Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) Eligibility 2026: Are You Qualified?

By the HDB Calculator Team · Last reviewed 17 October 2026 · How we verify

The Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) can cut your flat purchase price by up to $120,000. But knowing you might qualify for something isn't the same as knowing exactly what you'll get.

This guide walks you through a 5-step process to determine your full HDB grant entitlement for 2026, with the EHG front and centre. By the end, you'll have a clear picture — no guesswork required.

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Step 1: Income Assessment

Your household income is the single biggest factor in determining grant eligibility. It directly affects your Enhanced Housing Grant (EHG) amount. This page answers who qualifies; for the figure itself, see the HDB Enhanced CPF Housing Grant amount in 2026.

EHG Income Tiers (Families)

HDB’s table gives a first-timer family’s EHG for each band of average monthly household income.

EHG by average monthly household income — first-timer families (HDB’s table)

Average Monthly Household Income	EHG Amount
$1,500 or less	$120,000
$1,501 – $2,000	$110,000
$2,001 – $2,500	$105,000
$2,501 – $3,000	$95,000
$3,001 – $3,500	$90,000
$3,501 – $4,000	$80,000
$4,001 – $4,500	$70,000
$4,501 – $5,000	$65,000
$5,001 – $5,500	$55,000
$5,501 – $6,000	$50,000
$6,001 – $6,500	$40,000
$6,501 – $7,000	$30,000
$7,001 – $7,500	$25,000
$7,501 – $8,000	$20,000
$8,001 – $8,500	$10,000
$8,501 – $9,000	$5,000
Above $9,000	$0

Source: HDB — Enhanced CPF Housing Grant for Families, band table EHG-amount-Families.pdf, read from the Wayback Machine capture of 15 September 2026.

EHG for Singles

HDB’s table gives a single buyer’s EHG for each band of their own average monthly income, from $60,000 in the lowest band to nothing above $4,500.

EHG (Singles) by your own average monthly income — a single buying alone or with parents (HDB’s table)

Your Average Monthly Income	EHG Amount
$750 or less	$60,000
$751 – $1,000	$55,000
$1,001 – $1,250	$52,500
$1,251 – $1,500	$47,500
$1,501 – $1,750	$45,000
$1,751 – $2,000	$40,000
$2,001 – $2,250	$35,000
$2,251 – $2,500	$32,500
$2,501 – $2,750	$27,500
$2,751 – $3,000	$25,000
$3,001 – $3,250	$20,000
$3,251 – $3,500	$15,000
$3,501 – $3,750	$12,500
$3,751 – $4,000	$10,000
$4,001 – $4,250	$5,000
$4,251 – $4,500	$2,500
Above $4,500	$0

Source: HDB — Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (Singles), band table EHG-amount-Singles.pdf, page 1, read from the Wayback Machine capture of 15 October 2026. HDB’s tables for a buyer with a non-resident spouse and for two or more singles are on our EHG page.

Note: EHG amounts step down as income rises, and the steps are uneven: the grant falls faster in the upper half of the scale. The figures above are HDB’s own and are the ones our calculators use; HDB confirms your exact grant via the HFE letter. Once you know your grant amount, see how CPF OA funds your HDB purchase — grants flow through CPF and affect your accrued interest obligation at sale.

How HDB Calculates Your Income

HDB averages the gross monthly household income of everyone listed in the HFE letter application, applicants and occupiers alike, over a 12-month period that ends 2 months before the month you apply. Each person’s income is divided by the months they actually worked in that period. HDB’s income guidelines count all components of income from employment or trade, including:

• Basic salary, with your own (employee) CPF deductions left in
• Allowances and overtime pay, such as food, transport, laundry, uniform and shift allowances
• Claims and reimbursements, director’s fees, incentives and employee benefits
• Income from self-employment or a trade

HDB excludes bonuses, the Annual Wage Supplement, your employer’s CPF contributions, share options, pensions, and income not from work, such as rent, dividends and interest.

Pro tip: Because bonuses are left out, a bonus month does not move your EHG band. A run of heavy overtime or a new allowance does, because both count. If either has pushed your average up, the months will roll out of the 12-month window in time. The difference can be a whole EHG band, which near the top of the scale is worth more than a single step lower down.

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Step 2: Citizenship Mix

Your buyer combination determines which grants you're eligible for and at what rates.

Citizenship Matrix

Which grants you can claim depends on the citizenship of both buyers. The grant that turns on it most is the CPF Housing Grant, whose 2026 amounts and eligibility are set by citizenship and flat size together.

