Income of Foreign Spouse of Singaporeans in HDB Housing Loan or Grant Applications

Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for National Development whether the income of a foreign spouse who is married to a Singaporean is taken into consideration by HDB in deciding the quantum of housing loan or grant that the applicant would be eligible for.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Housing grants are means-tested and pegged to the monthly household income of all working members of the household. In particular, the grant quantum for the Additional Central Provident Fund (CPF) Housing Grant and Special CPF Housing Grant is tiered based on monthly household income, while the quantum for the CPF Housing Grant is tiered by flat type.

With regard to housing loan, the Housing and Development (HDB) determines the loan quantum based on the flat owners' income as they are the ones who are borrowing and need to service the mortgage. Nevertheless, HDB exercises flexibility and considers appeals to use the occupiers' income for the computation of the loan amount on a case-by-case basis.