If you are caring for a parent or family member with a significant disability at home, the Home Caregiving Grant is one of the most useful forms of support available, and one of the most misunderstood. It is a monthly cash payout for families looking after someone who needs ongoing help with daily activities, and it can be spent on care needs such as hiring a helper. Yet many families we speak to either have not heard of it, or are working from old figures that no longer apply.
The confusion is understandable. The maximum payout was raised and the income ceiling widened from April 2026, so older articles quote the wrong numbers, and some families mix it up with the levy concession for helpers, which is a separate scheme.
This guide explains who qualifies, how much the grant pays, how to apply through the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), and how it works alongside the reduced levy for a helper. We link to the official pages throughout. Scheme details do change, so always confirm the current position on the AIC website before you rely on a figure.
What the grant is
The Home Caregiving Grant page on the Agency for Integrated Care website describes it as a monthly cash payout to help families manage the cost of caring for seniors or persons with disabilities at home. AIC states that the grant can be used for care needs, such as hiring a helper, paying for home care services, or buying healthcare items. It is not tied to one type of care.
The grant is paid monthly into a nominated bank account, and AIC notes that it shows up as “HCG” on your bank statement.
Who qualifies for the AIC Home Caregiving Grant
Eligibility is assessed on the person receiving care, not on the caregiver. According to AIC, the care recipient must meet all of these conditions.
- Nationality. A Singapore Citizen, or a Permanent Resident with a parent, child or spouse who is a living Singapore Citizen.
- Residence. Living in Singapore, and not living in a residential long-term care institution such as a nursing home.
- Household income. Household monthly income per person of $4,800 or less. If there is no household income, the annual value of the property must be under $21,000. AIC treats the household as the people at the care recipient’s NRIC address.
- Care needs. Permanently needing some assistance with at least three of the six activities of daily living (ADLs).
The six activities of daily living are the basic self-care tasks that doctors and assessors use to gauge disability. The Ministry of Manpower’s levy concession page lists them as washing, feeding, dressing, moving or walking around, transferring from bed to chair and back, and toileting. A parent who needs help bathing, dressing and toileting would meet the three-ADL threshold. One who mainly needs reminders and company would not.
The disability assessment
To prove the care needs, the care recipient must be assessed by a general practitioner or another approved healthcare professional using a Functional Assessment Report (FAR). AIC notes that assessment fees may apply and vary between clinics, so ask before you book. Persons with an intellectual disability or autism are assessed differently, using a Client Assessment Form completed by an approved assessor.
If your parent is already applying for a severe disability scheme such as CareShield Life, ElderShield, ElderFund, MediSave Care or IDAPE, AIC says the severe disability assessment done for that scheme is enough for the grant, so you do not need to pay for a second assessment.
How much the grant pays
The amount depends on household monthly income per person. AIC publishes these tiers:
- $0 to $1,500 household monthly income per person (or annual value of $21,000 or less for households without income): $600 a month
- $1,501 to $3,600 household monthly income per person: $400 a month
- $3,601 to $4,800 household monthly income per person: $200 a month
AIC adds that households that own multiple properties receive the lower tier of $200 a month. Household monthly income per person is the total gross household income divided by the number of family members living together.
These figures reflect the enhancement announced in the Ministry of Health’s August 2025 press release on long-term care support, which raised the maximum payout from $400 to $600 a month and the income ceiling from $3,600 to $4,800, with effect from April 2026. If you have seen “up to $400” quoted elsewhere, including on some government pages that have not yet been refreshed, that is the older maximum. The AIC scheme page is the one to trust for current amounts.
How to apply through AIC
The process is straightforward once the assessment is done.
- Get the disability assessment. Book a Functional Assessment Report with a GP or approved professional, and confirm with the clinic beforehand that they carry out the FAR.
- Apply online. AIC recommends applying through its e-Services for Financing Schemes (eFASS) using Singpass, as approval is faster. You can also request a hard copy form by emailing AIC or visiting an AIC Link, although paper applications take longer.
- Wait for the outcome. AIC says processing can take up to four weeks, and the result is sent by post.
- Receive the payouts. Once approved, payments start the following month and may include the month in which you applied.
If your parent lacks mental capacity, a donee under a Lasting Power of Attorney or a court-appointed deputy can apply. If neither exists, an immediate family member may apply, but AIC requires a deputyship court order within 12 months or the payouts will be suspended.
Using the grant alongside the helper levy concession
The grant and the levy concession are separate schemes with separate rules, and many families qualify for both. The Ministry of Manpower’s levy concession page itself points employers who hire a helper to care for a family member with three or more ADL needs towards this grant.
