Frequently Asked Questions

Your maximum HDB affordability is determined by two key rules: the Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR) caps your monthly home loan repayment at 30% of your gross monthly income, and the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) caps all monthly debt repayments at 55% of your gross income. The lower of these two limits determines your maximum monthly instalment.

From there, the loan tenure (capped by the age-65 rule — 65 minus the youngest buyer's age, up to 25 years for HDB loans or 30 years for bank loans) and the interest rate determine your maximum loan amount. Your target flat price is this loan plus your downpayment (cash and CPF) plus any eligible CPF grants.

Use our free affordability calculator for a personalised estimate in seconds.

The HDB concessionary loan interest rate is 2.6% per annum, pegged at 0.1% above the CPF Ordinary Account interest rate. This rate has been stable for many years and, as of 2026, remains at 2.6%. Unlike bank loans, the HDB loan rate is fixed and does not fluctuate with market conditions, giving borrowers payment certainty over the life of the loan.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer — it depends on your priorities:

• HDB loan: Fixed 2.6% rate, no lock-in period, no minimum cash downpayment (100% CPF-eligible), 80% LTV. Best for buyers who value certainty and want to minimise upfront cash.
• Bank loan: Rates can be lower (often 2.5%–3.5%) but are floating and can rise. MAS requires stress-testing at a 4% floor, you need 5% cash downpayment (75% LTV), and most come with 2–3 year lock-in periods. Best if you are comfortable with rate risk and want potentially lower overall cost.

You can start with a bank loan and refinance later. However, once you take a bank loan, you cannot switch back to an HDB loan. Choose carefully.

The Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR) limits your monthly home loan repayment to 30% of your gross monthly household income. This applies to all HDB flats whether you use an HDB or bank loan. If your income is $7,000 per month, your maximum monthly mortgage payment under MSR is $2,100. This is usually the tighter constraint than TDSR unless you have significant other debts.

Your loan tenure cannot extend beyond the youngest buyer turning 65. For example, if the youngest buyer is 40 years old, the maximum tenure is 25 years (65 − 40). HDB loans are further capped at a maximum of 25 years, and bank loans at 30 years. A shorter tenure means higher monthly instalments, which reduces your maximum loan amount under MSR and TDSR limits.

Yes, Permanent Residents (PRs) can buy resale HDB flats, but with conditions:

• You must have held PR status for at least 3 years.
• You must form an eligible household (e.g., family nucleus with another PR or SC).
• PRs can only use bank loans — they are not eligible for the HDB concessionary loan.
• PR households are generally not eligible for the EHG. SC/PR mixed households buying resale can receive a reduced CPF Housing Grant. Two PRs buying together receive no grants.

PRs cannot apply for BTO flats directly. Check your eligibility with our CPF Grant Checker.

Yes, single Singapore Citizens aged 35 and above can buy an HDB flat:

• New flats (BTO): Singles can only apply for 2-room Flexi flats in non-mature estates.
• Resale flats: Singles aged 35+ can buy any flat size up to 5-room (excluding 3Gen and Executive flats) with no location restriction.
• Singles may qualify for the EHG (up to $60,000, income ceiling $4,500) and other resale grants.
• Singles can use either the HDB concessionary loan or a bank loan.

No. Foreigners (non-citizens, non-PRs) cannot buy HDB flats at all. They are restricted to private residential property such as condominiums, and may be subject to the Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) of 60% for foreign buyers as of 2026.

There are four main CPF housing grants available in 2026:

1. Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG): Up to $120,000 for families and $60,000 for singles. Available for BTO and resale. Income ceiling: $9,000 (families) or $4,500 (singles).
2. CPF Housing Grant: Up to $80,000 for families and $40,000 for singles. Resale purchases only.
3. Proximity Housing Grant: Up to $30,000 for families and $15,000 for singles who live with, or within 4km of, their parents or married child.
4. Step-Up CPF Housing Grant: $15,000 for second-timer families upgrading from a subsidised flat to a resale flat.

Use our CPF Grant Checker to see exactly what you qualify for in under a minute.

The key income ceilings for 2026:

• EHG: $9,000/month for families, $4,500/month for singles.
• CPF Housing Grant (resale): $14,000/month for families, $7,000/month for singles.
• BTO flat eligibility: $14,000/month for families (mature estates: varies by project), $7,000/month for singles.
• EC (Executive Condominium): $16,000/month.

The EHG uses a sliding scale — the lower your income, the higher your grant, up to the maximum amounts.

Not directly. But when you sell your flat, the grant amount (with accrued CPF interest) goes back into your CPF Ordinary Account. This protects your retirement savings. You can use the refunded amount for your next property purchase. This is standard CPF policy — all CPF monies used for housing (including grants) must be refunded with interest upon sale.

The Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) provides up to $30,000 for families and $15,000 for singles who buy a resale flat to live with their parents or married child, or $20,000 for families and $10,000 for singles who live within 4km of them. This grant encourages multi-generational support and is available only for resale purchases.

The resale levy is a fee you must pay when you buy a second subsidised HDB flat (BTO or Sale of Balance) after having previously bought a subsidised flat. The levy amount depends on the flat type you first bought:

The levy is payable in cash or CPF. If your second purchase is a resale flat (which is not directly subsidised by HDB), you do not pay the resale levy. The levy ensures that multiple rounds of housing subsidies are distributed fairly.

Build-To-Order (BTO) flats are new, directly from HDB, priced below market, but with a waiting time of 3–5 years. You must ballot and may not get a queue number. Resale flats are existing flats sold by current owners. They are more expensive but you can move in quickly (typically 8–12 weeks after exercising OTP), have more location and size choices, and may qualify for more grants (CPF Housing Grant, Proximity Grant, Step-Up Grant).

If you face financial difficulty, HDB offers several options: deferment or reduction of instalments, extension of loan tenure, or financial counselling. In the worst case, HDB can repossess the flat, but this is a last resort and usually only happens after multiple attempts to help the homeowner. If you're struggling, contact HDB early — they are generally willing to work with you. Bank loans are less flexible, and repossession may happen faster.