Meet Yusuf Shafie and Nabilah Sulaiman, first-time parents adjusting to parenthood, along with Jimmy and Doris Goh, a retired couple enjoying their golden years.

Although in vastly different life stages with different challenges, both families share how government benefits such as those under the Assurance Package, Majulah Package, and the permanent GST Voucher Scheme have been rendering a helping hand to meet their needs in areas such as healthcare and daily living expenses.

First-time parents

Yusuf and Nabilah felt their responsibilities grew when they welcomed their first child into their lives in 2024 - especially when it came to the financial costs of a growing family. 

"The first few months were very intense,” Nabilah recalls.

As they moved into their HDB home, they particularly appreciated the U-Save rebates that they received, which helped offset part of their utilities bills.

Aside from U-Save, they had also received other forms of government benefits that have supported them as they stepped into parenthood. For instance, as parents of a newborn child, they were eligible for:

• The Child Development Account (CDA) First Step Grant of $5,000;
• CDA Government co-matching of up to $4,000 for their first child; and
• MediSave Grant for Newborns of $4,000.
• These are on top of the Baby Bonus Cash Gift of $11,000.

"A few hundred dollars may seem measly to others, but it really helped us as first-time parents," the couple adds.

Retired couple

For retirees Jimmy and Doris, having sufficient CPF contributions and managing daily expenses are some of their primary concerns.

The couple made several adjustments to their lifestyles - from cooking more at home to choosing a cheaper data plan, so as to keep their daily expenses down.

Although the couple are no longer in employment, Doris continues to contribute to the caregiving of her elderly aunt. They were thus relieved that the various government benefits have helped them manage the cost of different needs - from CDC Vouchers for their groceries and meals at hawker centres, to Retirement Savings Bonus to boost their retirement savings in their CPF, as well as MediSave top-ups to offset their healthcare expenses.

To find out more about the estimated benefits that you and your household may receive from the Government, visit go.gov.sg/supportforyoucalculator.

This article is brought to you by the Ministry of Finance.

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.