HDB grants & schemes to save ~$250K when buying a home in Singapore

For most of us, buying a home is the single biggest financial decision we will ever make. Resale flat prices rose almost 10% in 2024, and many Singaporeans worry about housing affordability. Fortunately, the government provides a range of HDB grants and schemes to make owning a flat an attainable goal.These grants can be stacked together, saving the average family hundreds of thousands of dollars. All that extra money can go into your renovation and home design.

Financial help: HDB grants and schemes

There are five main types of HDB grants and schemes that homebuyers should know about:

1. Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG)

2. CPF Housing Grant (Family / Singles)

3. Proximity Housing Grant (PHG)

4. Step-Up CPF Housing Grant

5. Priority Schemes (extra ballot chances for families)

Together, these can add up to S$230,000 for families and S$115,000 for singles when buying resale flats. Here is that information visualised in a table.

1. Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) (Family/Singles)

First-time home buyers can benefit from the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG), which provides applicants up to S$120,000 (families) and up to S$60,000 (singles) based on household income — ≤ S$9,000 for families and ≤ S$4,500 for singles. This makes the EHG grant potentially the largest source of financial assistance from the HDB.

However, under this HDB scheme, the amount awarded is not given as cash but credited to the buyers’ CPF Ordinary accounts to offset the purchase cost or loan amount. For young couples and families, or older singles buying a home for the first time, the EHG grant makes it much easier to do so even if they do not have a lot of savings or a high income.

Details of the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) (Family/Singles)

• Who qualifies: First-time families (income ≤ S$9,000) and first-time singles (age 35+, income ≤ S$4,500).

• Amount:

  • Families: Up to S$120,000 (earning ≤ S$1,500 monthly).

  • Singles: Up to S$60,000 (earning ≤ S$750 monthly).

• Applicable for: Both BTO and resale flats.

• Notes: The EHG grant amount is not fixed; it depends on income (the lower the income, the higher the grant).

You can find all the details of this HDB grant on the dedicated HDB page.

2. CPF Housing Grant (Family/Singles)

Often mixed up with the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG), the HDB CPF Housing Grant (Family/Singles) is a housing finance assistance scheme aimed specifically at resale flats. The amount allocated to the receiving family or single depends on the size of the home being purchased.

Successful single applicants will receive S$40,000 for 2- to 4-rooom flats and S$25,000 for homes with 5 or more rooms. Families will receive double that — S$80,000 for 2- to 4-rooom flats and S$50,000 for homes with 5 or more rooms.

Details of the CPF Housing Grant (EHG) (Family/Singles)

• Who qualifies: First-time buyers purchasing resale flats.

• Amount:

  • Families: Up to S$80,000 (2–4-room) or S$50,000 (5-room and bigger).

  • Singles: Up to S$40,000 (2–4-room) or S$25,000 (5-room and bigger).

• Income cap: Families ≤ S$14,000, Singles ≤ S$7,000.

• Special notes: Cannot be used for BTO; resale only.

You can find the announcement of this HDB grant here and all the details of on the HDB page for singles and for couples & families.

3. Proximity Housing Grant (PHG)

The HDB Proximity Housing Grant is a government initiative aimed at giving Singapore’s aging population a hand by encouraging parents and their children to live close to each other. There are 2 variations to the PHG — PHG (Families) and PHG (Singles). They offer S$30,000 for parents and children to live in the same house, and S$20,000 for parents and their children to live within 4km of each other.

The Proximity Housing Grant is unique in that there are no income caps, age limits or flat type restrictions for applicants. You will receive the full sum if you either live with your parent or child, or within the designated radius of their home.

One thing to note, though, is that this HDB grant can only be taken once in any variation; all subsequent living arrangements will not qualify you again for the Proximity Housing Grant (Families). For example, if you received the S$30,000 PHG grant when buying a home to live with your parents, you will not receive another S$20,000 if you buy a home within 4km of your child.

Details of the Proximity Housing Grant (PHG)

• Who qualifies: Buyers who live with or near their parents or children.

• Amount:

  • Families: S$30,000 (living with parents) or S$20,000 (living within 4 km).

  • Singles: S$15,000 (living with parents) or S$10,000 (living within 4 km).

• Income cap: None.

• Special notes: Use this official HDB tool to determine distance between 2 addresses.

You can find all the details of this HDB grant on the dedicated HDB page.

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4. Step-Up CPF Housing Grant (Families)

As the name suggests, the Step-Up CPF Housing Grant from HDB gives S$15,000 to current home owners who live in a 2-bedrroom home and want to upgrade to a 3-bedroom home. It applies to the purchase of both new and resale homes.

You are only eligible for this HDB scheme if the average gross combined monthly income of all applicants (and occupiers) for the past 12-month period is less than S$7,000. To calculate this, combine the total earned over the past year by everyone who lives in your current 2-bedroom home and divide by 12, and then divide by the number of people who live there.

If you are buying a resale flat, the HDB Step-Up CPF Housing Grant may be stacked on top of the Proximity Housing Grant (Families), if you meet the eligibility conditions.

Details of the Step-Up CPF Housing Grant (Families)

• Who qualifies: Second-time home buyer families upgrading from 2-room flats to larger resale flats.

• Amount: Up to S$15,000.

• Income cap: Combined monthly average ≤ S$7,000.

• Special notes: Targeted at lower-income families moving into bigger flats.

You can find all the details of this HDB grant on the dedicated HDB page.

Extra ballot chances: HDB Priority Schemes

Besides financial help, you may also qualify for Priority Schemes by the HDB that improves the odds of you being allocated a Build-to-Order (BTO) or Sale of Balance Flat (SBF) flat. These additional ballot chances or priority allocations fall into 9 main categories.

• Priority for first-timers — Applications from first-timer families are prioritised
• First-Timer (Parents & Married Couples), or FT(PMC) category — Additional priority for young families
• Family and Parenthood Priority Scheme (FPPS) — For first-timer married couples with children and young married couples
• Family Care Scheme (FCS) (Proximity) — Supports parents and children, married or single, to live together or nearby
• Multi-Generation Priority Scheme (MGPS) — Parents and their married child (or fiancé(e)) can jointly apply for 2 flats in the same BTO project.
• Third Child Priority Scheme (TCPS) — Supports families with 3 or more children
• Assistance Scheme for Second-Timers (Divorced/ Widowed Parents) (ASSIST) — Support for divorced or widowed persons with children.
• Senior Priority Scheme (SPS) (near existing home) — Helps seniors buy a 2-room Flexi flat close to their current home to age in place.
• Tenants’ Priority Scheme (TPS) — Allows tenants of HDB rental flats to purchase their own home.

You can find all the details of these HDB schemes on the dedicated HDB page.

The HDB official site has all the details and latest updates — always consult with them directly before making any decisions related to buying a home.

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