SINGAPORE - About 950,000 households living in Housing Board flats will be receiving their quarterly Goods and Services Tax (GST) Voucher - U-Save rebates in October.

They will be disbursed through the GST Voucher (GSTV) - U-Save initiative, and credited via offsets to household utility bills, said the Ministry of Finance on Friday (Oct 1).

The total amount distributed under the GSTV - U-Save and U-Save Special Payment initiatives this financial year will tally up to about $460 million.

The amount that households will get is tagged to the type of HDB residence.

Households in one- and two-room HDB flats typically receive rebates that amount to an average of about three to four months of their utility bills.

With the addition of the U-Save Special Payment, the rebates will amount to about 4½ to six months of their utility bills.

For those in three- and four-room HDB flats, the additional support will be equivalent to about 1½ to three months of their utility bills.

The next round of GSTV - U-Save rebates for this financial year will be in January next year.

The U-Save Special Payment was previously given in April and July, where households received additional rebates amounting to 50 per cent of their regular GSTV - U-Save rebates over this financial year, as part of the Household Support Package announced during this year's Budget.

There are no more special payments for this financial year.

The GSTV - U-Save rebates began as a permanent scheme in 2012 to help lower- and middle-income Singaporeans offset some of their GST expenses. It is made up of three components - cash, MediSave and U-Save.

In the last financial year, the Government disbursed $630 million through the GSTV - U-Save schemes, including special payments.

These rebates also featured additional transfers to support households through the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.