Most people underestimate how much help is on the table when they buy a resale HDB flat. Between the various CPF housing grants, a first-timer family can pull in well over $100,000, and singles aren't far off. The problem is that the grants stack in ways that aren't obvious, and each one comes with its own income ceiling and conditions.
Worth clearing up first, because it trips up a lot of buyers: most of these grants are for resale flats only. If you're buying a BTO, the one CPF housing grant you can get is the EHG. A BTO is already sold below market, so the Family Grant and Proximity Grant don't apply on top. Everything else below is resale territory.
The Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG)
This is the big one, and the only grant that covers both BTO and resale. A first-timer couple can receive up to $120,000, with the amount tied to income. The lower your average monthly household income, the more you get. To qualify, household income has to be $9,000 or below, and at least one of you must have worked continuously for the 12 months before applying and still be employed when you apply.
Singles aged 35 and up get their own version, worth up to $60,000, with a $4,500 income ceiling.
The Family Grant (resale only)
This sits on top of the EHG for first-timer couples buying resale. At least one of you has to be a Singapore Citizen, you both need to be first-timers, and household income has to be $14,000 or below, or $21,000 for extended families buying together.
The payout depends on flat size: $80,000 for a 2- to 4-room, or $50,000 for a 5-room and larger. Smaller flats get more.
If your partner has already taken a housing subsidy before, you get the Half-Housing Grant instead, which is exactly half: $40,000 or $25,000.
Grants for singles (resale only)
Buying on your own at 35 or older? The Singles Grant pays $40,000 for a 2- to 4-room or $25,000 for a 5-room, with a $7,000 income ceiling. Add the EHG (Singles) on top for up to $60,000 more.
The Proximity Housing Grant (resale only)
Buy near your parents or child and HDB rewards you for it. This one isn't limited to first-timers, so even second-timers qualify.
| Where you live | Families | Singles |
|---|
| With parents or child | $30,000 | $15,000 |
| Within 4km of them | $20,000 | $10,000 |
Because it stacks on everything else, the PHG is often what tips a household past the six-figure mark.
So what does it add up to?
Nobody gets all six grants. You take one from each of three slots at most: the EHG, then one of the Family, Half-Housing or Singles Grant, then the Proximity Grant on top. For a first-timer couple that's the EHG plus the Family Grant plus PHG, and on paper the ceiling is:
$120,000 + $80,000 + $30,000 = up to $230,000 for a family, or up to $115,000 for a single buyer.
But almost no working household hits that. The Family Grant and PHG are fixed, but the EHG is the swing factor, and the full $120,000 only goes to families earning $1,500 a month or less. It shrinks as income rises, so a couple earning $6,000 gets a fraction of it. A realistic result for a dual-income couple buying a 4-room resale near their parents is a mid-sized EHG plus the $80,000 Family Grant plus $30,000 PHG, which still adds up to six figures.
Since it all depends on your income, flat size and living arrangement, the only number worth banking on is the one from HDB's Flat Portal.
The part grants don't touch
Grants cut what you pay upfront. They do nothing for your monthly repayment, which is the figure you'll live with for the next 25 years. And here's something a lot of buyers don't realise: taking a bank loan doesn't cost you any of these grants. Your grant entitlement is decided separately from how you finance the flat, so you can claim every grant you qualify for and still take a bank loan on top. For resale buyers, a bank loan is often the cheaper route once you actually compare the rates.
That's the bit we handle at Cashew. We're independent, so we compare loans across the banks and earn the same whichever one you go with. The advice is built around your numbers, not a lender's. Reach out for a free, unbiased consult on how to make your home work best for you, from the grants you're entitled to right through to the loan that fits. Start at www.cashew.sg.
Figures reflect HDB and CPF grants as published for 2026 and are subject to change. Confirm your own eligibility on HDB's Flat Portal before committing to a purchase.
Sarah Chen
