The GST Voucher (GSTV) is a permanent scheme introduced by the Government in 2012 to help lower-income Singaporeans with their GST expenses. The GSTV comprises three components – Cash, MediSave and U-Save.
In total, about 1.6 million eligible Singaporeans will receive a total of $1 billion worth of GST Vouchers and MediSave Top-Ups in 2018. Eligible HDB households will also receive an additional U-Save of $20 a year from 2019 to 2021, in addition to the regular U-Save amounts.
Do I qualify?
Confused by the different criteria for the GST Vouchers? Here’s a quick and simple guide for you.
GST Voucher – Cash
For a start, in order to qualify for GSTV – Cash this year, you must first be a Singapore citizen, staying in Singapore. You must also be aged 21 or above.
Next, your income earned in 2016 (as assessed by IRAS for the Year of Assessment 2017) must not exceed $28,000.
Also, the annual value of your home [1] must not be above $21,000 as of 31 December 2017. You must also not own more than one property.
If you satisfy all of the above requirements, you qualify. So how much do you get? The amount of Cash and Special Payment you get depends on the annual value of your home. See below:
* Cheque payment takes two weeks longer. Citizens are encouraged to switch to direct bank crediting at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg.
GST Voucher – MediSave
Besides GSTV – Cash, if you are a Singapore citizen aged 65 and above and staying in Singapore, you may also receive GSTV – MediSave.
As with the Cash component, the annual value of your home must not exceed $21,000 as of 31 December 2017, and you must not own more than one property.
If you meet the above criteria, the amount of GSTV – MediSave top-up you receive will depend on your age in 2018 and the annual value of your home. See below:
In addition to the above, if you are aged 59 years and above in 2018 and do not receive Pioneer Generation benefits, you will receive a MediSave top-up of up to $200 in 2018. The amount of top-ups depends on the annual value of your home.
Pioneers will also receive Pioneer Generation (PG) MediSave top-ups of $200 to $800, depending on their age.
Taking the GSTV – MediSave, PG MediSave Top-Up and 5-year MediSave together, here’s how much you may receive:
* Includes GSTV – MediSave, PG MediSave Top-Up and 5-year MediSave Top-Up (MTS5)
GST Voucher – U-Save
Lastly, eligible households will also receive GSTV – U-Save, which is credited to their utilities account. To qualify, your family must first stay in a HDB flat, and there must be at least one Singapore citizen owner, occupier or tenant in your HDB flat.
In addition, immediate family members living in the same HDB flat must not own or have any interest in more than one property.
The amount of U-Save you get depends on your HDB flat type. Each eligible household will receive the U-Save distributed every 3 months, as shown in the table below.
* Eligible HDB households will receive an additional U-Save of $20 a year from 2019 to 2021
You will also receive a one-off Service & Conservancy Charges rebate in 2018. This amount will vary according to your HDB flat type:
Doing more for the environment – mobile SMS notifications
If you have previously signed up for the GSTV or any other government payout scheme, you will automatically receive your GSTV payouts. For those who have not signed up, you will have until 31 December 2018 to sign up through the GSTV website (www.gstvoucher.gov.sg), or through a hardcopy form (found at Community Centres).
This year, if you have updated your mobile number with SingPass, you would have received SMS notifications about your GST Voucher – Cash and MediSave eligibility on 28 or 29 June. This is faster, more convenient, and eco-friendly as well. The sender of the SMS would be "GSTV", and the SMS would request that you log into www.gstvoucher.gov.sg with your SingPass details to view the benefits. However, beware of phishing websites, which may ask you for personal information without SingPass authentication.
If you are aged 21 to 58 with mobile numbers updated with SingPass, you will only receive SMS notifications (without hardcopy letters). If you are 59 and above with mobile numbers updated with SingPass, you will receive both SMSes and notification letters. You can opt for SMS notifications in future by updating your mobile numbers with SingPass at www.singpass.gov.sg.
For more info and updates, go to www.gstvoucher.gov.sg.
[1] The AV is the estimated annual rent a property can fetch if it were to be rented out. It is used to calculate the property tax of your home. The AV can be found on the property tax bill that the property owner receives each year. The AV threshold of $21,000 covers all HDB flats and some lower-value private properties, as the GST Voucher targets those who are less well-off.
This article is accurate as of 28 Jun 2018.
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