The cash payout, called the Cost-of-Living Special Payment, will be issued in September to Singapore citizens living in the city-state who are aged 21 and above in 2026, have an assessable annual income of up to S$100,000 and own no more than one property.

The amount each recipient gets will depend on their income level and the annual value of their residence.

Some 2.4 million Singaporeans are expected to benefit from this scheme, the city-state’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in the Budget 2026 on Thursday, as cited by Channel News Asia.

The S$500 in Community Development Council vouchers, meanwhile, will benefit all households in Singapore, or about 1.4 million in total.

They will be distributed in January 2027 and remain valid until the end of that year. Half can be redeemed at participating heartland merchants and hawkers, while the remainder can be spent at selected supermarket chains.

The scheme was launched in 2020 and expanded in 2021 to help households manage living expenses and support businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been given out every year since Budget 2021.

The three most recent tranches were S$300 in January 2025, S$500 in May 2025 and S$300 in January 2026.

This year’s budget also includes additional U-Save rebates to offset utility costs for households living in Housing & Development Board (HDB) flats, which, according to the agency’s website, house about 80% of the city-state’s resident population.

Eligible households can get up to S$570 in the current financial year, equivalent to 1.5 times the usual amount.

The rebates will be paid out in April and July and will cover around five months of utilities expenses for residents of one- and two-room flats, and roughly two months for those living in three- and four-room units. These aim to cushion higher utility costs as the carbon tax has nearly doubled this year.

“Although inflation has eased in recent years, we know that many Singaporeans still face anxieties and pressures,” Wong, who is also the city-state’s finance minister, said during his Thursday announcement, as quoted by The Business Times.

“The government will continue to do whatever is necessary to help Singaporeans manage cost pressures – for as long as it is needed.”