Singapore replaces the AHG and SHG with the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) and raises HDB income ceilings

MND and HDB introduced the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant, of up to S$80,000 for eligible first-timer families buying a flat that can cover them and their spouses to the age of 95.

A maximum and a new grant. S$80,000 is the top tier, for average monthly household income of S$1,500 or less; the tiers are claim 8. No before-value is stored, because the grant did not exist before; the two grants it replaced are claims 5 to 7.

Eligible first-timer singles aged 35 and above earning not more than S$4,500 a month could receive the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (Singles) of up to S$40,000, on the same conditions as families.

Singles under the single Singapore citizen scheme. Their table runs in S$250 bands from S$40,000 at S$750 or less (claim 10). Singles buying under the Joint Singles Scheme sit in the families column of Annex A, so the S$4,500 limit is not theirs.

The monthly household income ceiling for eligible families was raised from S$12,000 to S$14,000 to buy a flat from HDB, to buy a resale flat with a CPF Housing Grant, and to get an HDB housing loan for a new or resale flat.

The headline, not every flat. Annex C sets lower tiers for a 2-room Flexi flat on a 99-year lease and for some 3-room projects (claim 23), and 1.5 times the ceiling for extended families (claim 26). A flat ceiling, not the grant's income test, which stops at S$9,000 (claim 9).

The monthly household income ceiling for citizen households to buy an Executive Condominium unit from a property developer was raised from S$14,000 to S$16,000.

Executive condominium scheme policy, not an HDB flat rule. The extended family 1.5 times rule does not apply to Executive Condominiums, and the CPF Housing Grant for an Executive Condominium unit keeps its S$12,000 income limit (claim 27). The release states no tender-date or purchase-date basis for this ceiling beyond the implementation date.

The family grant was tiered by average monthly household income in sixteen S$500 bands: S$80,000 at not more than S$1,500, S$75,000 at S$1,501 to S$2,000, S$70,000 at S$2,001 to S$2,500, S$65,000 at S$2,501 to S$3,000, S$60,000 at S$3,001 to S$3,500, S$55,000 at S$3,501 to S$4,000, S$50,000 at S$4,001 to S$4,500, S$45,000 at S$4,501 to S$5,000, S$40,000 at S$5,001 to S$5,500, S$35,000 at S$5,501 to S$6,000, S$30,000 at S$6,001 to S$6,500, S$25,000 at S$6,501 to S$7,000, S$20,000 at S$7,001 to S$7,500, S$15,000 at S$7,501 to S$8,000, S$10,000 at S$8,001 to S$8,500 and S$5,000 at S$8,501 to S$9,000, with no grant above S$9,000.

The whole table, as printed. The column also covers singles buying under the Joint Singles Scheme. The amounts assume a lease that covers the youngest buyer and spouse to 95; otherwise the grant is pro-rated (claim 15). The grant falls S$5,000 for each S$500 of income.

To receive the grant a household's monthly income had to be S$9,000 or less, and the applicant or spouse had to have worked continuously for at least 12 months before the flat application and still be working when applying.

The grant's income test, not the flat ceiling. A family earning between S$9,001 and S$14,000 could buy a flat from HDB under claim 3 and received no Enhanced CPF Housing Grant.

The singles grant under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme was tiered in sixteen S$250 bands: S$40,000 at not more than S$750, S$37,500 at S$751 to S$1,000, S$35,000 at S$1,001 to S$1,250, S$32,500 at S$1,251 to S$1,500, S$30,000 at S$1,501 to S$1,750, S$27,500 at S$1,751 to S$2,000, S$25,000 at S$2,001 to S$2,250, S$22,500 at S$2,251 to S$2,500, S$20,000 at S$2,501 to S$2,750, S$17,500 at S$2,751 to S$3,000, S$15,000 at S$3,001 to S$3,250, S$12,500 at S$3,251 to S$3,500, S$10,000 at S$3,501 to S$3,750, S$7,500 at S$3,751 to S$4,000, S$5,000 at S$4,001 to S$4,250 and S$2,500 at S$4,251 to S$4,500, with no grant above S$4,500.

The whole table, as printed. Half the family amount at half the family income in every band.

The singles grant was open to first-timer singles aged 35 and above whose average monthly income did not exceed S$4,500.

Singles under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme. Buyers under the Joint Singles Scheme are tested on the families column, up to S$9,000.

The grant was available whether the buyer purchased a new or a resale flat, with no restriction on flat type or location, for flats with at least 20 years of lease remaining.

For families. The removed restriction is the Special CPF Housing Grant's limit to four-room or smaller new flats in non-mature estates. Singles face the flat limits in claim 14.

