Covid-19 Recovery Grant application period extended to end-2023

Certain criteria for the Covid-19 Recovery Grant will be adjusted to help those with greater need. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - The application period for the Covid-19 Recovery Grant will be extended until Dec 31, 2023, so that people affected by the current economic climate can continue to get support.

But certain criteria, such as income eligibility, will be adjusted to help those with greater need, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said on Friday.

Introduced in January 2021, the grant provides temporary financial support to workers in lower- to middle-income households who experienced involuntary job loss, no-pay leave or income loss due to the pandemic’s economic impact.

The grant gives up to $700 a month for three months to those who were retrenched or had their contracts terminated, and $500 a month for three months to those who suffered significant loss of salary or trade income.

“While the easing of safe management measures and lifting of travel restrictions have helped our economy recover, we are aware that some may need more support to get back on their feet, following the financial impact of Covid-19,” said Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli in a Facebook post on Friday evening.

The extension of the application period is aimed at providing continued support for workers hit by job loss or loss of income, he added.

MSF separately said macroeconomic uncertainties, including recessionary fears in Europe and the United States, continue to weigh on the economy.

This is the second extension of the application period, which was due to expire on Dec 31, 2022.

MSF had said in September that there were no plans to extend the scheme past this December, though it would continue to monitor the economic situation.

But some eligibility criteria will be revised from Jan 1 to ensure support is channelled to households with less income, and encourage recipients to improve their employment prospects.

For example, from January, only those with a household income of $6,000 a month or less – or whose per capita household income is equal to or less than $2,000 a month – before involuntary job loss, no-pay leave or income loss will qualify.

Currently, those whose household income is equal to or less than $7,800 a month, or whose per capita household income is $2,600 a month or less, are eligible for the grant.

In addition, those who wish to apply for the grant after losing their jobs will need to first submit evidence of at least three job applications or interviews, instead of two currently. Self-employed people must show proof of at least three attempts to improve their business revenue or reach out to new clients – up from two currently – in lieu of the job search requirement.

Those applying for the grant from Jan 1 will also need to supply proof of having worked for at least six months between Jan 1, 2021, and Dec 31, 2022, or declare an annual net trade income in 2021 or 2022.

To apply for the grant, visit http://go.gov.sg/CRG

As at Nov 6, $75 million had been given out through the Covid-19 Recovery Grant to about 31,000 beneficiaries.

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