Grant access by the citizenship combination of the buyers

Buyer Combination	EHG	CPF Housing Grant	Proximity Grant	Step-Up Grant
SC + SC	Full	Up to $80,000	Full	Full
SC + SPR	Full	Up to $70,000	Full	Full
SC + non-resident spouse	EHG (Singles), resale flat	Singles Grant, up to $40,000	PHG (Singles)	Not in HDB’s Step-Up eligibility list†
SPR + SPR	Not eligible	Not eligible	Not eligible	Not stated by HDB†
Single SC	Up to $60,000	Up to $40,000 (resale)	Full (proximity rules)	N/A

Compiled from HDB’s grant pages for families and for singles, read from Wayback Machine captures of 15 September 2026. See the sources block at the foot of this page for verification dates. † HDB’s Step-Up page does not say how it treats these households; check directly with HDB rather than relying on this table.

Note: A Singapore Citizen buying a resale flat with a non-resident spouse is assessed under HDB’s singles grants, not its family grants: the EHG (Singles), the Singles Grant and the PHG (Singles). For the EHG, half of the household’s average income is tested against the singles ceiling of $4,500.

What sets the CPF Housing Grant amount: flat size, not income. The figures above are the 2- to 4-room amounts. On a 5-room, 3Gen or Executive flat they drop to $50,000 (SC+SC), $40,000 (SC+SPR) and $25,000 (single SC).

Singles CHG flat-size limit: A single buyer's CPF Housing Grant is set by flat size, and there is no estate condition on it. It is $40,000 on a 2- to 4-room resale flat and $25,000 on a 5-room resale flat, which is the largest flat the grant reaches.

Singles CHG income ceiling: A single claiming the CPF Housing Grant must be at least 35 years old and have an average gross monthly household income of $8,000 or less.

Key takeaways:

• SC+SC gets the maximum. Every grant type is available at the highest tier.
• SC+SPR still gets solid support. Your CPF Housing Grant is $70,000 rather than the $80,000 an SC+SC couple gets on the same 2- to 4-room resale flat, but EHG and PHG remain untouched.
• SPR-only buyers have the narrowest options. No EHG, no CHG, limited Step-Up. The Proximity Housing Grant is the main avenue for support.

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Step 3: First-Timer vs Second-Timer Status

Your status as a first-timer or second-timer affects nearly every grant.

Who Is a First-Timer?

You're a first-timer if:

• You (and your spouse, if joint) have never owned or purchased a subsidised HDB flat
• You've never taken a CPF Housing Grant
• You've never transferred ownership of an HDB flat

If you previously bought a resale flat with no CPF Housing Grant, you may still be treated as a first-timer for grant purposes in some scenarios (check with HDB).

Who Is a Second-Timer?

You become a second-timer once you've owned a subsidised flat. This changes your grant picture significantly:

Grant access for first-timers compared with second-timers

Grant	First-Timer Access	Second-Timer Access
EHG	Full	Not eligible
CPF Housing Grant	Up to $80,000	Not eligible
Proximity Housing Grant	Full	Full
Step-Up Grant	N/A	$15,000 (next flat must be a 2- or 3-room flat)

Compiled from HDB grant eligibility rules. See the sources block at the foot of this page for verification dates.

The big loss: second-timers cannot claim the CPF Housing Grant. That's up to $80,000 off the table.

The partial offset: the Step-Up Grant, if the flat you are buying is a 2- or 3-room flat and your household income is at or under $8,000.

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Step 4: Flat Type and Location

The final two variables that affect your grant eligibility.

BTO vs Resale

Not every grant is available on both flat types.

Grant availability on a BTO flat compared with a resale flat

Grant	Available for BTO?	Available for Resale?
EHG	Yes	Yes
CPF Housing Grant	No	Yes
Proximity Housing Grant	No	Yes
Step-Up Grant	Yes	Yes

Compiled from HDB grant eligibility rules. See the sources block at the foot of this page for verification dates.

If you're buying a BTO, your grant options are limited to EHG (and Step-Up if applicable). Resale buyers get the full grant menu.

Proximity to Parents (PHG Only)

To claim the PHG, you must be buying a resale flat. If the distance is what you are unsure about, read how to check the Proximity Housing Grant 4km rule:

The PHG amount depends on both the living arrangement and whether you are buying as a family or as a single.

