Applications for Covid-19 Recovery Grant extended to Dec 31, 2022; third tranche for workers who need more help

APPLICATIONS for the Covid-19 Recovery Grant supporting workers whose jobs or incomes have been affected by the pandemic have been extended to Dec 31 next year, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said.

In a statement on Tuesday (Dec 20), MSF said workers can now receive up to 3 tranches of assistance between 2021 and 2022, from 2 previously.

That means that applicants who did not receive support under the grant in 2021 can receive up to 3 tranches in 2022, should they meet all the eligibility requirements at the point of the application.

Workers who received 1 tranche of the Covid-19 Recovery Grant in 2021 can receive up to 2 tranches in 2022, while those who received 2 tranches in 2021 can get up to 1 more tranche in 2022.

The eligibility criteria will also be changed from Jan 1, 2022 to align with the extended application period, said MSF.

The Covid-19 Recovery Grant provides financial assistance to low- to middle-income workers and self-employed people who have lost their jobs, experienced significant income loss, or had to go on involuntary no-pay leave for 3 or more consecutive months as a result of the pandemic.

MSF said it has extended the application in view of the uneven economic recovery and fluid Covid-19 public health situation, as some Singaporeans' financial and employment circumstances are still affected by the pandemic.

Eligible workers can receive either up to S$500 or S$700 a month for a period of 3 months, depending on their employment situation. Each tranche of support provides recipients with 3 months of assistance.

Under the new eligibility criteria, employees must have worked for at least 6 months cumulatively between January 2020 and December 2021, instead of January 2019 and December 2020 previously. (see amendment note)

Likewise, self-employed persons must declare their annual net trade income in 2020 or 2021, instead of the earlier stipulated period of 2019 or 2020.

To assess income loss, self-employed applicants' net trade income would be compared to their average monthly net trade income in 2020 or 2021, rather than 2019 or 2020 as previously stated.

Additionally, those who receive a third payout of the Covid-19 Recovery Grant would also receive further assistance with their job search from the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute, as well as Workforce Singapore.

As of Dec 5, 2021, MSF has supported around 27,000 people with the Covid-19 Recovery Grant, disbursing about S$57 million in total.

Applicants who wish to apply can do so online at the Covid-19 Recovery Grant website.

Amendment note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that employees must have worked for at least 6 months cumulatively between January 2022 and December 2021. It should be January 2020 and December 2021.