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More S'poreans to be covered by civil legal aid, income threshold raised to S$1,650: Edwin Tong
It is expected to benefit up to 1,000 more Singaporeans and PRs annually.
March 02, 2026, 11:13 AM
Singapore will be expanding civil legal aid coverage by raising the per capita household income threshold (PCHI) from S$1,050 to S$1,650, Minister for Law Edwin Tong said in Parliament on Mar. 2.
Under the current PCHI of S$1,050, legal aid is currently available to the bottom 25th percentile of households.
By raising the PCHI to S$1,650, more resident households will gain access to legal aid.
It would cover more households and allow them to benefit from legal advice in the appropriate cases.
"When we did a survey, we found that between the previous threshold of S$1,050 and S$1,650, about half of civil litigants in this expanded income range remain unrepresented," Tong said.
"Some may have done so by choice, but after we put this in place, we will allow them to now avail themselves to legal aid should that become necessary."
This will extend legal aid to more Singaporeans, he added.
Giving more details on this move, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law Eric Chua said that this increased PCHI threshold can benefit up to 1,000 more Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) annually.
Singapore has previously adjusted the PCHI in 2022 and 2024 to account for the increase in household income and property values over the years.
The government will continue to review the means test thresholds regularly.
Raising bank savings and non-CPF investments threshold
To account for rising household income, the bank savings and non-CPF investments threshold for both civil legal aid and criminal defence aid will also be raised, from S$10,000 to S$12,000.
It will help to ensure that the truly needy remain eligible, Chua said.
The government targets to implement these changes later in 2026.
The Legal Aid Bureau
Civil legal aid is provided through the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB), which assists the vulnerable on matrimonial, monetary claims, probate and other matters.
The LAB has received an average of around 7,000 applications annually, Chua said.
It also works with social service partners to provide holistic assistance and referrals for applicants with social needs such as family violence, addiction, mental health, and housing problems.
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