Budget 2026: $500 Child LifeSG credits for S'porean kids under 12; more to get pre-school subsidies
Christine Tan
Feb 12, 2026
The Straits Times
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All families with a Singaporean child aged 12 and below in 2026 will receive $500 in Child LifeSG Credits (CLC) per child, which can be used to pay for groceries and utilities, among other items.
This is on top of the one-off $500 CLC for every Singaporean child announced in 2025, as part of measures to support families with the cost of raising children.
In his Budget speech on Feb 12, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the Government wants to create the right conditions for young couples to feel confident about starting a family.
"The decision to get married and have children is deeply personal. But for those who wish to take this step, the Government will do more to support them along the way," said PM Wong.
Noting that one of young couples' biggest concerns is the cost of raising a family, he said support to help parents manage these expenses has strengthened over successive Budgets.
The CLC was first announced in Budget 2025, with about 450,000 children expected to receive the credits.
The first tranche was disbursed in July 2025 for children born between 2013 and 2024, while those born in 2025 will receive theirs in April 2026.
For this latest round, children born between 2014 and 2025 will receive their credits in July 2026, while those born in 2026 will get theirs in April 2027.
The CLC, accessible via the LifeSG app, can be spent at physical and online merchants that accept payments via PayNow or NETS QR to defray household expenses.
Pre-school subsidies enhanced
More families will qualify for additional subsidies in pre-schools, as the Government raises the thresholds for the gross monthly household income (HHI) and per capita income (PCI) for the Infant and Childcare Additional Subsidy Scheme.
The highest HHI, or the combined average gross monthly income of both the applicant and spouse, will be increased from $12,000 to $15,000.
The threshold for PCI, which applies to households with at least five family members, will be raised from $3,000 to $3,400.
There will also be changes in the income eligibility thresholds for subsidy tiers. For example, families with a HHI of $8,000 can now get a maximum of $260 in additional subsidies, up from $190.
The Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme, which provides subsidies for Singaporean children enrolled at an anchor operator or Ministry of Education kindergarten if their families meet specific income criteria, will see income eligibility thresholds raised, similar to the changes for the infant and childcare subsidies.
PM Wong said the enhancements to pre-school subsidies will benefit more than 60,000 families.
As for Student Care Fee Assistance, the HHI threshold will be raised from $4,500 to $6,500, while the PCI threshold will be increased from $1,125 to $1,625.
Around 13,000 children in student care centres registered with the Ministry of Social and Family Development and their families are expected to benefit from the enhancements.
No action is required from existing beneficiaries as the various subsidies will be automatically applied from Jan 2027.
PM Wong said that the Government is also undertaking a "holistic review" of the student care sector to study how to better meet the caregiving needs of families with primary-school children.
"We will continue to keep pre-school and student care affordable to support the critical early years of a child's development," he added.
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