Singapore has announced a major overhaul of its family-support system, with every Singapore citizen child set to receive up to S$62,000 in direct government support from birth to age 17, regardless of birth order.
When existing benefits are included, the total direct financial support available to each child will rise to nearly S$70,000.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the new SG Child Support Package during Singapore’s National Day Rally on Sunday, August 23, saying the government wanted to make family support simpler and more sustained.
“We will make things simpler. Every child will receive the same level of support,” Wong said.
The new package will replace the existing Baby Bonus Scheme and Large Families Scheme, ending the system in which several benefits vary according to whether a child is the first, second or subsequent child.
Under the new arrangement, each eligible child will receive a S$10,000 Baby Gift in cash, S$32,000 in Child Credits, a S$5,000 Child Development Account First Step Grant, up to S$5,000 in government CDA co-matching and a S$10,000 top-up to the child’s Post-Secondary Education Account at age 17.
The Child Credits will provide S$2,000 annually from the year a child turns one until the year the child turns 16, giving families support throughout the child’s growing years.
The CDA will also remain open until the end of the year the child turns 16, instead of closing at age 12 under the current arrangement.
The S$10,000 Baby Gift will be paid in two instalments within 12 months of birth. The new package will begin payouts from April 2027, with children already covered by existing schemes transitioning into the new system under arrangements based on their age and circumstances.
The reforms will also extend benefits to Singapore citizen children regardless of their parents’ marital status or birth order. Children from single-parent families will therefore receive the new cash support, unlike parts of the existing Baby Bonus system.
As of June 2026, more than 610,000 children in about 380,000 households are expected to benefit from the measures.
The new policy comes as Singapore seeks to address concerns about the rising cost of raising children and encourage more couples to start families.
Government research has identified childcare, education, housing and transport costs among concerns associated with parenthood decisions.
Wong said financial incentives could not by themselves persuade people to have children, but the government could reduce some of the pressure faced by families.
“Policies alone cannot make this happen,” he said, stressing that the government wanted to make it easier for Singaporeans who wanted children to start and raise a family.
Large families with three or more children will continue to receive additional support outside the universal package. The government is studying further assistance for such families in healthcare, transport and housing.
The wider family-support programme will also cover issues including childcare leave, preschool and care arrangements, while further measures on work-life support, fertility and maternity health are being considered.
The government said more details would be announced in the coming months, including during next year’s Budget.