With the new grant, eligible first-timer families buying a resale flat could receive up to S$160,000 in housing grants: the new grant of up to S$80,000, a CPF Housing Grant of up to S$50,000 and a Proximity Housing Grant of up to S$30,000.

A ceiling on a combination of three grants with different tests. The CPF Housing Grant and the Proximity Housing Grant were not changed by this release.

The minimum remaining lease to receive the grant was 20 years, and the minimum lease for all other types of housing grants was adjusted to 20 years.

No general before-value is stored. The annex says "adjusted" and does not state the previous minimum. HDB's singles page, captured 17 November 2019, prints 30 years or more for the singles grants on new flats applied for before the September 2019 sales launch; that covers one route only.

In the release's worked case, a first-timer family earning S$4,800 a month buying a four-room BTO flat in a mature estate received S$45,000 in grant from 11 September 2019, against S$5,000 in Additional CPF Housing Grant before.

One household. The Special CPF Housing Grant was not available because the flat is in a mature estate. Annex B puts the increase at S$40,000. S$4,800 falls in the S$4,501 to S$5,000 band of claim 8, which pays S$45,000.

The same household buying a four-room resale flat whose lease covered both buyers to 95 received S$95,000 in grants from 11 September 2019 against S$55,000 before, and S$90,000 on a flat with 60 years of lease left, where the new grant was pro-rated to S$40,000.

Two households, both aged 30. Before: a CPF Housing Grant of S$50,000 and S$5,000 in Additional CPF Housing Grant. After: the same CPF Housing Grant and S$45,000, or S$40,000 pro-rated. The Proximity Housing Grant, up to S$30,000 more, is outside both totals.

For families buying new flats, the ceiling for a 2-room Flexi flat on a 99-year lease rose from S$6,000 to S$7,000, for a 3-room flat from S$6,000 or S$12,000 to S$7,000 or S$14,000 depending on the project, and for a 2-room Flexi flat on a short lease from S$12,000 to S$14,000.

The tiers below the headline. The stored pair is the 2-room Flexi flat on a 99-year lease. A 2-room Flexi flat on a short lease is for seniors aged 55 and above, who need not be first- or second-timers and cannot take an HDB loan for it. The 3-room ceiling is announced with each project.

The ceiling for eligible first-timer singles aged 35 and above was raised from S$6,000 to S$7,000 to buy a 2-room Flexi flat in a non-mature estate, to buy a resale flat of up to 5-room with a CPF Housing Grant under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme, and to take an HDB loan for either.

The singles headline. Other singles routes moved from S$12,000 to S$14,000 (claim 25). The singles grant stops at S$4,500 (claim 11).

The ceiling for eligible first-timer singles was raised from S$12,000 to S$14,000 to buy a 2-room Flexi flat on a short lease if aged 55 and above, to buy a resale flat with a CPF Housing Grant to live with parents or under the Joint Singles Scheme, and to take an HDB loan for that resale flat.

Singles on these three routes only.

For an extended family buying public housing the ceiling was 1.5 times the generic ceiling, which HDB's resale page states as S$21,000 for resale applications received on or after 11 September 2019, against S$18,000 before.

The release states the multiple, hdb's dated page the figures, and they agree: 1.5 times S$12,000 is S$18,000 and 1.5 times S$14,000 is S$21,000. The rule does not apply to Executive Condominiums.

The CPF Housing Grant for an Executive Condominium unit bought from a developer was unchanged, tiered for first-timer families earning up to S$12,000 at S$30,000, S$20,000 and S$10,000, with no grant for households earning S$12,001 to S$16,000.

Stored because the release states it unchanged, and because a reader will assume the grant limit moved with the S$16,000 ceiling. Table C2 pays S$30,000 at not more than S$10,000, S$20,000 at S$10,001 to S$11,000 and S$10,000 at S$11,001 to S$12,000. The sources do not state that the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant applies to Executive Condominiums.

The ceiling for buying a flat from a property developer under the Design, Build and Sell Scheme was raised from S$12,000 to S$14,000.

Design, Build and Sell Scheme flats only.

For eligible second-timer families, the ceiling for the Fresh Start Housing Scheme and the Step-Up CPF Housing Grant was raised from S$6,000 to S$7,000.

Second-timer schemes only. HDB dated the Step-Up ceiling to applications from the September 2019 sales exercise for new flats and to resale applications received on or after 11 September 2019. The Step-Up grant amount is not changed by the release.

For eligible seniors the ceiling was raised from S$12,000 to S$14,000 for the Lease Buyback Scheme, the Silver Housing Bonus and the purchase of a 2-room Flexi flat on a short lease.

