About 1.4 million lower-income Singaporeans will receive GST Voucher cash payouts from this month, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) yesterday.
Nine in 10 of those eligible are expected to receive their payouts automatically.
In addition, some 950,000 Singaporean households in Housing Board flats will receive their quarterly GST Voucher - U-Save rebates and special payment next month, said MOF in its statement.
The ministry encouraged Singaporeans to link their NRICs to PayNow by June 15 to receive their cash payouts earlier.
The one-off GST Voucher - Cash Special Payment of $200, which is meant to help lower-income Singaporeans with their daily living expenses, will be credited into citizens' bank accounts on June 23, for those who have linked their NRICs to PayNow, or who do so by June 15.
Those who do not do so, but had previously provided their bank account numbers to the Government, will be given the payment by bank transfer on June 30, said MOF. The rest will receive cheques sent to the addresses on their NRICs from July 15.
The cash special payment, which amounts to $280 million, is part of the $900 million Household Support Package announced in Budget 2021 in February.
The regular GST Voucher - Cash payout of $300 will be credited into citizens' bank accounts on July 30, for those who link their NRICs to PayNow by July 20, said MOF.
Those who do not do so, but had previously provided their bank account numbers, will be given the payment by bank transfer on Aug 5. The rest will receive cheques sent to the addresses on their NRICs from Aug 18.
This component of the GST Voucher scheme will amount to about $405 million.
MOF said that starting this year, the ministry will be using PayNow-NRIC as the default payment mode for citizens who have linked their NRICs to PayNow.
It said that PayNow provides added convenience and privacy for citizens to receive money in their bank account via their NRICs, without having to disclose their bank account details to the sender.
The GST Voucher scheme was introduced in 2012 to help lower-and middle-income Singaporeans offset some of their GST expenses. The scheme comprises three components: cash, MediSave and U-Save.
About 575,000 Singaporeans aged 65 and above this year will receive CPF MediSave account top-ups of up to $450 each from July 30, said MOF. In total, the top-ups will amount to about $170 million.
The U-Save and U-Save Special Payment rebates - credited to an HDB flat's utilities account - will amount to about $460 million.
The special payment provides an additional 50 per cent of the regular U-Save rebates in April and July.
The total amount of rebates received for fiscal year 2021 ranges from $355 to $595, depending on the HDB flat type.
Singaporeans who have not signed up for goods and services tax vouchers in the past can do so now. Those who signed up for a previous government payout need not sign up again, as they will receive their payments automatically.
