The Majulah Package is a set of CPF top-ups for older Singapore citizens, and many families only hear about it when a parent asks why an SMS mentioned extra money in their CPF account. This guide explains who it is for, what each of its three bonuses pays, how the payments arrive without an application, and how it differs from the Pioneer and Merdeka Generation packages your parents may already know.

We write about it because the families we work with are often supporting a parent in their late fifties or sixties, sometimes while arranging care at home. It is a scheme adult children are often unsure about.

A quick note before we start. We are a maid agency, not financial advisers. Everything below comes from official government pages, and the authoritative answer for any individual is the Government Benefits eligibility check, or the hotline 1800-2222-888 listed on MOM’s page.

What the Majulah Package is and why it exists

The package was announced at the National Day Rally in August 2023. According to the CPF Board’s summary of the announcement, it was a $7 billion package aimed at citizens aged 50 and above in 2023 with lower income and less wealth.

The government describes its target group as “Young Seniors”, meaning people in their fifties and early sixties. Many were born too late for the Pioneer or Merdeka Generation packages. The CPF Board’s FAQs on the package explain that the money goes into CPF rather than being paid as cash so that it earns interest and supports retirement and healthcare needs later.

The package has three parts:

Earn and Save Bonus (ESB): an annual top-up for lower to middle income workers.
Retirement Savings Bonus (RSB): a one-off top-up for those with lower CPF retirement savings.
MediSave Bonus (MSB): a one-off top-up to the MediSave Account.

The Ministry of Manpower’s page on the package states that each eligible Singaporean receives at least one of the three.

Majulah Package eligibility: who qualifies

The starting point for Majulah Package eligibility is your birth year. You must be a Singapore citizen born on 31 December 1973 or earlier, which is everyone aged 50 and above in 2023. A common misreading is that the package only covers people born from 1959 to 1973. In fact older citizens are included too, although, as we explain below, the MediSave Bonus pays them a different amount.

Beyond age, the RSB and ESB are means-tested. The Government Benefits page for the scheme lists these criteria for the ESB:

a local residential address, so citizens living overseas do not qualify;
a home with an Annual Value of $31,000 or below;
owning no more than one property;
an average monthly income of $500 to $6,000, based on the preceding Year of Assessment.

The Annual Value and property checks are made as at 30 November of the preceding year. The one-off bonuses paid in 2024 used an Annual Value limit of $25,000, as set out in the CPF FAQs.

The CPF FAQs also state that there is no citizenship attainment date. Someone who became a citizen recently can still qualify if they meet the other criteria. This is one of the clearest differences from the older generation packages.

The three bonuses and how much each pays

Earn and Save Bonus

The ESB rewards people who are still working and saving. It covers employees, self-employed persons and platform workers alike. The annual amount depends on average monthly income, with more going to those who earn less:

$500 to $2,500 a month: $1,000 a year;
above $2,500 to $3,500: $700 a year;
above $3,500 to $6,000: $400 a year.

There is also a concessionary ESB of $400 a year. It is for some people who earn under $500 a month, namely persons with disabilities, ComCare Short-to-Medium Term Assistance recipients and eligible caregivers.

Retirement Savings Bonus

The RSB was a one-time top-up for those who had not yet saved up to the 2023 Basic Retirement Sum of $99,400. According to the CPF FAQs, it was based on combined CPF retirement savings as at 31 December 2022:

less than $60,000: $1,500;
at least $60,000 but less than $99,400: $1,000.

For members below 55, retirement savings means the Ordinary and Special Account balances. For those 55 and above, it means the Retirement Account plus any unused CPF LIFE premium. Seniors who owned more than one property, or lived in a home with an Annual Value above $25,000, were excluded. The RSB did not depend on working, so it reached people who could not work.

MediSave Bonus

Every citizen born in 1973 or earlier was eligible for the MSB. In October 2024 the government added $500 to it, so the final amounts were $1,250 or $2,000. The Ministry of Health’s December 2024 release put the number of recipients at about 1.6 million.

Which amount a person received depended on age, home Annual Value and property ownership. The CPF FAQs show how this worked:

those born in 1959 or earlier received the lower amount;
those born from 1960 to 1973 who owned no more than one property and lived in a home with an Annual Value of $25,000 or less received the higher amount;
everyone else born from 1960 to 1973 received the lower amount.

MOM’s worked examples match this. A 55-year-old earning $2,000 a month is shown receiving the $2,000 MediSave Bonus, and a 65-year-old receives $1,250.

How and when payments are made

Nobody needs to apply for any part of the package. Payments are automatic for those who qualify.

RSB and MSB: paid once, in December 2024. Anyone who qualified should already see them in their CPF transaction history.
ESB: credited each March, starting in 2025. It goes to the Retirement Account if one exists, otherwise to the Special Account. Citizens aged 55 and above who have already set aside the Full Retirement Sum, or the Basic Retirement Sum with a property, receive it in the Ordinary Account.

The ESB cannot be withdrawn as a lump sum. Money credited to the Retirement Account is paid out as part of monthly retirement payouts.

Recipients receive an SMS without links on their Singpass-registered mobile number. Those without one receive a letter at the address on their identity card. That “no links” detail matters, because scam messages often copy the look of government notices. If a parent receives a message about Majulah bonuses containing a link, or one asking them to pay or share a code, they should not act on it. Instead, log in to the CPF website directly with Singpass and check the transaction history. The Government Benefits page also lists the ScamShield Helpline, 1799, for checking whether a message is a scam.

Majulah, Pioneer and Merdeka: how the packages differ

Families often mix up the three packages because they all target older citizens. The key differences are who they cover and what they pay for.

Who they cover. The Pioneer and Merdeka Generation packages each have a fixed birth cohort and a citizenship date. The Ministry of Health’s Merdeka Generation Package page mainly covers citizens born from 1950 to 1959 who became citizens by 31 December 1996, plus older citizens who meet that citizenship date but did not receive the Pioneer Generation Package. Majulah covers everyone born in 1973 or earlier, with no citizenship date.
What they pay for. The older packages are mainly about healthcare costs, such as outpatient subsidies and help with MediShield Life premiums. Majulah is mostly about retirement savings, with the MediSave Bonus as its one healthcare element.
Whether they stack. A parent born in the 1950s can belong to the Merdeka Generation and also receive Majulah bonuses if they meet the criteria. The packages do not replace each other.

What this means for families caring for an ageing parent

These bonuses will not pay for care on their own. They are still worth understanding, for three practical reasons.

Check the MediSave balance. The MediSave Bonus sits in your parent’s account and can be used under normal MediSave rules for hospital bills and approved outpatient treatment. It is worth knowing it is there before a medical bill arrives.
Check eligibility together. Sit with your parent and log in to govbenefits.gov.sg with their Singpass. This shows what they received and whether they can expect the ESB in March.
See it alongside other support. Majulah sits next to other schemes. These include the Silver Support Scheme for lower-income seniors, the GST Voucher scheme and the wider caregiver support schemes in Singapore, which may matter more if your parent needs daily help at home.

If your parent is starting to need regular help with meals, bathing or getting around, the bigger budget question is usually the care arrangement itself. Our page on helpers with elderly caregiving experience explains how families set that up. The Home Caregiving Grant is one scheme designed specifically for that situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to apply for the Majulah bonuses?

No. All three bonuses are paid automatically to eligible Singapore citizens born in 1973 or earlier. The one-off Retirement Savings Bonus and MediSave Bonus were credited in December 2024, and the Earn and Save Bonus is credited each March from 2025. You can check what you received by logging in to the CPF website or govbenefits.gov.sg with Singpass. Recipients are notified by an SMS that contains no links.

Can I still get the Retirement Savings Bonus or MediSave Bonus now?

These were one-time payments made in December 2024, based on criteria assessed at the time, such as CPF retirement savings as at 31 December 2022. They are not paid again each year. The Earn and Save Bonus is the recurring part of the package. It is assessed each year using the previous Year of Assessment’s income and your property situation as at 30 November of the preceding year.

Can my parent withdraw the Majulah money as cash?

Not as a lump sum. The bonuses are paid into CPF accounts so they earn interest. The MediSave Bonus can be used for approved medical expenses under normal MediSave rules. Earn and Save Bonus money in the Retirement Account is paid out as part of monthly retirement payouts.

My parent is in the Merdeka Generation. Do they also get the Majulah bonuses?

They can. Most Merdeka Generation seniors were born from 1950 to 1959, so they meet Majulah’s age requirement, and the packages do not cancel each other out. They received the MediSave Bonus at the amount set for those born in 1959 or earlier. They may also qualify for the Retirement Savings Bonus or Earn and Save Bonus if they meet the means-tested criteria.

Conclusion

The package is simpler than it first appears. It covers citizens born in 1973 or earlier. It paid a one-time MediSave Bonus of $1,250 or $2,000 and, for those with lower CPF savings, a one-time Retirement Savings Bonus of $1,000 or $1,500. It continues to pay working seniors on modest incomes an Earn and Save Bonus every March. Everything is automatic, and the official SMS never carries a link.

For families, the most useful step is a short session with your parent and their Singpass to see what has been credited and where. That usually leads to a wider conversation about care, budgets and what support will be needed in the years ahead, which is where planning really pays off. Schemes are updated from time to time, so confirm current criteria on the official pages before relying on any figure.

If that conversation is turning towards help at home for an ageing parent, 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.

Femme5 Placement Team

Written by the placement specialists at Femme5 Agency Pte Ltd (MOM Licence 19C9763), who match Singapore families with domestic helpers every day.

The Majulah Package Explained: Who Qualifies and What It Pays