940,000 HDB households will receive a GST coupon refund for utility bills this month

SINGAPORE: A total of 940,000 Singaporean households living in Housing and Development Board (HDB) apartments will receive the next installment of the GST Voucher U-Save rebate this month, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced on Saturday (2 of January).

Of these households, about 155,000 larger families with five or more members will receive 2.5 times their regular U-Save reimbursements in financial year 2020, the MOF said in a press release.

This is U-Save’s fourth payment for the financial year, with the first three payments made in April, July and October.

In total, all Singapore HDB households will receive double their regular U-Save rebates this financial year, the MOF said.

Typically, 1 and 2-bedroom HDB apartment homes receive annual U-Save rebates equal to roughly three to four months of their utility bills.

Along with the U-Save Special Payment awarded earlier this year, these households will receive refunds equal to at least six to eight months of their utility bills, the MOF said.

Homes in HDB 3- and 4-bedroom apartments typically receive support equivalent to approximately one to two months of utility bills. Now they will receive support equivalent to at least two to four months of their bills.

“I hope that higher payments can better defray household expenses and bring some joy to families as we look forward to a new year,” Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

The permanent GST voucher program was introduced in 2012 to help low- and middle-income households offset part of their utility bill and reduce their household expenses.

The coupon consists of three components: Cash, MediSave, and U-Save.

U-Save regular rebates are disbursed every three months. The additional reimbursements are part of the Government Care and Support Package announced as part of the 2020 Budget.

In total, the Government will disburse S $ 630 million in U-Save rebates this financial year.