Age Criterion For Housing Grants For Singaporeans With Foreign Spouses Lowered To 21
If you have a foreign spouse and you wish to purchase a resale flat for the first time, you will be eligible for housing grants – Singles Grant or Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (Singles) – under the Non-Citizen Spouse Scheme (NCS).
Foreign means the spouse is neither a citizen nor a permanent resident.
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The only drawback was that they couldn’t receive these grants till they were 35 years of age.
But last Saturday (26 Oct), the age criterion was lowered to 21, The Straits Times reported.
Eligible for housing grants at 21
This means that Singaporeans with a foreign spouse are now eligible for housing grants when purchasing resale flats as soon as they are 21.
The grant amount for the Singles Grant are:
- 2 to 4-room resale flat — $25,000
- 5-room or bigger resale flat — $20,000
The grant amount for the newer Enhanced CPF Housing Grant are:
- Up to $40,000 — depending on income
For the eligibility criteria for both grants, you can visit here.
Enhanced CPF Housing Grant announced last month
The Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) was announced by Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong last month.
The EHG was to replace the grants before, which are the Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) and Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG). This would make things less complicated for new buyers applying for grants.
EHG can provide first-time buyers with grants of up to $80,000 when they buy a flat that has a lease period that covers them until the age of 95.
Also part of the announcement last month was the raising of monthly household income ceilings for housing grants. For married couples, the ceiling was raised from $12,000 to $14,000. For singles, it was pushed up from $6,000 to $7,000.
Kudos to the government for always tweaking the housing system to make it better for everyone!
Featured image adapted from Business Insider.
