AIC Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) Singapore 2026: How to Apply, Eligibility, How It Pays for Your FDW

TL;DR: Since April 2026, the AIC Home Caregiving Grant pays up to S$600 a month (up from S$400) to families caring at home for someone who permanently needs help with at least 3 of 6 Activities of Daily Living, and households with per-capita income up to S$4,800 (up from S$3,600) now qualify. It can be used to hire a helper and can be received alongside CareShield Life or ElderShield payouts.

If you employ a Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) to care for an elderly parent in Singapore, or you are about to, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) Home Caregiving Grant can pay you up to S$600 a month. That is S$7,200 a year. AIC says the grant can be used for care needs such as hiring a helper, and it can sit alongside the FDW levy concession, CareShield Life or ElderShield payouts and MediSave Care withdrawals.

Many families who qualify never apply. Some do not know the grant exists. Some assume the income ceiling rules them out, when the cap is now S$4,800 per person, raised in April 2026. Others think they need a new disability assessment, when a recent assessment for CareShield Life or ElderShield can be used instead.

This guide walks you through the 2026 rules, the 3-of-6 ADL test, how to apply, and, crucially for our maid-agency clients, how HCG helps pay for your helper.

Reviewed by Yvonne, Placement Consultant at Upwill Employment Services (MOM EA Licence 24C2628). Figures checked against AIC, MOH, CPF Board and MOM pages on 22 September 2026.

What is the AIC Home Caregiving Grant?

The Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) is a monthly cash payout administered by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) to help families manage the cost of caring for seniors or persons with disabilities at home. It is for care recipients who permanently need some assistance with at least three of the six Activities of Daily Living.

The money is paid to the nominated bank account and can be used for care needs, such as:

• Hiring a helper, including a Foreign Domestic Worker
• Paying for home care services
• Buying healthcare items such as adult diapers, mobility aids and consumables

For families employing an FDW for eldercare, the grant can cover a large share of a helper's monthly salary. See domestic helper salary Singapore 2026 for current salary references.

The April 2026 increase to S$600/month

MOH announced the enhancement in its 7 March 2025 press release, and it took effect from April 2026:

1. Top payout raised from S$400 to S$600 a month.
2. Coverage extended to households with per-capita income between S$3,600 and S$4,800, so more caregivers receive support.

AIC notes that subsidy levels in 2026 are determined using 2025 Annual Values. Households where the care recipient and family have modest incomes often land in a higher tier, so check with the calculation rather than assuming you are over the limit.

Eligibility: SC/PR status, ADL threshold, income ceiling

• Citizenship: Singapore Citizen, OR Singapore PR with a parent, child or spouse who is a living Singapore Citizen.
• Residence: Living in Singapore, and not in a residential long-term care institution such as a nursing home.
• Functional need: Permanently requires some assistance with at least 3 of the 6 Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).
• Household income: Monthly household income per person of S$4,800 or less.

HCG follows care needs rather than a minimum age, which is why it also supports families caring for younger persons with disabilities.

The 3-of-6 ADL test explained

AIC says the Functional Assessment Report (FAR) can be completed by doctors under full or conditional registration with the Singapore Medical Council, registered nurses, physiotherapists or occupational therapists. For children under 8, a paediatrician is required. You pay any assessment fee, which varies, so check with the healthcare professional first.

You may not need a new assessment at all. AIC says you do not need to complete the FAR if you are currently applying for IDAPE, ElderFund, ElderShield, CareShield Life or MediSave Care, because the severe disability assessment for those schemes can be used. MOH also confirms that people already receiving CareShield Life or ElderShield payouts can apply for HCG without a separate disability assessment.

How to prepare for the FAR

• Recent medical reports (stroke, dementia, fracture, Parkinson's)
• A written daily-care log for the past 1 to 2 weeks
• Any existing therapist or geriatrician letters
• A family member who knows the daily routine, present at the assessment

Step-by-step: how to apply for HCG

1. Confirm eligibility: citizenship, income, and evidence of needing help with 3 of 6 ADLs.
2. Get the FAR done by an eligible doctor, nurse or therapist, unless you can use an existing severe disability assessment.
3. Apply online with Singpass via eFASS, which AIC recommends for shorter approval times.
4. Or apply by hard copy by emailing the form to [email protected].
5. Wait for the outcome: AIC says it may take up to four weeks to process.
6. Payouts start the month after approval, into your nominated bank account.