Senior monetisation and right-sizing schemes. No trigger beyond the implementation date is stated for them.

MND and HDB introduced the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant to replace the existing Additional CPF Housing Grant and Special CPF Housing Grant, available whether the buyer purchases a new flat or a resale flat.

A replacement, by route. On HDB's pages the new grant replaced both grants for new flats from the September 2019 sales launch, and replaced the Additional CPF Housing Grant for resale applications from 11 September 2019 (claims 21 and 22). The release does not state the maxima of the grants it replaced.

For singles, the grant applied to 2-room Flexi flats on 99-year leases in non-mature estates, 2-room Flexi flats on short leases, and resale flats, up to 5-room under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme and any resale flat under the Joint Singles Scheme.

Singles only. The note writes "Joint Single Scheme" where the table heading writes "Joint Singles Scheme"; both refer to the same scheme.

The full grant applied where the remaining lease covered the youngest buyer and spouse to the age of 95; otherwise the grant was pro-rated, with reference to the pro-ration announced in May 2019 for CPF usage and HDB housing loans.

The formula is not printed. The release points to the May 2019 CPF and HDB loan pro-ration, which this archive does not hold. Annex B shows one result: S$40,000 instead of S$45,000 for a couple aged 30 buying a flat with 60 years of lease left (claim 19).

A first-timer parent or child buying a resale flat with a child or parent who was a second-timer, or had already taken two housing subsidies, also qualified for the grant.

Resale, and this combination only. The sources held say nothing about a first-timer married to a second-timer, and nothing is inferred for that household.

The grant and the revised income ceilings were implemented from 11 September 2019.

The release's only date, not the test for a given purchase. That test is claim 21 for a new flat and claim 22 for a resale flat. For an Executive Condominium unit the release gives no other basis.

For a new flat, HDB applied the new grant to flat applications received from the September 2019 sales launch onwards, and the Additional and Special CPF Housing Grants to flat applications received before that launch.

Stored as HDB words it. HDB names the launch by month only, and the sources held do not identify the exercise, or say how Sale of Balance Flats and open booking were treated. The Step-Up page applies the S$7,000 ceiling to applications from the September 2019 sales exercise and the S$6,000 ceiling to applications from the May 2019 sales exercise to 10 September 2019.

For a resale flat, the new grant replaced the Additional CPF Housing Grant, and the higher income ceilings applied, for resale applications received on or after 11 September 2019.

An application-receipt rule. A resale application HDB received on 10 September 2019 kept the Additional CPF Housing Grant and the S$12,000 ceiling. The family and singles pages survive only in 2020 captures and only their dated sentences are relied on; the 2019 capture of the resale Step-Up page states the same date.

The measures were announced by the Minister for National Development, Lawrence Wong, on the evening of 10 September 2019, in a release of MND and HDB.

The release does not name a venue. The MND record's timestamp reads 10.40am Singapore time, but the record was created in 2025, so it is a migration value and is not used. Not a National Day Rally announcement.

The Government said the measures would help more Singaporeans from lower to upper-middle income households buy their first homes, and that HDB would likely have to increase BTO supply in 2020 to meet the anticipated additional demand.

The government's stated aim and expectation, not an observed effect. No number of flats or of households reached is given.

The redesign moved the grant from the flat to the household. The Special CPF Housing Grant had paid only on smaller new flats in non-mature estates; the new grant paid the same income-tiered amount on any new or resale flat with enough lease, so a first-timer's grant no longer depended on which flat or which channel it chose.

Prevo's reading, not a Government statement. The inputs are verified. The conclusion holds for the grant amount only; the CPF Housing Grant for resale still varies by flat size, and the lease-to-95 pro-ration still makes the amount depend on the flat's remaining lease.

Before the change, first-timer families buying a subsidised flat from HDB could receive the Additional and Special CPF Housing Grants, and resale buyers the CPF Housing Grant and the Additional CPF Housing Grant; the Special CPF Housing Grant was restricted to four-room or smaller new flats in non-mature estates.

The release's own description of the state it replaced. It states no amounts for either grant.

HDB's page for first-timer families lists, for flat applications received before the September 2019 sales launch, an Additional CPF Housing Grant of up to S$40,000 and a Special CPF Housing Grant of up to S$40,000, with income ceilings of S$5,000 and S$8,500.

Hdb's own text, held only on a 2020 capture of a living page, which is why this is partly verified. The figures sit under a heading the page itself dates, but the table's label runs only to the May 2019 sales launch, and no 2019 capture of the family page was found. The release states neither maximum. At the lowest incomes the two grants together reached S$80,000 on a new flat in a non-mature estate, so the change was one of reach more than of maximum.