The Silver Housing Bonus (SHB) became broader and more flexible from 1 December 2025. In 2026, an eligible senior household may receive up to S$40,000 when it sells a larger home, buys a qualifying 3-room or smaller HDB flat and commits part of the move’s net proceeds to retirement savings. The maximum, however, depends on whether the home sold is an HDB flat or private property, the annual value of a private home, the size of the next flat and how much is added to CPF retirement savings.
This is not simply a reward for moving. It is a linked housing-and-retirement transaction with sequencing rules. The current HDB Silver Housing Bonus page, checked on 15 July 2026, should be read alongside the household’s CPF position and sale-and-purchase documents.
What changed from 1 December 2025
The enhancement made three important changes. First, eligible seniors who buy a 3-room flat can receive the cash bonus, rather than the scheme being confined to those moving to a 2-room or smaller flat. Second, private-property owners can qualify where the annual value of the property sold is up to S$31,000, subject to the other rules. Third, the required retirement commitment is based on a net increase in the household’s Retirement Account savings, up to S$60,000, instead of a rigid top-up formula tied only to cash proceeds.
HDB’s enhancement announcement states that CPF housing refunds can count towards that net increase. This matters because sale proceeds often flow first to the outstanding loan and then back to CPF for housing principal and accrued interest before the seller sees the cash balance.
Eligibility filter for a 2026 move
A household should test all of these conditions before placing the expected bonus in its moving budget:
- At least one owner is a Singapore Citizen aged 55 or older.
- The household’s average gross monthly income is no more than S$14,000.
- The existing HDB flat has met its minimum occupation period, or the private residential property’s annual value does not exceed S$31,000.
- The household does not concurrently own another private residential property and does not own more than one non-residential property.
- The next home is a qualifying 3-room or smaller HDB flat, excluding a 3-room terrace flat. Options can include a 2-room Flexi flat or Community Care Apartment where the relevant conditions are met.
- The right-sizing transaction produces positive net sale proceeds under HDB’s calculation.
- The household makes the required net increase to CPF retirement savings and joins CPF LIFE where required.
There are more case-specific conditions than this screening list can capture. Past ownership, the timing and type of replacement flat, and each owner’s CPF position still need HDB and CPF assessment.
How much bonus could apply
| Home being sold | Base cash bonus rate | If next flat is 3-room | If next flat is 2-room or smaller |
|---|---|---|---|
| All eligible HDB flats; eligible private homes with annual value up to S$21,000 | S$1 for every S$2 of eligible retirement commitment, capped at S$30,000 | Up to S$30,000 | Up to S$40,000, including an additional S$10,000 |
| Eligible private homes only, with annual value above S$21,000 and up to S$31,000 | S$1 for every S$6 of eligible retirement commitment, capped at S$10,000 | Up to S$10,000 | Up to S$20,000, including an additional S$10,000 |
The S$1-for-S$6 tier applies only when the home sold is an eligible private property with annual value above S$21,000 and up to S$31,000; an HDB flat remains in the S$1-for-S$2 tier. The additional S$10,000 for buying a 2-room or smaller flat is not pro-rated by the amount committed. It is nevertheless contingent on the household satisfying the scheme conditions. Annual value is the property’s assessed annual rental value for property-tax purposes, not the sale price, remaining lease or annual household income.
Three examples make the rates clearer
Example 1: HDB flat or lower-annual-value private home, next flat is 3-room
Suppose an otherwise eligible household sells an HDB flat, or a private home with annual value of S$18,000, and makes an eligible net increase of S$45,000 to retirement savings. At S$1 for every S$2, the indicative bonus is S$22,500. Buying a 3-room flat does not add the extra S$10,000.
Example 2: same facts, next flat is 2-room
With the same S$45,000 eligible commitment, the base component remains S$22,500. If the household buys a qualifying 2-room flat, the additional S$10,000 brings the indicative total to S$32,500.
Example 3: private home in the higher annual-value tier
Suppose the sold property’s annual value is S$25,000 and the eligible net increase reaches S$60,000. At S$1 for every S$6, the base component reaches its S$10,000 cap. A qualifying 2-room purchase can add S$10,000, for an indicative total of S$20,000. A 3-room purchase would leave the indicative maximum at S$10,000.
These are arithmetic examples, not approvals. The eligible commitment is determined through the scheme, not chosen independently for the calculation.
Work out positive net proceeds before assuming eligibility
HDB’s scheme uses net sale proceeds rather than the simple difference between two advertised prices. Broadly, the calculation accounts for the selling price, the outstanding loan, the purchase price of the next home and applicable items such as the resale levy. For Plus or Prime flats, subsidy recovery may also affect the amount.
A household can therefore sell for more than it originally paid and still have a modest scheme-calculated amount after clearing the loan and replacement-home cost. List the flow in order:
- Expected sale price, using a conservative scenario rather than the desired asking price.
- Outstanding housing loan and transaction costs.
- CPF housing refunds and how they affect each owner’s Retirement Account after age 55.
- Cost of the next flat, duties, legal fees and moving or renovation needs.
- Proposed retirement commitment and the cash reserve left after completion.
The LBRD CPF home-purchase planner helps organise housing cash flows, while our CPF interest guide provides separate background on account interest. Neither replaces HDB’s SHB computation.
Transaction timing can decide whether the claim succeeds
The next flat may be booked or applied for before the existing home is sold, or generally within 12 months after the sale. The SHB application must be made within one year of legal completion of the second transaction. In other words, the clock depends on which transaction—sale or purchase—finishes second.
Keep the sale completion statement, next-flat purchase documents, CPF records and correspondence together. Contact HDB before either legal completion if the sequence is unusual, because repairing an ineligible order afterwards may not be possible.
Use a two-outcome test before right-sizing
Compare the move under two scenarios: with SHB and without it. In both, include the same conservative sale price, replacement-home cost, retirement commitment and renovation allowance. If the move is only affordable when the theoretical maximum bonus is assumed, the plan has little resilience.
The stronger question is whether the new home suits the household, releases an adequate buffer and supports retirement even if the approved bonus is lower. The enhanced scheme can improve that outcome, but it should confirm a sound right-sizing decision rather than create one.
