1.57 million Singaporeans to benefit from GST Vouchers, Medisave top-ups

SINGAPORE — A total of 1.57 million citizens will receive notifications about their 2017 GST Vouchers (GSTV) and Medisave top-ups, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday (June 27).

Lower-income Singaporeans will receive up to S$500 in cash, comprising a payment of up to S$300 in August, followed by a one-off cash special payment in November. 

Apart from cash, the other two components of the GST Voucher are U-Save and Medisave.

From next month, there will be a permanent increase of between S$40 and S$120 to the annual U-Save rebate, as announced in this year’s Budget. 

The rebates, which are granted quarterly, will help lower- and middle-income Housing and Development Board households offset their utilities bills.

To help elderly Singaporeans pay for their medical needs, those aged 65 and above will receive Medisave top-ups of up to S$450 in August. Citizens who are aged 58 and above, and do not receive Pioneer Generation benefits, will receive a Medisave top-up of up to S$200 between this year and the next. Eligible citizens will automatically receive the payouts if they have signed up for the GSTV or other government schemes. 

Those who have not done so can sign up, by Dec 31 this year, online, or using hard-copy forms that are available at community centres.

Recipients aged between 21 and 55, and have updated their mobile numbers on SingPass, will receive SMS notifications about the GSTV benefits they are entitled to, while those aged 56 and above will receive both SMS notifications and letters. 

* GSTV-CASH

About 1.37 million eligible Singaporeans will receive up to S$500 in GSTV-Cash in 2017, comprising a payment of up to S$300 in August, and a one-off Special Payment in November this year. These two payouts will amount to S$680 million.

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* GSTV-MEDISAVE & MEDISAVE TOP-UPS

About 450,000 Singaporeans aged 65 years and above will receive the GSTV-Medisave payout of up to S$450 in August. This payout amounts to about S$130 million in total, the MOF added.

Pioneer Generation (PG) Singaporeans will also receive their PG Medisave top-ups of S$200 to S$800 in July 2017. This means that a PG citizen who lives in a HDB flat and does not own a second property can receive up to S$1,250 in Medisave top-ups, all-in.

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A non-PG Singaporean aged 65 this year and who lives in a HDB flat (and does not own a second property) can receive S$450 of Medisave top-ups this year.

In addition, Singaporeans who are born on, or before, Dec 31, 1959 (age 58 years and above in 2017) and don’t receive Pioneer Generation benefits, will receive a Medisave top-up of up to S$200 in 2017 and 2018. 

This top-up for 2017 will benefit about 520,000 citizens, and cost about S$95 million in total, and will be credited into their Medisave accounts in August.

* GSTV-U-SAVE

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Beginning this July, there will be a permanent increase of between S$40 to S$120 to the annual U-Save rebate, as previously announced at this year’s Budget. Given every January, April, July and October to help offset utility bills, the amount of GSTV-U-Save will total about S$265 million, and benefit about 880,000 eligible Singaporean HDB households.

* ONE-OFF SERVICE & CONSERVANCY CHARGES (S&CC) REBATE

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