All Singaporean households to receive $100 utilities credit by Sep

All Singaporean households will receive a $100 utilities credit by September to help offset their bills, announced Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Jun 21). 

This comes as part of the support package introduced by Mr Wong to provide support to households, individuals and businesses, in view of inflationary pressures caused by external factors such as global supply chain disruptions and the conflict in Ukraine.

“In the Budget, I’ve already provided a fair amount of U-Save rebates for those living in HDB flats, with more given to those living in smaller flats. So this time, I will provide a one-off $100 household utilities credit to all Singaporean households, including those living in private property,” Mr Wong added. 

About 1.5 million lower-income to middle-income Singaporeans, as well as retirees without income, will also receive up to $300 cash in a special GST Voucher payment in August. This is on top of the regular GSTV-Cash amounts they were meant to receive in 2022. 

Taken together, GSTV-Cash recipients will receive up to $700 in August this year, he noted. 

Two schemes will also be enhanced to provide more support for the lower-income and the elderly, he added.

In a separate press release, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said that it will increase the amount of assistance for lower-income households on the ComCare Long-Term Assistance (LTA) and Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance (SMTA) schemes from Aug 1.

With the changes, a one-person household on ComCare LTA will receive higher cash assistance of $640 per month, an increase of $40 per month. Households with more members will receive more.

From Aug 1, individuals who apply for SMTA or apply to renew their existing SMTA, can also expect to receive higher cash assistance and support for their utility expenses. The amount of assistance will vary, depending on the household’s composition, needs, and income.

“As the global and domestic economic situation evolves, we will continue to review our measures to calibrate the level of support required,” said MSF in the press release. 

Households in need of assistance can apply for ComCare online via SupportGoWhere or in person at a Social Service Office.