The HDB EASE programme is the quiet household upgrade that actually has a published price list. If someone in the flat is 65 or older, or 60 to 64 and needs help with daily tasks, HDB will subsidise grab bars, ramps, a foldable shower seat and other senior-friendly fittings. Singapore Citizen households in HDB flats pay between 5 per cent and 12.5 per cent of the cost, depending on flat type. The rest is covered.
This is not a renovation catalogue, and it is not a gym upgrade. It is household admin with age rules, a form, and a waiting time HDB itself publishes. Direct applications are open now for HDB flats. Private-property households use a separate scheme, EASE (Private), with the next age band opening on 1 October 2026.
What The HDB EASE Programme Installs And What You Pay
HDB lists the items on its EASE page. Grab bars for the first toilet come as a set of 8 or 10 pieces, depending on whether the toilet and bathroom are combined or separate. A 1-room, 2-room or 3-room household pays $26.15 for that first set. A 4-room household pays $39.20, a 5-room household $52.30, and an Executive flat $65.40.
A wall-mounted foldable shower seat is $15.25 for 1- to 3-room flats, $22.85 for 4-room, $30.50 for 5-room and $38.15 for Executive. A bidet spray, priced as one piece, is $3.25, $4.90, $6.50 and $8.15 across those same flat types. The figures are inclusive of GST, and payment is in cash or electronic payment to the contractor after installation.
HDB bills the grab-bar set even if fewer bars fit on site. The unused bars are not handed over. A single-step ramp is $14.15 for the smallest flats. Portable ramps and wheelchair lifters cost more, and HDB only offers them where the entrance and the user’s needs make them technically feasible.
Age Rules, The Form, And Who This Suits
Singapore Citizen households in sold flats, and registered tenants in rental flats, qualify for EASE (Direct Application) if a family member is 65 or older. The 60-to-64 band is narrower. That person must need help with at least one Activity of Daily Living, and the household must submit a Functional Assessment Report. The Agency for Integrated Care lists the six activities as feeding, dressing, toileting, washing, walking or moving around, and transferring from bed to chair.
HDB says it will reply within 14 working days after receiving the application and documents. Staff or the appointed contractor then arrange a pre-condition survey and an installation date. Improvement items are to be installed within 10 weeks of application, where technically feasible, and they carry a 1-year warranty. Questions go to HDB’s Branch Service Line at 1800-225-5432 from 8am on weekdays, excluding public holidays.
If your block is already going through the Home Improvement Programme, EASE can be opted with those works instead of a separate visit. Direct Application is for households that need the fittings earlier, or whose blocks do not qualify for HIP. Either route is still the HDB scheme, not a private contractor’s own package. Apply through HDB’s EASE e-service or the Mobile@HDB app.
If The Home Is Private Housing, Not An HDB Flat
EASE (Private) is a separate national programme under Age Well SG, announced by the Ministry of National Development on 22 February 2026. Eligible households each receive $1,200 in vouchers to subsidise 75 per cent of selected fittings. More than 80,000 private households are expected to benefit. Applications are phased by the senior’s age in 2026.
From 1 April 2026, households with seniors aged 80 and above, and households with seniors aged 60 and above who need help with at least one daily living activity, could apply. From 1 July 2026, the window opened for seniors aged 70 and above. From 1 October 2026, households with seniors aged 65 and above can apply. That October date is the one that matters if the person in the home is 65 to 69 and does not already qualify through the earlier bands.
The official leaflet lists seven fittings. After the 75 per cent subsidy, a first set of grab bars is $130.80, a shower seat is $76.30, slip-resistant treatment is $59.95, and a home fire alarm device is $29.98. Compare that with HDB’s own owner-share for a first grab-bar set, which starts at $26.15. Same type of fitting, different housing, different subsidy.
Apply through the official portal at ease-private.gov.sg (go.gov.sg/ease-private). MND’s press release says eligible households receive a mailer on how to apply, then engage a pre-qualified contractor after a successful application. Do not pay anyone who cold-calls asking for bank log-in details. The portal itself carries the ScamShield warning, and AIC repeats it.
If the home is an HDB flat, the practical move is the Direct Application e-service, rather than waiting for HIP. If it is a condo or landed house and the senior is 65 to 69 this year, 1 October 2026 is the published date. Storage carpentry is a different job, and that sits in our hidden storage HDB renovation guide, not in this fittings list. Fire cover is a separate check too: HDB fire insurance is not home contents cover.
