SINGAPORE - About 900,000 Singaporean households living in Housing Board flats will receive vouchers to offset expenses in October.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a statement on Monday morning (Oct 1) that these households will receive the Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebate, a component of the permanent goods and services tax (GST) voucher scheme.

The amounts to be given out this month are tiered in increments of $10 depending on the HDB flat type.

Those staying in one- and two-room flats will receive the highest rebate, at $95, while the lowest is at $55 for executive or multi-generation flats.

The rebate, which is distributed every three months and will cost the Government about $280 million annually, helps families reduce overall expenses by offsetting part of their utilities bills.

Annually, the rebate has given households in one- and two-room HDB flats support equivalent to about three to four months of their utilities bills on average.

Those living in three- and four-room HDB flats have received support equivalent to about one to two months of their utilities bills, the MOF said.

The permanent GST voucher scheme was introduced in 2012 to help lower and middle income Singaporeans.

This year's Budget increased the U-Save rebate for some households by $20 per year for three years from 2019, to help them pay for increases in electricity and gas expenses from the carbon tax to be introduced that same year.

More information on the GST Voucher can be found at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg.