The election deposit for each candidate contesting in the coming polls next month has been lowered to $14,500 - a decrease of $1,500 from the $16,000 required in the last general election.

The new sum was announced by the Elections Department (ELD) in a statement yesterday.

The ELD also told The Straits Times that the change was in line with the candidate deposit for the Punggol East by-election in 2013, when it was also set at $14,500.

The general election deposit amount was last raised - from $13,500 to $16,000 - in 2011.

Under the Parliamentary Elections Act, each candidate's deposit is 8 per cent of the total allowances paid to a Member of Parliament in the preceding year, rounded to the nearest $500.

The deposit, however, will be forfeited if a candidate in a single- member constituency or a team in a group representation constituency receives less than 12.5 per cent of the votes in their constituency.

Singapore Democratic Alliance chief Desmond Lim Bak Chuan lost his deposit twice in two elections contesting in Punggol East - first in the 2011 General Election and then in the 2013 by-election held there.

Both times he was the worst performer in three-way fights.

The election deposit can be made at the Accountant-General's Department or at nomination centres before noon on Nomination Day.

The ELD also listed the nine nomination centres where the candidates will hand in their papers for contesting, according to their respective constituencies.

They will have to do so on Nomination Day, next Tuesday.

Nomination papers can be collected from today at the office of the Returning Officer at the ELD.

The department is open between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Friday, as well as between 9am and 1pm on Saturday.

Soft copies of the nomination paper can also be downloaded from the Elections Department website http://www.eld.gov.sg/