Singaporeans who remain significantly affected by job or income loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic may soon be able to benefit from the new Covid-19 Recovery Grant (CRG), from Jan. 18, 2021 onwards.
The new grant, which was announced by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), aims to support lower- to middle-income employees and self-employed persons (SEPs) who are financially impacted by Covid-19.
Those who are unemployed or face significant salary loss may apply
According to MSF, those who are unemployed due to retrenchment or involuntary contract termination will receive up to S$700 per month for three months.
Those who are placed on involuntary no-pay leave (NPL) for at least three consecutive months will also qualify.
In addition, employees who are facing salary loss of at least 50 per cent on average for at least three consecutive months may receive up to S$500 per month for three months.
This is also applicable for SEPs who are facing an average loss in net trade income (NTI) of at least 50 per cent over a period of at least three consecutive months, compared to their average monthly NTI in 2019 or 2020.
In both cases, the job loss, involuntary NPL or income loss should have occured after Jan. 23, 2020, which is when the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Singapore, and must still be present at the point of application.
Targeted at those with lower household income
The CRG is applicable for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents.
Applicants must have a gross monthly household income of not more than S$7,800 or per capita household income of not more than S$2,600.
They must also be economically active prior to being affected by the economic impact of Covid-19.
Employees should have worked for at least six months cumulatively between January 2019 and December 2020, while SEPs should have declared their NTI in either 2019 or 2020.
Applicants who draw both a salary as an employee and trade income as an SEP need to meet either criterion to be eligible.
According to MSF, this new criterion is introduced to help those who have been actively engaged in employment or trade in the past years.
MSF also stated that compared to the Covid-19 Support Grant (CSG) and the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS), the CRG is targeted at those who suffered more significant income loss, and those with lower household income.
No rush to apply
In addition, to qualify for the CRG, applicants must demonstrate efforts in job search or training, by applying for jobs or skills opportunities through government-linked platforms.
These include the MyCareersFuture Portal, the MySkillsFuture Portal, Workforce Singapore (WSG), WSG=appointed Career Matching Providers or NTUC-e2i's career centres.
Individuals may apply for the CRG online from 9am to 10pm daily, including weekends and public holidays, from Jan. 18, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021.
According to MSF, applicants should prepare their supporting documents in advance for a smooth application process, and that there is "no need to rush to apply".
You can see MSF's infographic on the CRG here:
Image via MSF.
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