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SINGAPORE – Low- and middle-income workers affected by the pandemic will receive further assistance from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) under a new grant.
Called the Covid-19 Recovery Grant (CRG), the scheme announced Wednesday (December 16) is for those who continue to suffer significant job or income losses despite the above measures to help workers.
Individuals can begin applying for the grant from January 18, 2021. Applications will close on December 31 of next year.
The new grant is different from the existing Covid-19 support grant or income relief plan for the self-employed (gentlemen). Applications for the Covid-19 support grant will close on December 31, while the Sirs will expire at the end of the year.
Under the new scheme, two groups of people can receive up to $ 700 a month for three months. These are:
– People who are unemployed due to reduction of staff or involuntary termination of contract
– People who have been placed on involuntary leave without pay for at least three consecutive months
The CRG will provide up to $ 500 per month for three months, for these groups:
– Employees facing wage losses of at least 50 percent on average for at least three consecutive months
– Self-employed workers facing an average loss of net business income (NTI) of at least 50 percent over a period of at least three consecutive months, compared to their average monthly NTI in 2019 or 2020
All of these losses must have occurred after January 23, when the first case of Covid-19 was found in Singapore. They must be present at the point of application.
In its statement on the new plan, MSF said the grant is aimed at people with lower household incomes, as well as those who have suffered the most significant income losses.
Applicants must have had a gross monthly household income of $ 7,800 or less, or a monthly per capita income of $ 2,600 or less before being affected by Covid-19.
They should have been economically active before the start of the pandemic.
This means that employees should have worked for at least six cumulative months between January 2019 and December this year, while the self-employed should have declared their NTI in 2019 or 2020.
To qualify for the grant, applicants must also show proof that they have been looking for work or seeking to improve their skills through government-linked portals, attending job interviews, or participating in professional training at specific government-linked career centers.
Self-employed persons can also provide supporting evidence of two attempts to contact clients or businesses in the two months prior to applying for the new grant.
People can apply for the CRG online on the MSF website every day from 9 am to 10 pm
Those who need assistance completing the online application form can call the ComCare Call hotline at 1800-222-0000, or send an email to [email protected]
Those who are unable to apply online can visit the nearest social services office for assistance.
“There is no need to rush to submit an application,” MSF said in a statement on Wednesday. “Applicants should prepare their supporting documents in advance for a smooth application process.”
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Labor and the National Congress of Trade Unions also gave an update on the gentlemen.
About 200,000 freelancers have benefited from the scheme, with about $ 1.8 billion paid between April and December, they said.
More than half of the beneficiaries were automatically eligible, while the rest applied for the program successfully.
About seven out of 10 applications processed by the NTUC were approved, as it exercised flexibility in the qualification criteria, they added.
“The applications that were not approved involved applicants who earned much higher incomes, resided in high-value properties, or owned two or more properties with their spouses,” they said. “Some were unable to provide evidence that they were self-employed.”
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