Proximity Housing Grant amounts by living arrangement and buyer type

Living Arrangement	Families	Singles	Required Proof
Living with parents/child in the same flat	$30,000	$15,000	Application declaration + proof of relationship
Living within 4km of parents/child	$20,000	$10,000	Application declaration + address proof

Source: HDB / MyNiceHome — HDB grants guide. See the sources block at the foot of this page for the verification date.

HDB performs the 4km measurement itself when it assesses your HFE letter application. It does not publish which distance metric it uses on any page we can read, and third-party guides state it both ways, so treat a borderline case as a question for HDB rather than something to measure yourself. See Proximity Housing Grant 2026: amounts and the 4km rule.

Important: Your parents can live in private property — the PHG still applies. The parent only needs to be a Singapore Citizen or PR.

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Step 5: Second-Timer Upgrade Grants

A second-timer family — a married couple or family that has taken one housing subsidy already — may qualify for the Step-Up CPF Housing Grant of $15,000. It is not an upgrading grant, and the direction most people assume is the wrong way round: the flat you buy must be a 2- or 3-room flat, not a larger one.

• Current flat: a 2-room Standard flat, a 2-room unclassified flat in a non-mature estate, a 3-room Standard or 3-room unclassified flat in a non-mature estate, or a flat under the Public Rental Scheme.
• Next flat: a 2-room Flexi or 3-room Standard flat from HDB, or a 2- or 3-room Standard or unclassified flat on the open market. A 4-room purchase gets nothing.
• Income ceiling: average gross monthly household income must not exceed $8,000, assessed over the same 12-month employment window the grant requires.
• Resale lease: more than 20 years remaining, and enough to cover the youngest core member to age 95.

It applies to a new flat from HDB as well as a resale flat. Every condition is set out on our Step-Up CPF Housing Grant 2026 page.

Note: the CPF Housing Grant and the EHG are both first-timer grants, so a second-timer household is not choosing between them and the Step-Up — it cannot claim them at all. The Proximity Housing Grant is the one that still stacks: HDB names it on the Step-Up page itself.

Source: HDB’s Step-Up CPF Housing Grant page. See the sources block at the foot of this page for verification dates.

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Detailed Eligibility Matrix

Here's every grant cross-referenced by buyer profile:

📋 Quick-Reference Eligibility Cheat Sheet

The profiles below summarise the largest grant stack each buyer type can reach.

Maximum grant potential by buyer profile, with the main restriction

Buyer Profile	Max Grant Potential	Key Restrictions
SC+SC First-Timer (Resale, near parents)	Up to $220,000	Must meet EHG income ceiling ($9k)
SC+SPR First-Timer (Resale, near parents)	Up to $210,000	CHG capped at $70,000
Single SC First-Timer (BTO)	Up to $60,000	EHG only. Income ceiling $4,500
Second-Timer Family (Buying a 2- or 3-room Resale)	Up to $45,000	Step-Up ($15,000) + PHG. No EHG and no CHG — both are first-timer grants

Each total is the sum of the individual grant maximums set out earlier on this page. See the sources block at the foot of this page for verification dates.

SC+SC Family, First-Timer, Buying Resale, Near Parents

Grant by grant, this is how the stack works out for this household.

Worked example: grant stack for an SC+SC first-timer family buying resale near parents

Grant	Status	Amount
EHG (income-dependent)	✅ Eligible	$5,000 – $120,000
CPF Housing Grant	✅ Eligible	$80,000
Proximity Housing Grant (within 4km)	✅ Eligible	$20,000
Maximum total		Up to $220,000

Worked example computed from the figures in the sources block at the foot of this page, not an official HDB table.

SC+SPR Family, First-Timer, Buying Resale, Living with Parents

Grant by grant, this is how the stack changes when one buyer is a Permanent Resident.

Worked example: grant stack for an SC+SPR first-timer family living with parents

Grant	Status	Amount
EHG (income-dependent)	✅ Eligible	$5,000 – $120,000
CPF Housing Grant	✅ Eligible	$70,000
Proximity Housing Grant (live together)	✅ Eligible	$30,000
Maximum total		Up to $220,000

Worked example computed from the figures in the sources block at the foot of this page, not an official HDB table.

Single SC, First-Timer, Buying BTO

Grant by grant, this is how the stack works out for a single buyer taking a BTO flat. The resale route pays more, and is worked through on HDB grants for singles in 2026.

