The Assurance Package is the government’s five-year set of payouts designed to help Singaporean households absorb the rise in GST. If you have ever wondered why money appeared in your bank account every December, or why your parents’ utilities bill seemed lighter in some months, this is part of the answer. This guide explains why the package exists, what it includes, who qualifies, how the payments arrive, and how to check your own and your parents’ eligibility safely.
Why would a maid agency write about this? The families we work with often manage budgets that include an elderly parent, a helper’s salary and levy, and rising daily costs. Knowing which support arrives automatically, and which needs a quick Singpass check, saves worry.
One caution throughout: amounts, timings and eligibility rules change with each Budget. We state only figures we verified on official government pages, together with the year they apply to. Always confirm the latest details on the official govbenefits page before relying on any figure.
This article is general information, not financial advice.
Why the package exists: the GST increase
Goods and Services Tax is a tax on consumption, paid whenever money is spent on goods or services in Singapore. As part of the Budget 2022 plan, IRAS explains, the rate rose in two steps: from 7% to 8% on 1 January 2023, and from 8% to 9% on 1 January 2024.
A higher GST affects everyone, but it weighs most on households with tighter budgets. The government’s approach, set out on its GST Voucher page, is not to exempt basic necessities from GST. Instead, it collects GST from everyone, including tourists and foreigners living in Singapore, and returns support directly to lower- and middle-income Singaporean households.
The package is the temporary layer of that support. According to govbenefits.gov.sg, it comprises cash, rebates, top-ups and CDC vouchers to help lower- and middle-income Singaporeans cushion the GST increase, and it sits on top of the permanent GST Voucher scheme.
What the package includes
It helps to think of household support as three layers, which are often confused.
1. AP Cash
This is the part most people notice. Every eligible Singaporean aged 21 and above receives cash payments totalling between $700 and $2,250 over five years, from 2022 to 2026. The total depends on your income and how many properties you own. We set out the yearly amounts below.
2. Rebates, top-ups and vouchers
Over the five years, the package has also included rebates, top-ups and CDC vouchers for households. These have been paid alongside the regular schemes and topped up at various Budgets, so the exact amounts differ by year and by flat type. For household shopping support, our guide to CDC vouchers explains how to claim and spend them.
3. The permanent GST Voucher, which continues
The GST Voucher scheme was introduced in Budget 2012 and is permanent. It has four components: Cash for lower-income Singaporeans, paid in August; MediSave top-ups for Singaporeans aged 65 and above, also paid in August; U-Save rebates on utilities bills; and S&CC rebates for eligible HDB households, both paid quarterly. Our article on GST Voucher eligibility covers it in detail.
Each Budget can also add one-off measures. In 2026, for example, Budget measures included an Enhanced Cost-of-Living Special Payment, a CPF top-up for some older Singaporeans, extra U-Save and more CDC vouchers. These are separate schemes with their own rules, even though they arrive through the same channels.
Assurance Package eligibility and amounts for AP Cash
The official page sets two basic criteria for AP Cash. You must be a Singapore citizen living in Singapore, and you must be aged 21 or above in the reference year, which is the year used to assess eligibility. A few points from the official FAQ are worth knowing:
- Those who also hold a foreign citizenship are not eligible, even if they hold Singapore citizenship.
- Singaporeans living overseas are not eligible, since the payments are meant to help with living expenses here.
- Owning more than one property does not disqualify you, but it puts you in the lowest payment tier.
- Eligibility depends on your Assessable Income as assessed by IRAS. If your income has not been assessed, for example because you have not filed a tax return, your eligibility cannot be assessed.
- The payment is made only to living beneficiaries.
AP Cash amounts by year
Payments are made in December. For those who own no more than one property, the official tables show:
- December 2022: $200, $150 or $100, for Assessable Income up to $34,000, above $34,000 up to $100,000, and above $100,000.
- December 2023 and December 2024: $600, $350 or $200, using the same income bands.
- December 2025: $600, $350 or $100, with the income bands updated to up to $39,000, above $39,000 up to $100,000, and above $100,000. This payment was based on Assessable Income for the Year of Assessment 2024.
- December 2026: $250, $150 or $100, using the updated bands.
Those who own more than one property receive the amount in the lowest column each year: $100 in December 2022, $200 in December 2023 and 2024, and $100 in December 2025 and 2026. December 2026 was the final payment in the five-year schedule shown on the official page.
How the payments are made
The payments are automatic, and nobody legitimate will ask you to register through a link sent out of the blue. According to the official page, AP Cash is paid in one of three ways:
- PayNow-NRIC. This is the default. If your NRIC is linked to PayNow at a participating bank, the money is credited there.
- Bank crediting. If you have no PayNow-NRIC link but have previously given the government your bank account number, the payment goes to that account, usually a little later.
- GovCash. If you have neither, the payment is made through GovCash, which the government describes on govbenefits.gov.sg.
