Advertisement
Singapore markets close in 6 hours 7 minutes
  • Straits Times Index

    3,177.89
    +5.96 (+0.19%)
     
  • Nikkei

    39,596.29
    -144.15 (-0.36%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    16,640.11
    -97.01 (-0.58%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,722.55
    -4.87 (-0.06%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    65,734.50
    -2,293.54 (-3.37%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,149.42
    +32.33 (+0.63%)
     
  • Dow

    38,790.43
    +75.66 (+0.20%)
     
  • Nasdaq

    16,103.45
    +130.27 (+0.82%)
     
  • Gold

    2,164.20
    -0.10 (-0.00%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.60
    -0.12 (-0.15%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.3400
    +0.0360 (+0.84%)
     
  • FTSE Bursa Malaysia

    1,547.88
    -5.76 (-0.37%)
     
  • Jakarta Composite Index

    7,352.65
    +50.20 (+0.69%)
     
  • PSE Index

    6,884.69
    +31.40 (+0.46%)
     

CPF Housing Grant/HDB Resale Grant: Should You Take It to Buy an HDB Flat in Singapore?

Most Singaporeans can't imagine owning an HDB flat without using their CPF money to pay for it. While some complain about how their CPF money is 'locked' up, the compulsory savings scheme is no doubt a major factor that has helped Singaporeans achieve such a high homeownership rate.

On top of using CPF money, the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant, or HDB Grant, is another important policy that is helping Singaporeans cope with the high costs of purchasing a home.

If you're eligible for these grants as a first-time buyer, the cost of your new HDB BTO flat can be reduced by up to $80,000. If you're buying a resale, you can offset its price by as much as $160,000 after factoring in HDB resale grants.

PGF_H2_2020-In_house_Banners_Spotlight_1_CG_Desktop_630x90
PGF_H2_2020-In_house_Banners_Spotlight_1_CG_Desktop_630x90


Chat with us on WhatsApp

ADVERTISEMENT


Fill up an online form

 

Summary of HDB BTO, EC and HDB Resale Grants

Assuming you fulfil all the income ceiling requirements and are a first-time HDB buyer applying as a couple or family, here are the maximum grants you can get for HDB BTO, executive condominium and resale flats.

Housing type

Maximum grant amount

HDB BTO flat

$80,000

HDB resale flat

$160,000

Executive condominium

$30,000

HDB's grant structure was enhanced in September 2019 to make a home purchase even more affordable for first-time homeowners. These changes are summarised below:

  • Household income ceilings were raised to $14,000 for a BTO flat, and $16,000 for executive condominiums (ECs)

  • The Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) replaced the existing Additional and Special CPF Housing Grants (AHG and SHG)

  • Eligible first-timers can benefit from the EHG when buying new or resale flats, regardless of flat type and location

  • To qualify for the EHG, your average gross monthly household income must not exceed $9,000

Related article: HDB’s New Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) And Higher Income Ceilings: What You Need To Know

But is relying on HDB grants for your home purchase be a problem? Are there situations where you shouldn’t take the grant?

Definitely! In this article, we'll take a look at the implications of taking up CPF Housing Grants.

 

1. The HDB Grant Money Will Have to Be ‘Returned’

The cumulative amount from the various HDB grants can help flat buyers save a lot of money. And the outsize HDB resale grant levels the price disparity between HDB BTO and resale flats, giving first-time buyers more housing options.

So it's no surprise that most Singaporeans gladly say 'yes' to the grants when buying their first home.

But nothing is free, so to speak. In fact, these grants may have to be ‘returned’ to your CPF account, in one way or another.

Firstly, HDB grants are credited into your CPF account and are not disbursed in cash.

Secondly, when you sell the property, you’ll have to return the HDB grant amount to your CPF account. Additionally, the housing grant you’ll have to return includes a 2.5% accrued interest, which is the interest you would have earned if your grant amount had been sitting in your CPF Ordinary Account instead of being used to pay for your home (see our next point).

Other than that, you might incur a resale levy when you decide to sell your flat to buy another HDB BTO or EC. HDB's resale levy is used to maintain a fair allocation of public housing subsidies between first-timers and second-timers, by reducing the subsidy Singaporeans may enjoy for their second HDB flat or EC purchase.

