What is Workfare Special Payment ?
Workfare Special Payment (WSP) provides a cash payout of $3,000 for all eligible Singaporeans. Eligible employees and Self-Employed Persons will receive the same amount of $3,000, which will be paid over two equal payments of $1,500 each, in July and October 2020.
Training Commitment Awards and Training Allowances are also available for eligible persons under the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme.
- Training Commitment Award is a cash award given to eligible workers after achieving the required certifications.
- Training Allowance grants self-sponsored trainees (i.e. paying for their own training) $6.00 for each hour of training for any WSS qualifying courses.
Learn more about the Workfare Skills Support.
Workfare Special Payment Eligibility
As announced at Budget 2020, all Singaporean employees and self-employed persons who received Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) payments in Work Year 2019 will receive a Workfare Special Payment in 2020.
In DPM Heng’s 17 August 2020 ministerial statement on Covid-19 support measures, he announced that he will widen the eligibility of the Workfare Special Payment to include those who were not on Workfare Income Supplement last year but have received or will be receiving it for work done this year. Those who received WIS for work done this year will receive the $3,000 payout from October. Each eligible individual can only qualify for and receive the $3,000 payment once.
Employees’ eligibility for WIS and the Workfare Special Payment will be automatically assessed based on the Central Provident Fund contributions made by their employers.
Those who are self-employed will have to declare their income and make their required Medisave contribution by Dec 31, 2021, for work done this year (2020), or by March 31, 2021 for work done last year (2019) to qualify for the Workfare Special Payment.
WIS Eligibility For Employees
You will qualify for WIS if you:
- are a Singapore Citizen;
- are 35 years old or above on 31 December of the work year (all persons with disabilities would qualify for WIS); and
- earn a gross monthly income1 of not more than $2,300 for the month worked2 (previously $2,000).
1Gross monthly income includes basic salary and extra wages such as overtime pay and bonuses.
2In addition, you must earn an average gross monthly income of not more than $2,300 in the past 12 months (previously $2,000).
However, you will not qualify for WIS if you:
- live in a property with an annual value3 of more than $13,000 assessed as at 31 December of the preceding year;
- own two or more properties; or
- if married:
- you and your spouse together own two or more properties; or
- the assessable income of your spouse for the preceding Year of Assessment exceeds $70,000.
3Annual value is the estimated gross annual rent of the property if it were to be rented out, excluding furniture, furnishings and maintenance fees. It is determined based on estimated market rentals of similar or comparable properties.
WIS Eligibility For Self-Employed
You will qualify for WIS if you:
- are a Singapore Citizen;
- are 35 years old or above on 31 December of the work year (all persons with disabilities would qualify for WIS);
- earn an average monthly income of not more than $2,300 for the month worked (previously $2,000); and
- have declared your net trade income and made MediSave contributions.
However, you will not qualify for WIS if you:
- live in a property with an annual value5 of more than $13,000 assessed as at 31 December of the preceding year;
- own two or more properties; or
- if married:
- you and your spouse together own two or more properties; or
- the assessable income of your spouse for the preceding Year of Assessment exceeds $70,000.
5Annual value is the estimated gross annual rent of the property if it were to be rented out, excluding furniture, furnishings and maintenance fees. It is determined based on estimated market rentals of similar or comparable properties.
The WSP will provide additional support for low-wage workers aged 35 and above in 2019. Persons with disabilities aged below 35 years in 2019, who meet the WIS eligibility criteria, will also receive the WSP if they had received WIS payments for work done in 2019.
As reported on The Straits Times
