SINGAPORE: A total of 1.6 million Singaporeans will receive notifications by Jul 6 on their 2018 GST Voucher (GSTV) benefits and MediSave top-ups, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Thursday (Jun 28).
About 1.39 million eligible citizens will receive up to S$300 in GSTV – Cash in August 2018. The GSTV – Cash payments will amount to S$410 million in total.
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In a press release, MOF said citizens may also use their SingPass to view their GSTV – Cash and MediSave benefits online.
Similar to the notification exercise last year, citizens with mobile numbers updated with SingPass will receive SMS notifications. Other recipients will receive letter notifications.
For GSTV – MediSave top ups, about 485,000 Singaporeans aged 65 years and above in 2018 will receive up to S$450 in August 2018. The top-ups will amount to about S$144 million in total.
In addition, Singaporeans who are born on or before Dec 31, 1959 (59 years and above in 2018) and do not receive Pioneer Generation (PG) benefits will receive a MediSave top-up of up to S$200 this year.
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The top-up, which will benefit about 520,000 citizens and cost S$95 million, will be credited into eligible citizens' MediSave accounts in August 2018.
In total, a non-Pioneer aged 65 and living in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat can receive S$450 of MediSave top-ups this year.
Pioneers will also receive their PG MediSave top-ups of between S$200 to S$800 in July 2018.
With both the PG MediSave and GSTV – MediSave, a Pioneer aged 75 in 2018 and living in an HDB flat will receive S$750 of MediSave top-ups.
Meanwhile, a Pioneer aged 85 in 2018 and living in an HDB flat will receive S$1,250 of MediSave top-ups.
In addition to the GSTV scheme, as announced at Budget 2018, Singaporeans aged 21
and above in 2018 can receive an SG Bonus of up to S$300 at the end of the year.
Eligible citizens will receive a notification letter on their SG Bonus benefits by October 2018.
Most citizens will automatically receive their GSTV payouts if they have signed up for the GSTV or any other government payout scheme in the past.
Those who have not signed up for the GSTV or past government payouts have until Dec 31 to sign up online, or through a hard copy form available at community centres.
SINGAPORE - Madam Sulami Hassan retired as a gardener two years ago after suffering a stroke.
She now lives with her daughter, Ms Noor Sheela Sani, who said that looking after her 71-year-old mother has been tough "emotionally and financially". Ms Noor Sheela works as a school administrative clerk.
Madam Sulami will be one of 1.6 million Singaporeans set to benefit from goods and services tax (GST) benefits and Medisave top-ups - worth a total of $1 billion - which were announced on Thursday (June 28) by the Ministry of Finance.
Eligible Singaporeans will receive text messages or letters by July 6 to tell them what they are due under the GST Voucher (GSTV) Scheme, which was introduced in 2012 to help lower- and middle-income Singaporeans offset some of their GST expenses.
The criteria for eligible Singaporeans includes age and annual home value.
As announced in Budget 2018, a one-off SG Bonus of up to $300 will be given at the end of the year to Singaporeans aged 21 and above in 2018. A one-off Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) Rebate will also be given to provide additional support to households.
Ms Noor Sheela, 24, said the money will come in handy.
"When my mother had a stroke, it was really hard for me," she said. "We did not have the money to afford medical bills and stuff like that. The GST Vouchers will really help to lighten our financial burden. I am very thankful. The money will be saved for an emergency."
She added: "The Medisave top-ups will also be used to offset some of the medical bills as my mother has to take a lot of medication for diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and more."
Citizens can use their SingPass to view their GSTV-Cash and Medisave benefits online at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg
GSTV-Cash
About 1.39 million Singaporeans will receive up to $300 in GSTV-Cash in August.
Medisave top-ups:
About 485,000 Singaporeans aged 65 and above in 2018 will receive up to $450 in GSTV-Medisave;
In addition, about 520,000 Singaporeans born on or before Dec 31, 1959 (59 and above in 2018), and who do not receive Pioneer Generation benefits will receive a Medisave top-up of up to $200.
SG Bonus
Singaporeans aged 21 and above in 2018 can receive an SG Bonus of up to $300 at the end of the year.
GSTV - U-Save
900,000 eligible Housing Board households will receive an additional U-Save of $20 a year from 2019 to 2021, which will help to offset utilities bills.
One-off service and conservancy charges rebate
Some 1.6 million eligible Singaporeans will receive notifications on their 2018 Goods and Services Tax (GST) Voucher benefits and Medisave top-ups by next Friday (6 July), said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Thursday.
Singaporeans with mobile numbers updated with SingPass will receive SMS notifications, while others will receive letter notifications about the amount due to them in the GST Voucher scheme, which was introduced to offset GST expenses.
Eligible Singaporeans, aged 21 and above, will also receive a notification letter about their SG Bonus benefits of up to $300, as announced in Budget 2018, by October.
About 1.39 million eligible Singaporeans will receive up to $300 in cash under the GST Voucher scheme in August, totalling to $410 million.
About 485,000 Singaporeans aged 65 years and above in 2018 will receive up to $450 in Medisave top-ups under the GST Voucher scheme in August, amounting to about $144 million in total.
About 520,000 Singaporeans, who are born on or before 31 December 1959, and do not receive Pioneer Generation (PG) benefits, will also receive a Medisave top-up of up to $200 this year. This will amount to $95 million in total and will be credited into their Medisave accounts in August.
Pioneers will receive their PG Medisave top-ups of between $200 and $800 in July.
Eligible HDB households will receive an additional U-Save of $20 a year from 2019 to 2021.
A one-off (Service and Conservancy Charges) S&CC rebate, announced at Budget 2018, will also be given to around 900,000 eligible Singaporean HDB households. They are set to receive 1.5 to 3.5 months of S&CC rebate between April this year and January 2019, depending on their HDB flat type.
The MOF said that citizens will automatically receive their GST Voucher payouts if they had signed up for the GST Voucher or any other government payout scheme in the past.
Those who have not have until 31 December to sign up online or through a hardcopy form found at the community centres, the ministry added. More details can be found at gstvoucher.gov.sg.
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