2023 is the start of a brand new year and sadly, the beginning of 8% GST on many of your purchases. To help lower and middle-income families manage this increase, the government has introduced GST vouchers (GSTV) for use with their living expenses. Read on to find out what they are, as well as what other aids are given to help Singaporeans cope with the increase.
Types of GST Vouchers
There are two forms of GSTV given – U-Save and S&CC Rebate. These rebates are part of the permanent GST Voucher (GSTV) scheme and the Assurance Package (AP) for GST. The intention is to help defray GST and other living expenses for lower- to middle-income Singaporean households. These rebates are disbursed in April, July, October, and January each year. The U-Save rebates amount to about 8 to 10 months’ worth of utility bills for the average household living in 1- and 2-room HDB flats, and about 4 to 6 months’ worth of utility bills for the average household living in 3- and 4-room HDB flats.
The GSTV – S&CC rebates are used for off-setting Service and Conservancy Charges. These will be credited directly into households’ S&CC accounts managed by their respective Town Councils. Home owners do not need to take further action to claim these rebates.
Apart from U-Save and S&CC rebates, there are also four other assistance packages for eligible Singaporeans.
The Household Utilities Credit (HUC) is part of the $1.5 billion package announced in June 2022 to help Singaporeans cope with higher inflation. Every Singaporean household would have received a one-off $100 Household Utilities Credit (HUC) by September 2022.
CDC Vouchers totalling $300 will be given to eligible Singaporeans beginning 3 January 2023. This comprises $200 CDC Vouchers under the Assurance Package (AP) and $100 CDC Vouchers from the $1.5 billion Support Package announced in October 2022. The CDC Vouchers can be used at participating heartland merchants and hawkers, and supermarkets.
For senior citizens aged 55 and above, the GSTV – Cash (Seniors’ Bonus) will be made credited in February 2023.
Under the AP MediSave package, eligible senior Singaporeans aged 55 years and above, and Singaporean children aged 20 years and below will also receive $150 in their CPF MediSave Account beginning February 2023.
Who is Eligible
The GSTV – U-Save rebates that eligible households receive in FY2022 are summarised in the table below. The GSTV – U-Save rebates are credited directly into households’ utilities account managed by SP Services. You do not need to take any action to benefit from the rebates.
HSP: Budget 2022 Household Support Package
Do note that:
- Households with no Singapore citizen flat owner or occupier in the flat, or whose members own more than one property are not eligible for GSTV – U-Save.
- Additional rebates are credited to eligible households at the same time as the regular GSTV – U-Save in the usual four quarters (April 2022, July 2022, October 2022, and January 2023).
- The AP U-Save will be provided in specific quarters starting from January 2023 and ending in January 2026.
The GSTV – S&CC rebates that households receive in FY2022 are summarised in the table below.
Do note that:
- Eligible households would have received / will receive the GSTV – S&CC rebates in April 2022, July 2022, October 2022, and January 2023.
- Households with no Singapore citizen flat owner or occupier in the flat, whose flat owner(s) or essential occupier(s) own or have any interest in a private property, or have rented out the entire flat, are not eligible for the GSTV – S&CC rebates.
How to Receive Your GST Vouchers
Go Digital
To Singaporeans aged 55 and above, receive your GSTV Seniors’ Cash Bonus earlier and hiccup-free, link your NRIC to PayNow by 24 January 2023. Please contact your bank for more details on how to do so. For those without PayNow-NRIC, the cash bonus will be disbursed via the bank account provided to the Government from 13 February 2023.
Cheque Payments as Alternatives
For citizens who have not linked their NRICs to PayNow or provided their bank account details, GovCash will issue cheques as the mode of payment starting from 2022. Citizens on GovCash can withdraw their GSTV – Cash (Seniors’ Bonus) at OCBC ATMs islandwide by entering their:
1) Payment Reference Number (PRN) that will be sent to them from 15 February 2023, and
2) NRIC, and after passing the facial verification.
An OCBC bank account to withdraw the payment at the OCBC ATMs. Citizens who require assistance with the withdrawal due to their medical condition can visit the Assurance Package website for more information. 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.
Stay Scam-free and Get Notified via Singpass
Upon credit of your cash bonuses and AP Medisave, you will be notified via the Singpass app. If you have not downloaded the Singpass app or complete your verification, the notification will be sent to your registered mobile number via SMS.
To prevent scams, the SMS notifications sent will only inform you of your successful credits. You will not be asked to click on any links or provide your personal details to the sender.