Over 140,000 seniors to get Silver Support payouts this year
Mdm Pakiam Krishnan Nair, 68, in her one-room rental flat. She said her children give her about S$200 as an allowance each month, but she prefers not to ask for too much as they have their own families to support. Photo: Don Wong
SINGAPORE — Payouts under the Silver Support Scheme will begin at the end of July, with more than 140,000 lower-income seniors to receive S$300 to S$750 per quarter, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat on Thursday (March 24).
The permanent scheme, announced in 2014, is meant as a “modest but meaningful” supplement to the retirement incomes of elderly Singaporeans who earned low wages even after working consistently throughout their lives or because they stayed home to raise their families, said Mr Heng.
To qualify for the payouts, citizens aged 65 and above must meet all of the following criteria: Have total Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions of not more than S$70,000 by age 55. Self-employed persons should have an average annual net trade income of not more than S$22,800 when they were between the ages of 45 and 54; live in a five-room flat or smaller; not own a five-room flat or private property or multiple properties, or have a spouse who does so; live in a household with monthly income not exceeding S$1,100 per person.
The size of a person’s home determines how much he will get. Those in one- and two-room flats will receive S$750 per quarter, for instance, while those living in (but who do not own) five-room flats will get S$300.
The bulk of seniors in one- and two-room flats will receive Silver Support and about half of the seniors living in three-room flats will be on the scheme, said Mr Heng.
The payout in July will cover two quarters (April to June, and July to September) because the scheme was originally announced to have been implemented around the first quarter of this year, but needed more time to operationalise, said Mr Heng. The next two payouts will be made at end-September and end-December, with each payout for the coming quarter.
The CPF Board will notify eligible seniors before the first payout is made, and there is no need for them to apply for the scheme, said Mr Heng. Silver Support will cost close to S$320 million in the first year, with the sum likely to go up as the population ages.
Describing Silver Support as a “major new feature” in Singapore’s social security system, Mr Heng said it is not only for the most needy seniors and is not intended as a substitute for sources such as the seniors’ own savings or family support. The most needy of seniors will have the safety net of Public Assistance. But the elderly on ComCare long-term assistance are not left out of Silver Support — they will receive S$300 Silver Support payout per quarter, on top of ComCare help.
The Government will annually assess those on the scheme, as some seniors may initially qualify for the scheme but subsequently no longer need it if their children are able to provide more for them, while the opposite could be the case for other senior citizens.
Cleaner Pakiam Krishnan Nair, 68, who lives alone in a one-room rental flat in Sin Ming industrial estate, said the payouts would be a “big help” as her S$800 pay is barely sufficient.
“The cost of living is so high these days ... I can’t even afford to buy tonics or vitamins which can cost as much as S$200,” she said. Her children give her about S$200 as an allowance each month, but she prefers not to “ask for too much” as they have their own families to support.
Retiree John Yip, 76, lives in a three-room flat with his wife in Balestier and feels the Government can do more to aid the elderly. His wife works part-time at a bakery and earns about S$400 a month and the couple is mostly living off their savings.
“I hope the Government can bring down costs, such as lowering the monthly (transport) concession fees to S$30 and making taxi fares cheaper,” he said.
“I see my neighbours are quite frail and they still need to travel long distances to get to the doctor.”
Social worker Chua Hui Keng at Hua Mei Care Management, an initiative by the Tsao Foundation, welcomed automatic inclusion under Silver Support but questioned if the criterion of household support would “pose an additional concern” as children living with elderly parents might not be contributing much financially.
Gender-equality advocacy group AWARE said the scheme has the potential to be particularly helpful to older women but felt lifetime earnings should be the primary criterion, with less weight given to the other factors.
