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SINGAPORE: Around 470,000 low-income Singaporean workers will receive their Workfare Special Pay payments from October 28, the Finance Ministry said on Friday (October 23).
The special payment was announced by Vice Premier Heng Swee Keat in the resilience budget on March 26, as a step to provide greater security and support to Singaporeans who need more help during the uncertain period of COVID-19.
Provides a cash payment of S $ 3,000 for each eligible beneficiary, disbursed in two installments in July and October.
In his Aug. 17 ministerial statement, Heng, who is also finance minister, said that eligibility for the Workfare special pay would be expanded to include more than 70,000 additional workers who receive the Workfare income supplement for their work performed. in 2020 and you are no longer receiving Special Workfare Payments.
These additional 70,000 workers will receive the full payment of the Special Workfare Pay of S $ 3,000 starting this month, the MOF said.
This brings the total number of low-income Singaporean workers receiving additional support from the 2020 Budget plan to approximately 470,000. About S $ 810 million in total will be disbursed to Singapore workers in October, the MOF said.
Most of these workers would have qualified for Special Workfare Payments earlier and received their first payment of S $ 1,500 in July, for their work performed in 2019.
They will receive their last S $ 1,500 this month, which will be credited directly to their bank account on October 28, or by check mailed to their residential address by November 15.
READ: 400,000 Singaporeans to Receive First Payment of Workfare Special Pay as of July 28
Eligible workers who have registered their mobile phone numbers with SingPass will receive details by SMS on October 26 or by letters the same week.
No response is required and recipients will not be asked to provide information to the SG-Workfare SMS, the MOF said.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Heng said: “The government is committed to helping all Singaporeans overcome this crisis, especially our low-income workers and the most vulnerable among us.
“We will also work with you to build a better and brighter future for all Singaporeans in a post-COVID world.”
READ: COVID-19 Budget: Unemployment Benefits Rise; Higher cash payments for Singaporean adults
The Special Workfare Payment is awarded to those who are eligible for the Workfare Income Supplement, which aims to help the poorest 20 percent of the workforce.
Those who qualify for the Workfare income supplement for the 2019 work year before March 31, 2021, will receive the special Workfare payment.
They are also eligible if they qualify for the Workfare Income Supplement for the 2020 work year prior to December 31, 2021, and were previously not eligible for the special Workfare payment.
For example, a Singaporean worker who qualifies for the 2019 work year and receives the Workfare Income Supplement in December 2020 will also receive the Special Workfare Pay of S $ 3,000 that month.
Workers who qualify for the 2020 work year after October 2020 but before December 31, 2021, will receive Special Workfare Payments in the month they are eligible for the Workfare Income Supplement.
