Childcare Subsidy Explained (Singapore, 2026)

If your Singapore Citizen child attends an ECDA-licensed infant care or childcare centre, you can receive two subsidies that are paid directly to the centre — you only pay the fee after subsidy. The Basic Subsidy is for everyone; the Additional Subsidy is income-tested and for working mothers (or single fathers). Figures below are ECDA’s, as of October 2026.

Basic Subsidy

Programme	Working mother	Non-working mother
Infant care (2–18 months)	S$600 / month	S$150 / month
Childcare (18 months–below 7 years)	S$300 / month	S$150 / month

Basic Subsidy at a glance: Infant care, working S$600 / month; Childcare, working S$300 / month; Either, non-working S$150 / month; Working = at least 56 hours / month

Everyone with an SC child in a licensed centre gets at least the Basic Subsidy.

A “working” main applicant works at least 56 hours a month (full-time, part-time or freelance counts). The main applicant is the mother, or the single father in divorce, separation or widowhood cases.

Additional Subsidy (income-tested)

On top of the Basic Subsidy, working mothers with a gross monthly household income of S$12,000 or below can receive an Additional Subsidy. The lower your income, the larger it is.

Full-day childcare (18 months to below 7 years)

Gross monthly household income	Basic	Additional	Max total
S$3,000 & below	S$300	S$467	S$767
S$3,001–S$4,500	S$300	S$440	S$740
S$4,501–S$6,000	S$300	S$340	S$640
S$6,001–S$7,500	S$300	S$260	S$560
S$7,501–S$9,000	S$300	S$190	S$490
S$9,001–S$10,500	S$300	S$130	S$430
S$10,501–S$12,000	S$300	S$80	S$380
Above S$12,000	S$300	—	S$300

Max total childcare subsidy by income tier (working mother)

Monthly subsidy for full-day childcare before the minimum co-payment. Source: ECDA.

Full-day infant care (2 to 18 months)

Gross monthly household income	Basic	Additional	Max total
S$3,000 & below	S$600	S$710	S$1,310
S$3,001–S$4,500	S$600	S$640	S$1,240
S$4,501–S$6,000	S$600	S$500	S$1,100
S$6,001–S$7,500	S$600	S$380	S$980
S$7,501–S$9,000	S$600	S$240	S$840
S$9,001–S$10,500	S$600	S$100	S$700
S$10,501–S$12,000	S$600	S$40	S$640
Above S$12,000	S$600	—	S$600

Larger families (5 or more members, including three or more dependants) can be assessed on per capita income (PCI) instead, which can qualify them for a higher tier.

The minimum co-payment

You never pay nothing. ECDA sets a minimum co-payment that rises with income, so your Additional Subsidy is adjusted down slightly to keep that co-payment in place. In ECDA’s own example, a family earning S$3,000 or less with a S$741 full-day childcare fee receives S$438 (not the full S$467) of Additional Subsidy, because of the S$3 minimum co-payment for that tier.

Lower-income and non-working families

From 9 December 2024, families with a childcare child and a gross monthly household income of S$6,000 and below (or PCI S$1,500 and below) qualify for the full childcare subsidies regardless of working status. Non-working mothers in other situations (job-seeking, studying, caregiving, medical reasons and more) can apply for Special Approval to receive the working-mother rates.

Coming in 2027

From 1 January 2027, the Additional Subsidy income ceiling rises to S$15,000 (or S$3,400 per capita), and the full-subsidy threshold rises to S$7,500 (or S$1,700 per capita), so more families will qualify.

How to apply

Apply through your preschool, which submits the form to ECDA. Income is means-tested through the Household Means Eligibility System (HOMES). You can estimate fees after subsidy via the Search for preschools service on LifeSG.

General information, not financial advice. Your exact subsidy depends on a verified income check by ECDA.