Singaporean parents will receive up to S$ 16, 000 ( US$ 11, 900 ) more in financial support for each third child born on February 18 as part of a new program for large families, according to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s announcement on Tuesday ( Feb 18 ).
Speaking during his Budget 2025 speech in parliament, Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, said:” People with more babies usually worry about extra fees, because the requires grow with each extra baby”.
He added that the new Significant Families Scheme may assist married couples who have three or more children aspiration.
According to the National Population and Talent Division ( NPTD), which is under the control of the Prime Minister’s Office, this applies to parents who have remarried and are raising three or more children from previous marriages or current marriages.  ,
According to NPTD, the government anticipates spending about S$ 80 million annually on the program.  ,
Parents will be given a S$ 5, 000 Large Family MediSave award for each second and subsequent Singaporean born on Tuesday, according to Mr. Wong.
The offer will be credited into the family’s MediSave bill, and can be used to offset either her pregnancy and delivery costs, or family members ‘ medical bills.
LIFESG CREDITS
Parents will also be awarded S$ 1, 000 in LifeSG credits for each third and subsequent child between the ages of one and six, or a total of S$ 6, 000 over the course of six years, according to Mr. Wong.
The child’s Child Development Account trustee can access these credits through the LifeSG mobile app, as well as those provided by national servicemen, and they can also be used at any online or physical retailer that accepts payments via PayNow UEN QR or NETS QR.
Families that already have three or more children between Jan. 1, 2019 and Feb. 17, 2019, will also receive S$ 1, 000 annually for each eligible child until they reach the age of six, according to NPTD in a press release on Tuesday.
The LifeSG credits will be disbursed in September. A child’s eligibility will be determined on March 1 for the following years, and the funds will be distributed in April.
Finally, under the First Step grant, all third- and subsequent Singaporean children born on Tuesday will receive S$ 10, 000 in their Child Development Accounts. This is twice the original budget.
According to Mr. Wong, this can be used to pay for the child’s tuition and other medical expenses.
The government also wants to collaborate with business partners to offer” a broad range” of benefits and deals for large families, according to NPTD. Thirty businesses from various industries, including food and beverage, retail, and transportation, have signed on so far.
FEWER COUPLES HAVING BIG FAMILIES
The Singapore government has released a number of marriage and parenthood measures in recent years, including a suite of announcements for large families on Tuesday.  ,
They include 10 additional weeks of paid time off for new parents starting on April 1 and six additional weeks starting the year after that.
The Baby Bonus was also increased in 2023 to encourage more children.
More than a third of married couples want three or more children, but fewer couples actually do so, according to NPTD surveys.
According to figures from the Department of Statistics, the proportion of married, female Singaporeans between the ages of 40 and 49 who have three or more children dropped from 24 percent in 2014 to 18 % in 2024.
In 2023, Singapore’s resident total fertility rate also dropped below 1.0 for the first time.
On Tuesday, Mr Wong also announced other one-off support measures in this space.
For each child under the age of 12 this year, families will receive S$ 500 in Child LifeSG credits. The credits will be distributed in July for those who were born this year between the ages of one and twelve, and in April 2026 for those who were born this year.
Singaporean children aged 13 to 16 will get S$ 500 in top-ups to their Edusave accounts, while those aged 17 to 20 will get an additional S$ 500 in their Post-Secondary Education accounts.
The families of about 455, 000 children are expected to , benefit from the Child LifeSG credits and about 300, 000 students will benefit from the top-ups to their Edusave and Post-Secondary Education accounts.