Each year the official page lists the deadline for linking PayNow or updating bank details in time. If your eligibility was reassessed recently, payment follows within two months.
How to check eligibility with Singpass
The safest way to check is to go to govbenefits.gov.sg yourself and log in to its e-services with Singpass. There you can see what you are eligible for and which bank details are registered.
- Type the address govbenefits.gov.sg into your browser rather than clicking a link in a message.
- Log in with Singpass and view your eligibility for each scheme.
- Check that your payment mode and bank details are correct.
- If your Assessable Income seems wrong or missing, log in to the myTax Portal on iras.gov.sg and view your Notice of Assessment. If you have not filed, the official page directs you to call IRAS at 1800 356 8300.
Helping elderly parents check
Many older Singaporeans receive these payments without knowing what they are, which is fine. Still, sit with a parent once a year to check the payment mode, especially if they have changed banks. Let them log in to Singpass themselves. If your household employs a helper, she can be a great support with errands, but she should never be given a family member’s Singpass password or bank login. That boundary protects your parent and protects her too.
Older parents may also qualify for schemes with very different rules, such as the Silver Support Scheme or the Majulah Package. If you are supporting a parent day to day, our page on helpers with elderly caregiving experience explains how we match families with suitable helpers.
Scams to avoid
Every payout season brings scam messages that borrow the names of real schemes. Share these points with your parents:
- Government officials will never ask you to transfer money or reveal bank login details over a phone call.
- Official government websites end in .gov.sg. Look for https:// and the lock icon, and share sensitive information only on official, secure sites.
- The payouts are automatic. A message asking you to “claim” AP Cash, pay a fee, or install an app to receive a payment is a red flag.
- If you are unsure whether something is a scam, call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799 before you act.
Planning a household budget around the payouts
The payouts vary by year and income, and some are one-off, so treat them as a buffer for essentials rather than a fixed part of the budget. That matters most for a household with large fixed costs, such as a helper’s salary, the monthly levy and her insurance. Our full breakdown of maid costs shows what those fixed costs look like. The levy concession for eligible households, for example those with a young Singapore citizen child or a family member aged 67 and above, can make a far bigger and steadier difference than any one-off cost of living payment, so check whether your household qualifies on the MOM levy concession page.
Related guides: Hiring a Maid in Singapore: A First-Time Employer's Guide and Benefits of Hiring a Maid Through an Agency: Singapore 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to apply for AP Cash?
No. Eligible Singaporeans receive AP Cash automatically, by default into a PayNow-NRIC-linked bank account, otherwise by bank crediting or GovCash. You only need to act if you want to check your eligibility or update your payment details, which you can do by logging in with Singpass at govbenefits.gov.sg. Any message asking you to apply through a link or pay a fee should be treated as a scam.
How much AP Cash was paid in December 2026?
According to the official govbenefits page, the December 2026 AP Cash was $250 for Assessable Income up to $39,000, $150 for above $39,000 up to $100,000, and $100 above $100,000, for those owning no more than one property. Those owning more than one property received $100. It was the last payment in the five-year schedule from 2022 to 2026.
Is the Assurance Package the same as the GST Voucher?
No. The GST Voucher is a permanent scheme introduced in Budget 2012, with Cash, MediSave, U-Save and S&CC rebate components. The AP was a temporary, five-year layer added on top of it to cushion the GST increase from 7% to 9%. Both are paid automatically, and you can check eligibility for each on govbenefits.gov.sg.
Can Singaporeans living overseas receive AP Cash?
No. The official page states that AP benefits are meant to help defray living expenses for Singaporeans residing in Singapore, so those living overseas are not eligible. Singaporeans who also hold a foreign citizenship are also not eligible. If you have moved back recently and believe you now qualify, log in to the govbenefits e-services with Singpass to check.
Why was I not paid even though I meet the age criterion?
The most common reason is that your Assessable Income is unavailable, often because a tax return was not filed. Log in to the myTax Portal to check your Notice of Assessment, and if you have not filed, contact IRAS at 1800 356 8300. Once your income is assessed, you can update the government through the govbenefits e-services with Singpass.
Conclusion
The package was the government’s way of softening the move from 7% to 9% GST, through cash each December from 2022 to 2026, plus rebates, top-ups and CDC vouchers. It sits on top of the permanent GST Voucher, which continues. The payments are automatic, so the practical tasks are simple: keep your PayNow-NRIC link and bank details up to date, check eligibility only through govbenefits.gov.sg with Singpass, and help your parents spot scams. For any figure, the official page is the final word.
If managing the household budget also means planning help at home for your family, we are happy to talk it through. You can get in touch with the Femme5 team to discuss your family’s needs, read more about how we work with employers, or explore what a good placement looks like.
The Femme5 Team
Maid placement specialists, Femme5 Maid Agency
Our consultants work with Singaporean and expatriate families on helper matching, contracts and MOM compliance, and we verify the regulatory guidance in our articles directly against the Ministry of Manpower’s published requirements.
