Overview of the infant and childcare subsidy scheme
Types of subsidies
There are two types of subsidies under the infant and childcare subsidy scheme:
Basic Subsidy
All Singapore Citizen (SC) children enrolled in an ECDA-licensed infant or childcare centre are eligible for a Basic Subsidy.
Additional Subsidy
Your child will be eligible for Additional Subsidy if:
- The main applicant (mother or single father) is working at the point of the subsidy application; and
- The family's gross monthly household income (HHI) is $12,000 or below; or
- The per capita income (PCI) is $3,000 or below for households consisting of 5 or more family members who are related by blood, marriage, and/or legal adoption, and who share the same registered residential address.
Subsidy amount
This table shows the amount of preschool subsidies that an SC child enrolled in a full-day infant or childcare programme is eligible to receive. The main applicant refers to the mother. If she is unavailable (for divorced, separation or widowed cases), the applicant will be the single father.
| Working main applicant | Non-working main applicant | |||
| Basic Subsidy | Additional Subsidy | Basic Subsidy | Additional Subsidy | |
| Infant Care (aged 2 - 18 months) | $600 | Up to $710 | $150 | NA |
| Childcare (aged 18 months - 6 years) | $300 | Up to $467 | $150 | NA |
The exact amount of preschool subsidies that your child may receive depends on the following:
- The working status of the main subsidy applicant at the point of the subsidy application or fixed point of subsidy assessment.
A 'working main applicant' refers to the mother (or single father for divorced, separation or widowed cases) who works at least 56 hours per month. This includes full-time, part-time and freelance work arrangements. Your family’s means-tested income at the point of the subsidy application or fixed point of subsidy reassessment. - Your family's means-tested income at the point of the subsidy application or fixed point of subsidy reassessment.
- Your child’s preschool programme (infant care or childcare) and service type (full-day, half-day, or flexi-care), and programme fee.
Note: Household or personal expenses are not considered in the subsidy assessment.
Calculate your child's preschool subsidy
You may use the preschool subsidy calculator or refer to the subsidy tables to find out the amount of preschool subsidy that your child may be eligible for based on your HHI or PCI.
The amount of subsidies reflected is an estimate. The actual subsidy amount will be determined based on verified details, such as screened income.
Note:
- The approved preschool subsidies are valid until the next fixed point of subsidy assessment or until your child withdraws from the preschool, whichever comes first. Learn more about the fixed points of subsidy assessment.
- Your child must attend preschool for at least one day in a month to be eligible for subsidies for that month.
- The subsidies will be paid directly to the preschool, and you are only required to pay the infant or childcare fees nett of subsidies.
Non-working main subsidy applicant
If your gross monthly household income is $6,000 and below or per capita income is $1,500 and below
From 9 Dec 2024, families with a gross monthly household income of $6,000 and below or a per capita income of $1,500 and below will qualify for the full childcare subsidies for their income tier, regardless of the main subsidy applicant’s working status.
Eligible children will receive both the basic subsidy and the means-tested additional subsidy; also referred to as “full childcare subsidies”, until the next fixed point of assessment.
If your gross monthly household income is above $6,000 or per capita income is above $1,500
If your gross monthly household income is above $6,000 or per capita income is above $1,500, and the main subsidy applicant is unable to work due to specific reasons, you may apply for full childcare subsidies (i.e. both basic and means-tested additional, as applicable) under Special Approval (SA).
If granted, these higher subsidies will be provided for a limited period, which varies depending on your circumstances.
Minimum Co-payment
Notwithstanding the provision of preschool subsidies, families are subject to a minimum co-payment of the fees. The minimum co-payment amount is the minimum amount of preschool fees you must pay.
The subsidy you are eligible for will be adjusted based on the minimum co-payment. The minimum co-payment increases progressively as your household or per capita income rises.
Examples
If you are a working mother with an SC child in a full-day childcare programme and your family’s gross monthly household income is $3,000 and below, you are eligible for a basic subsidy of $300. In addition, you may be eligible for an additional subsidy of $467. This qualifies you for a total subsidy of $767.
If your child’s programme fee is $740, you might assume that the fee payable is $0, since subsidy is higher than programme fee. However, you are subject to the $3 minimum co-payment applicable for your household income tier for full-day childcare programme. As such, the actual amount of childcare subsidies you will receive will be $737. This includes an additional subsidy of $437, after accounting for the $3 minimum co-payment you need to pay.
How to apply for preschool subsidies
The preschool will assist you with the subsidy application at the point of your child’s enrolment. You may also apply for a subsidy reassessment if there is a change in your family’s circumstances during your child’s enrolment at the preschool.
Note
ECDA is progressively rolling out a digital subsidy application platform via LifeSG to the preschool sector to enable parents to apply for pre-school subsidies online. Parents whose children are enrolled in selected preschools will be able to do so from 9 Dec 2024.
By end-Mar 2025, all parents will be able to apply for pre-school subsidies via LifeSG, reducing the time spent on such applications that are currently done manually via hardcopy or electronic forms. Please approach your preschool if you need clarifications on the subsidy application process that applies to your centre.