Written by: Rita Magallona
Purchasing your own home can be a challenge, especially if you are single. But if you are a Singaporean Citizen (SC) 35 years old or older, you may be able to do so through the Housing and Development Board’s Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG).
What Is the EHG (Singles)?
The EHG replaced two older housing grant programs in September 2019: the Additional Housing Grant (AHG) and the Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG). Through the EHG’s Single Singapore Citizen Scheme, you can get a grant of up to $40,000 if you have an average monthly income of $4,500 or less.
What Kind of Flat Can You Purchase With the EHG?
You can choose to buy a BTO or a resale flat of any size, wherever it is located, as long as your household meets the qualifications for it. The EHG, like other CPF housing grants, can be used to offset the purchase price of the flat or reduce the mortgage loan needed to purchase your flat.
If you are buying a flat using a bank loan, the grant will be included in the computation of the CPF withdrawal limit. However, these grants cannot be used for the cash downpayment, if any, or for any of the monthly mortgage instalment payments.
Do You Qualify for the EHG?
If you answer yes to all of the questions below, you are eligible for the EHG:
- Income: Is your monthly average gross income $4,500 or less for the 12 months before the application?
- Employment: Are you working continuously for 12 months before the application, and still working at the time of application?
- Remaining Lease of Flat: Does the flat have a remaining lease sufficient to cover you up to age 95, i.e., 60 years or more?
- Ownership/Interest in Property: Do you not own, locally or overseas, any private residential property (including privatised HUDC flats and ECs), house, building or land? Have you not disposed of any such properties in the 30 months prior to your new flat application?
How Much Housing Subsidy Will You Get?
The EHG amount you will receive is based on the average gross monthly income of the household over a period of 12 months leading up to the date that you applied for the grant. You need to include the income of everyone in the household, both applicants and occupiers.
Households with an average monthly income of $4,251 to $4,500 can get up to $2,500 grant amount while households with an average monthly income of $750 or less can get up to $40,000 grant amount. As a rule, lower-income households qualify for higher grants.
How Can You Apply for the EHG?
You can download the EHG application form and submit it, along with the necessary income documents, to the HDB during your flat booking appointment. Again, the documents should cover the 12 months leading up to the date of application.
If you qualify, the grant will be credited to your CPF Ordinary Account.
Buy Your First Home With the EHG
The HDB’s Single Singapore Citizen Scheme has made it easier for eligible singles to acquire a flat that they can call their own, especially with the streamlining of the AHG and the SHG into the EHG.
Take your first steps to buying your dream home!
Buying a resale flat? Ohmyhome’s HDB Buyer Agent Service is at a fixed fee from $2288.
