with their Singpass. The AP Cash and AP Cash Special Payment will be disbursed together in one lump sum in December 2023, with Singaporeans receiving up to $800 in total.

Modes Of Payment for AP Cash and AP Cash Special Payment  
 
Go Digital to Receive Cash Benefits Sooner 

5.   PayNow-NRIC provides added convenience and privacy for citizens to receive the cash benefits in their bank account, without having to disclose their bank account details to the sender. Since 2021, the Ministry of Finance has been using PayNow-NRIC as the default payment mode for citizens who have linked their NRIC to PayNow.  

6.   Citizens are encouraged to link their NRIC to PayNow by 19 November 2023 if they have accounts with the participating banks in Singapore. By doing so, they can receive their AP Cash and AP Cash Special Payment as early as from 5 December 2023. Please visit the AP official website for the list of participating banks and contact your bank for more details on how to link your NRIC to PayNow.  

7.   Those without PayNow-NRIC linked bank accounts can update their bank account information (with DBS/POSB, OCBC or UOB) at the AP official website by 27 November 2023 to receive the payment from 13 December 2023.  

GovCash has Replaced Cheques as Mode of Payment  

8.   From 2022, GovCash has replaced cheques as the mode of payment to citizens who have not linked their NRICs to PayNow or provided their bank account details. Citizens on GovCash can withdraw their AP Cash and AP Cash Special Payment at OCBC ATMs islandwide by entering their 1) Payment Reference Number (PRN) that will be sent to them from 22 December 2023, and 2) NRIC, and after passing 3) the facial verification. They do not require an OCBC bank account to withdraw the payment at the OCBC ATMs. GovCash recipients can also use the LifeSG app to make payment to merchants by scanning their PayNow or NETS QR code, or transfer payments to their bank accounts via PayNow if they subsequently register for PayNow-NRIC. 

9.   Please refer to Annex for an overview of the eligibility criteria and modes of payment.  

Notifications 

Singpass App as a Mode of Notification 

10.   Eligible recipients will be notified in December 2023 after the AP Cash and AP Cash Special Payment have been credited to them, either via their Singpass app inbox or SMS notifications for those who have registered their mobile numbers with Singpass, but have not downloaded or completed their one-time setup of the Singpass app.  

11.   To guard against scams, 
        (i) The SMS notification (sent by “MOF”) will only inform citizens of their benefits.  

        (ii) Citizens will not be asked to reply to the SMS, click any links, or provide any information to the sender.  

        (iii) There will not be any messages relating to AP sent via WhatsApp or other mobile app messaging platforms.  

12.   Citizens are encouraged to download the Singpass app from the official app stores (e.g. App Store, Play Store or Huawei AppGallery and to check that the app is developed by “Government Technology Agency”) to receive secured notifications from the Government.  

Contact Information  

13.   For more information on the above schemes, please visit the AP website (go.gov.sg/assurancepackage) or contact the following parties: 

Issued by: 

Ministry of Finance 
Singapore 
15 November 2023