Over S$470m in third round of rent support to be disbursed from Nov 26

MORE than 40,000 tenants and owner-occupiers will receive their third and final Rental Support Scheme (RSS) payout directly from the government, without going through their landlords, from Friday (Nov 26).

The latest tranche totalled more than S$470 million, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) said in a joint statement on Monday (Nov 22).

It will be disbursed automatically to tenants and owner-occupiers who had received the second payout in September.

In all, MOF and Iras said the 3 RSS payouts supporting businesses' rental costs amount to more than S$900 million. The first payout was disbursed on Aug 6 while the second was given out on Sep 22.

Eligible tenants and owner-occupiers with PayNow or existing Giro arrangements with Iras can expect to receive the RSS cash payouts from Nov 26. Those without will receive their cheques by Dec 10.

Under the RSS, the government pays out rent support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and eligible non-profit organisations (NPOs) directly, without going through their landlords.

SMEs and eligible NPOs with annual revenue not exceeding S$100 million, and are tenants or owner-occupiers of qualifying commercial properties are able to receive a cash payout equivalent to 1 month's rent for the period of the Stabilisation Phase ending Nov 21.

MOF and Iras said eligible tenants and owner-occupiers will be notified by post about the RSS cash payout. They are also able to log into the myTax Portal from Nov 26 to view an electronic copy of the letter.

SMEs and NPOs that were not eligible for the second payout, but are eligible for the third tranche, can submit an application to Iras. Applications will be open from Dec 10, 2021 to Jan 21, 2022.