Breakdown of Amount for Successful Payouts under COVID-19 Support Grant

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development what is the breakdown of the amount for successful payouts under the COVID-19 Support Grant.

The COVID-19 Support Grant (CSG) supported lower- to middle-income resident employees who, as a result of the economic impact of COVID-19, were:

(a) Involuntarily unemployed due to retrenchment or contract termination;

(b) Placed on involuntary no-pay leave (NPL) for at least three consecutive months; or

(c) Experiencing monthly salary loss of at least 30% for at least three consecutive months.

As of 3 January 2021, MSF had approved the CSG for around 97,000 applicants, and disbursed around $215 million in total. Successful applicants who experienced job loss or involuntary NPL may receive up to $800 per month for three months, and applicants who experienced salary loss may receive up to $500 per month for three months. Recipients of CSG could apply for a second tranche of support if they required further support and met the eligibility criteria.

Table 1 provides the number of approved CSG applications and the median amount of CSG payout per recipient per tranche of support (i.e. for three months). These figures are accurate as at 3 January 2021.

Applications for the CSG have closed on 31 December 2020. MSF launched the COVID-19 Recovery Grant on 18 January 2021 to support lower- to middle-income employees and self-employed persons whose livelihoods are affected by the economic impact of COVID-19.