ComLink+ pre-school incentive scheme sees strong take-up, employment package has slower start
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ComLink+ beneficiary Maznah Senen with two of her five children – three-year-old twins Nur Saida Sufian (left) and Mohammad Safiy Sufian.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
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SINGAPORE – When Ms Maznah Senen, 41, gave birth to her second child in 2020, she made the hard decision to leave her job as a saleswoman. Her husband, Mr Mohd Sufian Nazli, 36, became the sole breadwinner.
The couple now have five children – two three-year-old twins and three pre-schoolers aged four, five and six – and have lived in a two-room Housing Board rental flat in Tampines since 2021. Mr Sufian now earns $2,700 a month as a cleaning supervisor.
Their two sons have high caregiving needs, which have made it difficult for Ms Maznah to return to work. The eldest has speech delay, while one of the twins has Down syndrome and is fed through a tube in his stomach as he is unable to chew.
The financial incentives from two ComLink+ Progress packages
ComLink+ is a national scheme to support lower-income families in improving their lives.
Before receiving support, including food rations and FairPrice vouchers, Ms Maznah said it was difficult financially to run her household.
“Even now, I have to keep track of what we spend on and budget our money carefully,” she said.
When she met her family coach, Mr Clivon Heng, from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in February 2024, he assessed the family’s situation and placed them on suitable ComLink+ Progress packages for pre-school and employment.
These packages incentivise the family to continue pre-school education for their three older children and encourage Mr Sufian to maintain his employment in a CPF-contributing job to support his goal towards home ownership.
Under the pre-school package
More than 60 per cent of eligible ComLink+ children have been placed on the package as at September 2025, according to a report on lower-income families released on Dec 16 by MSF
The employment package, rolled out in December 2024, rewards families with adults holding a CPF-paying job with a gross monthly salary of at least $1,600. The report said about a quarter of eligible families had signed up for it.
They receive cash and Central Provident Fund payouts of $450 to $550 for each working adult every quarter in which the adult is in a CPF-paying job.
Mr Heng said he has seen tremendous improvement in Ms Maznah’s family in the last two years.
The children have been attending pre-school regularly, and Ms Maznah’s sons have benefited from the Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children programme.
Family coach Clivon Heng said he has seen tremendous improvement in Ms Maznah Senen’s family in the last two years.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
“My eldest is now so talkative, when once he refused to speak. He is more ready for Primary 1 next year. My youngest boy loves to be in pre-school,” said Ms Maznah.
Her husband has also taken on a supervisory role at work, increasing the household’s income, said Mr Heng.
Varied take-up rates for employment and pre-school packages
The low take-up rate of the employment package is not surprising, said Mr Fareez Fahmy, chief executive of social service agency Allkin Singapore.
As at September 2025, only 2,100 out of 8,600 eligible families had signed up.
One reason could be its recent launch, he said. He added that nearly four in 10 ComLink+ families do not yet have stable employment, which makes it difficult for them to immediately meet the package’s criteria.
Many parents also face trade-offs between CPF-paying jobs and the flexibility of gig work, he said.
“This ‘tunnelling’ effect means that families in financial distress may prioritise today’s crises over future incentives,” said Mr Fareez, adding that recent changes requiring platform operators to support CPF contributions could boost take-up.
In contrast, the 63 per cent take-up rate for the pre-school package is encouraging, despite it having been launched only in August 2024, he added.
As at September 2025, 2,600 out of 4,100 eligible children are on the pre-school package.
Said Mr Fareez: “For many years, pre-school has been seen more as a ‘good to have’, but we now see how pre-school support lays a crucial foundation for literacy, numeracy and emotional regulation.”
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, an MSF spokeswoman said some families are not ready to take up the pre-school package because of other priorities.
These could be changes in family circumstances – such as an ongoing divorce – or preferences for alternative caregiving arrangements, such as by family members.
Two other ComLink+ Progress packages were launched in 2025.
A debt clearance package introduced in June helps families pay down debts by matching every dollar repaid to licensed creditors, up to $5,000.
A home ownership package, launched in May 2025, matches families’ voluntary CPF contributions with two dollars for every dollar paid by the family, with a $30,000 combined cap together with the employment package.
Correction note: This article has been updated for clarity.
