SINGAPORE: A Cost-of-Living special payment of between S$200 (US$158) and S$400 will be given to eligible Singaporeans, along with S$500 in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers to help with living expenses, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Thursday (Feb 12).
“The government will continue to do whatever is necessary to help Singaporeans manage cost pressures – for as long as it is needed,” Mr Wong said in his Budget 2026 speech.
“Although inflation has eased in recent years, we know that many Singaporeans still face anxieties and pressures.”
The Cost-of-Living special payment is a one-off cash payout for Singaporeans aged 21 and above in 2026, who earn up to S$100,000 in assessable income and who do not own more than one property. They must also reside in Singapore.
The amount received will be determined by assessable income and the annual value of their residence.
The special payment scheme is expected to benefit around 2.4 million Singaporeans, with payments to be disbursed in September.
CDC vouchers, which will be split equally for spending at participating hawkers, heartland merchants and supermarkets, will be disbursed in January 2027 and will be valid until the end of that year.
The vouchers will benefit about 1.4 million Singaporean households.
The CDC Vouchers Scheme was launched in June 2020 and January 2021 to help lower-income households defray their cost of living, and to support hawkers and heartland merchants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since Budget 2021, the vouchers have been given out every year and to all Singaporean households.
In the last three tranches, households received S$300 in January 2025, S$500 in May 2025 and S$300 in January 2026. The latest vouchers this year will expire on Dec 31, 2026.