1.2 million Singaporean households to get S$100 utilities credit by September

HDB flats in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)

SINGAPORE: About 1.2 million Singaporean households will receive a one-off S$100 household utilities credit by next month.

The payout, which will be given to households in both public and private residential properties, is part of a S$1.5 billion package announced by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in June to help Singaporeans cope with higher inflation.

All households with at least one Singapore citizen and living in a residential property in Singapore are eligible for the credit.

The utilities credit is on top of the permanent GST Voucher U-Save scheme which benefits about 950,000 HDB households, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in a press release on Friday (Aug 26).

Households that are eligible for GST Voucher U-Save will also receive the utilities credit, said MOF.

The payout will be directly disbursed to eligible households’ SP Service utilities accounts by September.

It can be used to offset SP Group charges. Households which are billed separately for their electricity charges by electricity retailers can use the credit for their other non-electricity SP Group charges, such as water, gas and refuse disposal.

Excess credit on the SP Group account will be rolled over to offset future utilities bills, until it is fully used.

HDB households will receive double their regular U-Save this financial year through the regular GSTV scheme and Household Support Package announced at Budget 2022.

The Household Support Package worth S$560 million is aimed at helping Singaporeans with utility bills, children’s education and daily essentials.

In all, households in four-room HDB flats will receive rebates equivalent to about five months of their utilities bills for this financial year.

Those living in three-room HDB flats will receive about seven months’ worth of rebates.

The permanent GSTV scheme, introduced in 2012, helps lower- and middle-income households offset part of their utilities bill and lower their household expenses.

In June, DPM Wong, who is also Finance Minister, announced that about 1.5 million Singaporeans will receive up to S$300 cash in a special GST Voucher payment this month.

He also added that all Singaporean households will receive S$100 utilities credit to help offset their bills.

This article was originally published on ChannelNewsAsia. Its inclusion on this website is solely for education purposes. 

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