Families with at least three Singaporean children will get S$1,000 (US$780) in credits for each third and subsequent child aged one to six through a government scheme to offset household expenses, starting Wednesday.
Around 33,000 eligible children, born between Jan 1, 2019, and Dec 31, 2024, will receive this round of payout, as reported by Channel News Asia.
In subsequent years, children aged one to six in each respective year will get the same credits in April. For instance, those born between 2020 and 2025 will get S$1,000 in April 2026.
The credits, named Large Family LifeSG credits, will be automatically issued to the Child Development Account (CDA) trustee of each eligible child and can be accessed through the LifeSG app, with no need for application.
They will be valid for 12 months and can cover everyday expenses such as groceries, pharmacy items, utilities and transport at a wide range of physical and online merchants that accept PayNow UEN QR or Nets QR.
These credits come under the Large Families Scheme, which Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced during Budget 2025 in February.
The scheme will also provide each of the eligible third and subsequent children with a S$5,000 grant for medical expenses, according to The Straits Times.
Additionally, each third and subsequent child born on or after Feb. 18 will get a S$5,000 boost to their CDA First Step Grant, a government grant for Singaporean children, which can be used to cover preschool and healthcare costs.
Those eligible will automatically receive these benefits about two weeks after opening their CDA and successfully enrolling in the Baby Bonus scheme.
Wong said earlier this year that the scheme was designed to ease the financial burden on couples raising three or more children.
“Couples with more children often worry about additional costs because the demands grow with each additional child,” he said, as quoted by The Business Times.
The scheme is projected to cost the government around S$80 million annually.
