4May 2020
Mr Murali Pillai
MP for Bukit Batok GRC
Question
To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether lower and middle-income Singaporeans who have accepted employment offers from employers only to have these offers revoked due to COVID-19 may be eligible for COVID-19 Support Grant, even though they have not commenced employment with these employers.
Answer
The COVID-19 Support Grant (CSG) assists Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who were employed but lost their jobs or are placed on involuntary no-pay-leave (NPL) for at least three consecutive months due to the impact of COVID-19. These individuals may apply for the CSG from 4 May 2020. Employees who lost at least 30% of their income for three consecutive months will also be eligible for CSG and may apply from 11 May 2020. These changes in employment or income situation should have occurred after 23 Jan 2020, which is when the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Singapore.
2. Applicants should have been in full-time or part-time employment prior to being unemployed. Individuals whose employment offers were revoked before they started work or who have no valid employment contracts are not eligible for the COVID-19 Support Grant. Low-income individuals and families who need help with their basic living expenses may approach our Social Service Offices (SSOs) to apply for ComCare assistance.