MOF grants $810m in WSP to 470,000 lower-income Singaporean workers

Remaining $1,500 in WSP to be given out in October; additional 70,000 workers will receive $3,000.

About 470,000 lower-income Singaporean workers covered by the Worker Income Supplement (WIS) scheme will receive $810m in Workfare Special Payment (WSP), according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

Most of them would have received their first payment of $1,500 in July for work done in 2019, and will receive the next payment of $1,500 this month.

In his ministerial statement on 17 August, PM and finance minister Heng Swee Keat announced that WSP eligibility criteria will be expanded to include over 70,000 additional workers, who will receive WIS for work done in 2020, and who are not yet receiving the WSP.

These workers will receive the WSP of $3,000 from this month onwards, the MOF said.

Ninety-eight per cent (98%) of eligible workers will receive the October payment of $1,500 or $3,000 via direct bank crediting, whilst the remaining 2% will receive theirs by cheque by 15 November.

Meanwhile, those who have registered their mobile numbers with SingPass will receive SMS notifications on 26 October, Monday, from “SG-Workfare,” containing their WSP details, whilst others will receive letters within the same week.