Worked example: grant stack for a single Singapore Citizen first-timer buying BTO

Grant	Status	Amount
EHG (income-dependent)	✅ Eligible	Up to $60,000, by income band in HDB’s singles table
CPF Housing Grant	❌ Not eligible	$0
Proximity Housing Grant	❌ Not eligible (BTO)	$0
Maximum total		Up to $60,000

Worked example computed from the figures in the sources block at the foot of this page, not an official HDB table.

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Real Example: $6,000/Month Couple

Let's trace through the process for a real buyer:

Profile: Lee and Tan, both SC, first-timers, combined income $6,000/month, buying a resale 4-room flat, Tan's parents live 2km away.

Step 1 — Income:

$6,000/month → EHG of $50,000 in HDB’s table

Step 2 — Citizenship:

SC+SC → full CPF Housing Grant eligibility → $80,000

Step 3 — First-Timer:

Full access to all grants → no restrictions

Step 4 — Flat Type & Location:

Resale in non-mature estate, parents within 4km → PHG of $20,000

Total Grant Entitlement:

$50,000 + $80,000 + $20,000 = $150,000

If the resale flat costs $520,000, their effective price drops to $370,000 — and their monthly mortgage at the HDB loan rate of 2.6% (25 years, 75% LTV) would be roughly $1,260.

That's less than many couples pay in rent.

The example uses HDB’s maximum repayment period of 25 years. HDB caps it at the shortest of 25 years, 65 minus the average age of the applicants, and the flat's remaining lease minus 20 years, so an older couple or an older flat gets a shorter tenure and a higher instalment.

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Common Eligibility Mistakes

Mistake 1: Assuming You Earn Too Much

The EHG cuts off at $9,000/month for families. Many dual-income couples starting out fall within the EHG range. Always check — don't self-disqualify.

Mistake 2: Not Checking Proximity

If either set of parents lives within 4km of your target resale flat, you're leaving up to $20,000 (families) on the table by not claiming PHG. And if you're willing to live together, it's $30,000. Use the HDB Calculator Grant Checker to verify your PHG distance.

Mistake 3: Forgetting the 12-Month Income Window

HDB leaves bonuses out, but overtime and allowances count. A stretch of heavy overtime inside your 12-month lookback can raise your average by a full EHG band, so check which months the window covers before you apply.

Mistake 4: Previous Private Property Ownership

⚠️ Crucial Update: If you or your spouse owned private property in the last 30 months, you are not eligible for the EHG or CPF Housing Grant. This includes any private residential property, whether in Singapore or overseas. HDB counts the 30 months from the legal completion date of the disposal.

Mistake 5: Mixing Up Grant Types

The EHG applies to BTO and resale. The CPF Housing Grant is resale only. The PHG is resale only. Many BTO buyers assume they get the same grants — they don't. Each grant, and what it pays, is listed side by side in every Singapore HDB government grant amount in 2026.

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Your Next Step: Verify in 2 Minutes

You've learned the rules. Now get your actual numbers:

• HDB Calculator Grant Checker — plug in your income, citizenship mix, flat type, and parents' address. See your exact grant entitlement in under 2 minutes. No sign-up required.

• HDB Calculator Affordability Calculator — subtract your grants from the purchase price and see your real monthly instalment.

• HDB Grant Guide 2026 — detailed breakdown of every grant type, stacking rules, and maximisation strategies.

• BTO vs Resale 2026 — compare grant outcomes for BTO versus resale buyers.

• BTO Affordability Calculator — if you've decided on a BTO flat, run your own budget first.

For more questions, visit the HDB Calculator FAQ.

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Key Takeaways

• Start with your income: the EHG is the first and most important grant to assess, and it falls band by band as income rises. Bonuses are left out of HDB’s income assessment; overtime and allowances are not.
• Check your citizenship mix carefully: SC+SC gets the maximum CHG ($80,000), SC+SPR gets $70,000, and a Citizen buying with a non-resident spouse is assessed under the singles grants instead.
• Singles face tighter limits: the CPF Housing Grant is $40,000 on a 2- to 4-room resale flat and $25,000 on a 5-room, the largest flat it reaches, and EHG is capped at $60,000. HDB puts the whole singles stack at up to $115,000 on a resale flat.
• Second-timers lose both first-timer grants — the CPF Housing Grant and the EHG — but can claim the $15,000 Step-Up Grant when the flat they are buying is a 2- or 3-room flat and household income is at or under $8,000, and the Proximity Housing Grant on top of it.
• Always verify proximity to parents: the PHG can add $10,000–$20,000 to your grant total, and it's one of the most commonly overlooked grants.

Always verify with HDB and CPF Board before making property decisions.