Unused S$500 Child LifeSG credits expiring in July, no extension planned: MSF
Families with unused Child LifeSG credits will not receive an extension beyond the current expiry date in July 2026, the Government has confirmed.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday (7 May), Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said the 12-month validity period will remain unchanged, as recipients have already been given “ample notice”.
Source: MDDI Singapore on YouTube
83% of credits already used
The Child LifeSG credits, worth S$500 per eligible child aged 12 and below, were disbursed in July 2025 to help families ease child-rearing costs.
According to the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), about 83% of the credits had been used as of April 2026.
Mr Goh described the take-up rate as “healthy”, though he added that the ministry hopes more families will spend their remaining balances before the credits expire.
Final reminders to be sent in June
Mr Goh said MSF has been reminding recipients to use their credits through social media, the LifeSG app, and SMS notifications.
A final reminder will also be sent in June to recipients who still have unused balances, ahead of the July 2026 expiry.
The credits can be accessed through the LifeSG app and used at physical and online merchants that accept PayNow UEN QR or NETS QR payments.
Source: GovTech (Government Technology Agency of Singapore) on Facebook
Responding to supplementary questions from Member of Parliament (MP) David Hoe, Mr Goh said there were several possible reasons why some credits remain unused.
These include families pacing their spending over the year, people leaving it to the last minute, recipients being overseas, and some households being unaware that they had received the credits.
In March this year, MSF also announced that unused Child LifeSG credits could be donated to support persons with disabilities and others in need.
Source: MSF Singapore on Facebook
New payout coming in July 2026
Mr Goh also addressed suggestions for the scheme to be extended to older children.
He said the Child LifeSG credits were designed to support families with younger children, who typically face higher day-to-day costs for essentials such as diapers and milk powder.
Source: Leung Cho Pan on Canva, for illustration purposes only
He noted that separate support measures for older children had already been announced under Budget 2025, including a S$500 top-up to education-related accounts for youths aged 13 to 20.
A fresh tranche of S$500 in Child LifeSG credits will be disbursed in July 2026.
The payout is part of a broader package of family support measures, which also includes the Large Families LifeSG credits distributed in April.
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Featured image adapted from GovTech (Government Technology Agency of Singapore) on Facebook and Leung Cho Pan on Canva, for illustration purposes only.