The resale levy is only applicable in some cases:

  • You dispose of your HDB BTO and then buy a second subsidised flat from HDB

  • You dispose of your HDB BTO and then buy an EC from a developer

In other words, you need not pay a resale levy if you are buying any of these:

 

2. Accrued Interest From Enhanced CPF Housing Grant

The main downside of using CPF money to finance your property purchase is the accrued interest payable.

Accrued interest is the interest amount that you would have earned if your CPF money had not been withdrawn for your home purchase. The accrued interest payable is computed on the CPF principal amount withdrawn for housing on a monthly basis and compounded yearly.

Whenever one uses their CPF money, whether to finance the downpayment of the property or to service the monthly mortgage loan, you will incur accrued interest which you’d need to return to your CPF account.

Let’s take a look at the difference in how much one will pay if you took a bank loan, and if you: 1) Use CPF for downpayment only, 2) Use CPF for downpayment and monthly home loan repayment, 3) Don't use any CPF at all.

Scenario

Total accrued interest for a $500,000 flat

Using CPF for downpayment only (20% downpayment)

$42,244 over 30 years

Using CPF for downpayment and monthly home loan repayment

$899,338 (after 30 years)

The ‘No CPF and CPF Housing Grant’ approach

$0

Scenario 1: Using CPF for Downpayment Only

Let’s assume you are buying an HDB flat that costs $500,000. Of which, you paid a 5% cash downpayment of $25,000 and the rest of the 20% ($100,000) using CPF money.

Assuming you held onto your flat for 30 years, you’d end up with $42,244 of interest payments due, bringing the total sum you’d have to return to your CPF to $142,244. This is calculated based on the current CPF ordinary account interest of 2.5%.

Scenario 2: Using CPF for Downpayment and Monthly Home Loan Repayment

So you’ve decided that it’d be easier on your pockets to service the monthly home loan payment using money from your CPF Ordinary Account (OA) as well. Assuming you’ve first used the $100,000 from your CPF as downpayment, and you took a home loan of $400,000 from the bank.

Based on a bank loan interest of 2.0% for a tenure of 30 years, your bank loan interest will come up to a total of $132,252. The total amount payable will be $532,252.

But that’s not all. Because you have chosen to pay your monthly loan with your CPF, you’d need to repay the accrued interest as well! Given the CPF interest rate of 2.5%, the extra amount you’d need to return to your CPF account for the loan of $532,252 will come up to $224,842.

In summary, for a $500,000 HDB flat purchase with a 2.0% home loan and a 30-year tenure:

Downpayment with CPF money and grants

Home loan

Withdrawal from CPF

$100,000

$400,000 + $132,252

Accrued Interest

$42,244

$224,842

Total payable to CPF

$142,244

$757,094

So essentially, for a flat that you bought at a $500,000 price, you’ll end up having to return a total of $899,338 to your CPF-OA if you sell your HDB flat after you've repaid your loan (and that's being optimistic about bank home loan interest rates).

And here's the kicker, you'll keep being charged accrued interest even after you've fully paid back your loan, because technically you still 'owe' money to your CPF-OA account!

Also, the lower your downpayment, the more you have to pay off using your home loan, and the higher the amount payable to CPF because of accrued interest on top of your home loan interest.

If you had taken the HDB grant, you’ll need to repay it with accrued interest, as well as incur the resale levy if you are getting another subsidised flat after selling the current one.

While essentially the money is still yours (it’s returned to your CPF account), and you can still buy another property with that sum of money, it also means the opportunity cost of using your CPF money is very high. In the above example, you could have saved yourself $267,086 if you were able to finance your home purchase without the use of CPF money.

CPF HDB enhanced housing grant EHG income ceiling
CPF HDB enhanced housing grant EHG income ceiling

Related article: Should You Use CPF to Pay Off Your Home Loan?

Scenario 3: The ‘No CPF and CPF Housing Grant’ Approach

Obviously, CPF money is helpful for homebuyers short on cash, especially for the initial downpayment.

But if you and your partner have worked for, say, at least 10 years and have accumulated sufficient savings, you can consider not using CPF to pay for your flat, and not taking any HDB grants even if you may be eligible for it.

Remember, just taking a $50,000 HDB grant will incur an accrued interest of $13,588 over a 20-year period. Those who are eligible for a CPF grant of $100,000? You’d need to cough out a total of $127,177 when you sell your HDB at the end of 20 years.