The levy concession reduces the monthly levy on a helper from $300 to $60. It applies if the household includes, among others, a Singapore Citizen aged 67 or above who is listed as a household member in FDW eService, or a person with disabilities who has been certified as needing help with at least one ADL and has an AIC recommendation letter. For an eligible elderly person, the concession is applied automatically once the conditions are met. We cover the details, including the cap on concessionary helpers per household, in our guide to maid levy rates and concessions.
The thresholds differ. A Singapore Citizen parent aged 67 or above who shares your NRIC address and is listed as a household member in FDW eService qualifies for the levy concession without any disability assessment, but still needs the three-ADL assessment and the means test for the grant.
A worked example
Consider a hypothetical household. An 80-year-old mother, a Singapore Citizen, lives with her son, his wife and their child at the same NRIC address. After a stroke, she permanently needs help with bathing, dressing, toileting and transferring. The son and his wife together earn $10,000 a month gross, and the family owns only the flat they live in.
- Household monthly income per person: $10,000 divided by four family members is $2,500.
- Grant tier: $2,500 falls in the $1,501 to $3,600 band, so the grant would be $400 a month, subject to AIC’s assessment.
- Levy: with the mother listed as a household member, the levy on one helper would be $60 a month instead of $300, a difference of $240.
Together, that is $640 a month of support in this example. Your own figures will differ, and only AIC can confirm grant eligibility, but it shows why it is worth checking both schemes.
Two practical points before you apply. Means testing uses the people at the care recipient’s NRIC address, so make sure those details are up to date. And AIC warns that its staff will never ask you to transfer money or share bank log-in details by phone.
The grant helps with cost, but it does not solve the question of who does the caring day to day. If you are weighing up whether a live-in helper is the right answer, our guide on when a helper makes the difference for an elderly parent walks through the signs, and our elderly caregiver service explains how we match families with helpers who have caregiving experience.
Related guides: Maid for Elderly Care Singapore: How Agencies Screen Helpers and Dementia Caregiver at Home: Daily Routines for Your Helper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to employ a helper to receive the Home Caregiving Grant?
No. AIC describes the grant as support for families caring for a loved one at home, and says it can be used for care needs such as hiring a helper, paying for home care services or buying healthcare items. Eligibility depends on the care recipient’s nationality, residence, household income and care needs, not on whether you employ a helper. Families who care for a parent themselves, or who use home care services or a day centre, can also apply if the care recipient meets the criteria.
Can I receive the grant and the levy concession at the same time?
Yes, if you meet the conditions for both. They are separate schemes run by different agencies. The levy concession is handled by MOM and reduces the levy on a helper to $60 a month, while the grant is administered by AIC and pays up to $600 a month depending on household income. MOM’s own levy concession page refers helper employers caring for someone with three or more ADL needs to the grant.
My parent lives in a nursing home. Can we still apply?
Generally not. AIC requires the care recipient to be living in Singapore and not in a residential long-term care institution, a category that includes nursing homes, sheltered homes and inpatient hospice care.
How long does it take to get the first payment?
AIC says processing can take up to four weeks after you submit the application, and you are told the outcome by post. Once approved, payouts are made the following month and may include the month in which you applied. Applying online through eFASS is faster than a paper application.
What if my parent’s condition gets worse after we are turned down?
Eligibility rests on permanently needing help with at least three activities of daily living, so a parent who needed help with two may qualify later if her needs increase. Arrange a fresh assessment when the change appears to be lasting, and contact AIC about applying again. The same applies if household income falls, since the payout tier is set by household monthly income per person.
Conclusion
The Home Caregiving Grant is a monthly payout of up to $600 for families caring at home for a Singapore Citizen or eligible PR who permanently needs help with at least three activities of daily living, in a household with monthly income per person of $4,800 or less. You apply through AIC after a disability assessment, ideally online, and the money can go towards whatever care arrangement works for your family, including a helper.
For families who employ a helper, the grant and the levy concession together can make a real difference to the monthly cost of care. They are separate applications, so check both, and confirm current figures on the AIC website before you budget around them.
If you would like to talk through how a helper could support your parent at home, whether you are hiring for the first time or need someone with more caregiving experience, our consultants are happy to help. You can get in touch with the Femme5 team to discuss your family’s caregiving needs, read more about how we work with employers, or explore what a good placement looks like. A short conversation now tends to prevent a longer one later.
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.