See our best maid agency for elderly care guide for choosing the right placement.

Documents you need

• Functional Assessment Report (FAR), or confirmation of an existing severe disability assessment
• Care recipient's NRIC or FIN
• Applicant's NRIC and Singpass
• Household income details
• If the care recipient lacks mental capacity: the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) donee or court-appointed deputy details, or medical certification of incapacity if you are an immediate family member applying without one

AIC lists the full requirements in eFASS and may ask for more depending on your circumstances. If a caregiver applies without being a donee or deputy for a care recipient who lacks capacity, the family has 12 months to obtain a court order appointing a deputy, or payouts are suspended.

What the S$600/month can be used for

AIC describes HCG as a grant for care needs. Families with an FDW typically use it to:

• Cover part or all of the helper's salary
• Top up to a more experienced or trained eldercare helper
• Pay the monthly FDW levy (S$60 with a concession)
• Fund eldercare maid insurance
• Buy adult diapers, hospital beds, wheelchairs and walking frames
• Pay for home care or day-care services
• Engage a professional caregiver

How HCG sits with CareShield Life, MediSave Care and ElderFund

Sources: CPF Board on CareShield Life payouts, CPF Board on MediSave Care, AIC on ElderFund, and MOH on ElderShield.

Important: ElderFund is for people who are not CareShield Life or ElderShield policyholders, so a family would claim one or the other, not all three. HCG can be received together with CareShield Life or ElderShield, and MediSave Care can be added where eligible.

Total possible monthly government support for an FDW household

Illustration: an 80-year-old PR mother living with her Singapore Citizen son, needing help with 3 of 6 ADLs after a stroke, per-capita income S$1,400, one FDW employed by the son with the aged-person levy concession:

For many households, this covers a large part of the monthly cost of employing an eldercare FDW; see our hire cost guide. Under MOM's levy concession rules, the levy drops from S$300 to S$60 if you live with a Singapore Citizen aged 67 or above at the same NRIC address, or a PR aged 67 or above where you or your spouse is a Singapore Citizen. There is also a concession for persons with disabilities who need help with at least 1 ADL, which requires a recommendation letter from AIC. Full details on our FDW levy concessions page.

Do you need to renew HCG?

No. AIC says you do not need to renew the HCG. Payouts continue as long as the care recipient permanently needs help with at least 3 of 6 ADLs, meets the means test and lives in the community in Singapore. You do need to act when things change:

• If household income or household members change, update your household information through the MediShield Life Household-Check e-Service to check you still qualify
• If the care recipient moves into a nursing home or other residential long-term care institution, they no longer meet the residence condition
• Keep the nominated bank account details current; AIC may suspend payouts if there is a dispute over the account

Common reasons an application does not succeed

1. The FAR shows help needed with fewer than 3 ADLs: if care needs have increased since, get a fresh assessment with a fuller daily-care log
2. Income above S$4,800 per person: check that household members and incomes were recorded correctly
3. Living in a residential long-term care institution: HCG is for care in the community
4. Care recipient lacks mental capacity and there is no LPA or deputy: see the Office of the Public Guardian for LPA and deputyship
5. PR care recipient without a Singapore Citizen parent, child or spouse: not eligible under the citizenship rule

If you are unsure why an application was unsuccessful, contact AIC on 1800 650 6060 or [email protected].

HCG application checklist

• Care recipient is SC, or PR with a living SC parent, child or spouse
• Care recipient lives at home in Singapore (not a nursing home)
• Can evidence permanent assistance with at least 3 of 6 ADLs
• Household per-capita income of S$4,800 a month or less
• FAR done by an eligible doctor, nurse or therapist, or an existing CareShield Life, ElderShield or MediSave Care assessment to use
• Daily-care log of the past 1 to 2 weeks prepared
• NRICs and household income details gathered
• LPA or deputyship ready if needed
• Singpass active for the eFASS application
• Levy concession applied for, if eligible

See our eldercare helper services or compare helper insurance options that work alongside the HCG.

About the reviewer

Yvonne is a senior placement consultant at Upwill Employment (MOM EA Licence 24C2628) specialising in eldercare FDW placements across Singapore. All information cross-checked against AIC, MOH, CPF Board and MOM published sources on 22 September 2026.