But if you really want to own a home because you are getting married and don’t want to stay with parents/in-laws, or expecting a kid, or need cash for your renovation, then taking the HDB grant and using your CPF monies can help you bridge the gap in getting that dream home.

That said, take note of the future financial costs. The more grants you take and the more you pay your home using your CPF money, the more money you’ll have to return to your CPF account in the future. This also means potentially lower cash sales proceeds from the sale of your apartment.

Taking HDB grants is also advisable for those who are planning to hold onto the flat for life, which means you do not need to return your grants or pay any accrued interest! In fact, many aspiring Singaporean homeowners retain their HDB flat while saving up to buy a second, private property.

Related articles:

 

How You Can Reduce the Amount You Need to Pay Back to Your CPF-OA

Given how expensive it is to buy a property here, many would find it impossible to not use their CPF money at all. The key here is to understand the implications of using the CPF money and choose ways to finance your property purchase without having to incur too much accrued interest.

One way to do it is to limit the use of your CPF money to only using it for the downpayment. On the other hand, paying off your home loan instalment with CPF means you incur 'double interest' (home loan interest + CPF accrued interest).

Also, consider what you do with your take-home pay. Using your CPF to pay off your home loan might be a good idea if you have a savings and investment plan or portfolio that gives you a yield higher than your home loan and accrued interest combined.

In every scenario, one thing's for sure: you have a house to pay off, and that takes financial discipline and astute planning, whether you're paying for it using your CPF-OA money or not. The opportunity of using CPF money and HDB grants is a chance to put your spare cash to work harder for you for long-term goals such as a second property or for retirement!

 

More FAQs about the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant

Who Is Eligible for Enhanced CPF Housing Grant?

In order to qualify for the EHG, you must be applying for a flat for the first time, your average gross monthly household income for the previous 12 months can’t exceed $9,000, you can't own any private property locally or overseas. Additionally, the flat's remaining lease must be enough to cover the youngest buyer until the age of 95 years old.

What Is the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant?

The EHG provides higher grant amounts and will be available to more families and individuals, compared to the Additional CPF Housing Grant and Special CPF Housing Grant previously.

With the EHG, you can buy any flat type in any estate, so you have a larger pool of potential homes to choose from if you want to use the grant.

Do We Need to Pay Back Enhanced CPF Housing Grant?

Yes. When you sell your HDB home, you need to return CPF funds used for the flat, including CPF Housing Grants that you've taken, plus interest into your CPF account.

How Much HDB Grant Can I Get?

The amount of Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) you can get is based on your monthly income in the last 12 months and vary between $5,000 to $80,000.

Is There an HDB Resale Grant?

Yes, there are multiple grants available for HDB resale flats, and they are 'stackable'. If your household income falls below a certain threshold, you can get a Family Grant of up $50,000, and EHG of up to $80,000.

In addition, if you buy a resale flat to live with your parents/adult children, or near them (within 4km of their residence), you can receive up to $30,000 under the Proximity Housing Grant.

What Is the Income Ceiling for HDB Resale Grant?

There is no income ceiling for buying an HDB resale flat. But income ceilings of $14,000 and $9,000 apply for Family Grant and EHG, respectively. There is no income ceiling for the Proximity Housing Grant.

 

For more property news, resources and useful content like this article, check out PropertyGuru’s guides section.

Are you looking to buy a new home? Head to PropertyGuru to browse the top properties for sale in Singapore.

Already found a new home? Let PropertyGuru Finance's home finance advisors help you with financing it.


Chat with us on WhatsApp


Fill up an online form

Blog banner
Blog banner

Disclaimer: Information provided on this website is general in nature and does not constitute financial advice.

PropertyGuru will endeavour to update the website as needed. However, information can change without notice and we do not guarantee the accuracy of the information on the website, including information provided by third parties, at any particular time.Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is accurate, individuals must not rely on this information to make a financial or investment decision. Before making any decision, we recommend you consult a financial planner or your bank to take into account your particular financial situation and individual needs.PropertyGuru does not give any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of information which is contained in this website. Except insofar as any liability under statute cannot be excluded, PropertyGuru, its employees do not accept any liability for any error or omission on this website or for any resulting loss or damage suffered by the recipient or any other person.