Starting 1st January 2025, the Singapore government will adjust the Annual Value (AV) thresholds for several social support schemes, including the Goods and Services Tax (GST) voucher scheme, benefiting over 1 million residential properties. Designed to help lower- and middle-income households manage living costs, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) voucher scheme will provide enhanced support to ensure assistance reaches those who need it most based on age, income, and property value.
More Singaporeans Will Benefit From the Goods and Services Tax Voucher Scheme in 2025
Current social support schemes, such as the GST Voucher, MediShield Life, and Workfare Income Supplement, use Annual Value (AV) as a criterion for determining eligibility. AV refers to the estimated yearly rental value of a property.
There are two AV tiers:
Properties with an AV of up to S$21,000.
Properties with an AV between S$21,001 and S$25,000.
From 1st January 2025, the second AV tier will expand to include properties with an AV of up to S$31,000. This adjustment will allow over three-quarters of residential properties, including lower-value private properties, to qualify for social support schemes. The GST Voucher Scheme offers financial relief through cash payouts, MediSave top-ups, U-Save utility rebates, and S&CC rebates.
The revised Annual Value (AV) thresholds provide multiple benefits to households, including broader eligibility for GST Voucher payouts to help with rising living costs and MediSave top-ups for seniors to cover medical expenses. More households will also receive assistance in managing the increased costs from the GST hike. Eligible individuals will automatically receive payouts, provided their details are current.
Eligibility and How It Works
The 2024 AV of the property will determine eligibility for the 2025 GST Voucher. In 2024, an individual with a property valued at S$24,000 (second AV tier: S$21,000 < AV ≤ S$25,000) received a S$450 cash payout under the GST Voucher Scheme.
In 2025, with revised AV thresholds (second AV tier: S$21,000 < AV ≤ S$31,000), the same individual with a property now valued at S$27,000 still qualifies for the S$450 payout. Without these revisions, they would not have qualified for the cash payout.
The first AV tier (AV ≤ S$21,000) remains unchanged, providing eligible individuals a S$850 cash payout.
The eligibility criteria for GST voucher 2025 are that an individual is a Singapore citizen or permanent resident aged 21 or above in 2024, earns S$34,000 or below annually and owns a residential property with an AV of S$31,000 or below.
