Financial planning for a special needs child in Singapore

If you're doing financial planning for a special needs child in Singapore, start with the help the Government already pays for. Use the CDA, and claim SPED FAS, the SG Enable and AIC grants and the $7,500 Child Relief (Disability). Then decide how your child gets money after you, through CPF's Special Needs Savings Scheme, a Special Needs Trust and a will, with deputyship at 21 if your child will need it.

How to plan your special needs child's finances, step by step

1. Put the diagnosis and reports in one folder. Most schemes ask for a Disability Verification Form from a registered healthcare professional, and SG Enable says you can check with Singpass if your child is already verified. Our guides to early signs of autism and dyslexia in preschool cover getting assessed.
2. List what care costs you each month, from school fees to therapy and transport. Then work out your household income per person, because the Assistive Technology Fund, the transport subsidies and the Home Caregiving Grant all stop at $4,800 a month.
3. Pay approved fees from the CDA, which LifeSG says covers SPED schools, early intervention centres and assistive technology providers (CDA spending tracker).
4. Apply for SPED FAS if your child is at a government-funded SPED school. MOE gives it to households earning $4,000 a month or less, or $1,000 per person.
5. Ask your child's therapist or social worker about the Assistive Technology Fund. The Enabling Guide says it pays up to 90% of a device's cost, means-tested, with a lifetime cap of $40,000.
6. Ask the school or centre about the Enabling Transport Subsidy, which pays up to 80% of transport fees to EIPIC and SPED schools.
7. Check AIC's Home Caregiving Grant, worth $200 to $600 a month. AIC needs a Functional Assessment Report, done by a paediatrician if your child is below 8.
8. Claim Child Relief (Disability) when you file your taxes. IRAS gives $7,500 per child, against $4,000 for Qualifying Child Relief (parent tax relief calculator).
9. Set up the long-term plan: an SNSS nomination with CPF, a trust if it suits you, and a will. If your child will lack mental capacity as an adult, plan the deputyship before they turn 21.

What each special needs scheme pays for

SPED schools set their own fees, MOE says. For EIPIC fees and subsidies, see our early intervention guide and special needs support guide.

At primary level, SPED FAS pays all miscellaneous fees, and at secondary level it pays school fees as well. Your child also gets free textbooks and attire, subsidised meals on school days and $21 a month for public transport, and MOE asks for a fresh application each school year.

Under the SG Child Support Package, LifeSG says a CDA for a child born on or after 1 January 2015 stays open until the end of the year they turn 16. Our CDA guide and CDA calculator cover the grant and matching.

How CPF's Special Needs Savings Scheme pays your child

SG Enable calls the SNSS a type of CPF nomination. A normal cash nomination pays your nominees one lump sum, but with SNSS your child gets a monthly amount you choose, from $250, until your CPF savings run out. It's free, and both parents can nominate the same child.

Pick the amount with one rule in mind. When you die, your CPF savings must cover a year of payouts, or your child gets a lump sum instead. SG Enable's own sum is $250 x 12 months = $3,000. If you choose $400 a month (an example), you'd need at least $400 x 12 = $4,800 left in CPF.

Who receives the money depends on your child's age, CPF says. Below 18, it goes to the legal guardian or court-appointed deputy. From 18, it goes into your child's own bank account if they can manage money, or to their LPA donee or deputy if they can't.

To apply, email SG Enable's SNSS form to futurecareplanning@sgenable.sg. Once it's approved, take the eligibility letter to a CPF Service Centre, booked at least one working day ahead, where staff do the nomination with you.

What a trust with SNTC costs

The Special Needs Trust Company (SNTC) is a not-for-profit trust company, fully owned by SG Enable since 1 April 2025. It holds cash you set aside and pays your child once you die or lose capacity, as your Letter of Intent sets out. SG Enable says the Government guarantees the principal, and SNTC's October 2026 brochure lists the fees:

You open the trust account with $5,000, which stays your child's money. Day one costs $5,000 + $150 = $5,150, then nothing each year until the trust is activated. It only takes cash, and once it's set up it can't be revoked.

SG Enable says the two work together: a trust suits families who want a case-managed plan, and SNSS suits parents without much saved outside CPF.

Caregiver grants and the tax relief for your child

The Home Caregiving Grant is monthly cash for caring for someone with moderate to severe disability at home, to spend on a helper, home care or healthcare items. Your child must permanently need some help with at least three of the six daily activities: washing, dressing, feeding, toileting, mobility and transferring.

AIC pays $600 a month at $1,500 or less per person, $400 at $1,501 to $3,600, and $200 at $3,601 to $4,800. Example: your household earns $9,000 a month (an example) and four of you live together. That's $9,000 / 4 = $2,250 per person, so you'd get $400 a month, or $4,800 a year.

The Caregivers Training Grant gives $400 for approved caregiver courses in the first year, and a $200 top-up every 1 April, capped at $400. You pay at least $10 a course. If you hire a helper for a child below 16, AIC says MOM's Young Child scheme gives you the levy concession (maid levy calculator).

Child Relief (Disability) is $7,500 per child, IRAS says, and a working mother can add Working Mother's Child Relief on the same child, up to $50,000 per child for the two together. You and your spouse can also split it, as Mr and Mrs Ow do in IRAS's example: $3,500 + $4,000 = $7,500.

Your child qualifies if they're at a SPED school or a doctor recommends one, and also if they need help with any of the six daily activities. For a first claim, keep the report or school letter and send it only if IRAS asks. If your child isn't at a SPED school but has significant special educational needs, IRAS reviews the claim case by case and wants a professional report from the last 3 years.

Planning for when your child turns 21

Your child counts as an adult at 21, says the Enabling Guide. If they can't manage their own matters, the Court has to appoint you as their deputy before you can keep deciding for them. An LPA won't do this. OPG says only a person aged at least 21 can make one, and the Enabling Guide adds that your child would need the mental capacity to make it.

The Assisted Deputyship Application Programme (ADAP) makes the court application simpler and cheaper for SPED students aged 18 to 21 in their graduating year. As a deputy, you can also name a successor deputy to take over if you die.

Write a will as well. SNTC suggests telling your executor to sell non-cash assets and pay the cash into your child's trust. Our guide to wills and guardianship covers the signing rules.

When to get help

• Not sure which scheme fits: call SG Enable on 1800-8585-885, or search the Enabling Guide.
• Setting up SNSS or a trust: SG Enable's Future Care Planning team, at futurecareplanning@sgenable.sg or 6278 9598.
• Money is short now: call the ComCare hotline on 1800-222-0000, or go to a Social Service Office. Our financial help guide has more.
• Deputyship or an LPA: the Office of the Public Guardian on 1800 111 2222 (say OPG when asked).
• Caregiver grants: AIC's eFASS e-service, with Singpass.

Frequently asked questions

What financial support is there for a special needs child in Singapore?

The main ones are the CDA, SPED FAS, the Assistive Technology Fund, transport subsidies, AIC's caregiver grants and the $7,500 tax relief. LifeSG also says every Singapore citizen child turning 1 to 16 from 2026 gets $2,000 a year in Child Credits from April 2027, which our Baby Bonus and support guide covers.

How does a special needs trust work in Singapore?

SNTC holds cash you set aside and pays your child after you die or lose capacity, as your Letter of Intent sets out. You open it with $5,000 and pay $150 to set it up, and family can add to it later.

How does the CPF Special Needs Savings Scheme work?

Once SG Enable confirms your child is eligible, you nominate them at a CPF Service Centre. When you die, CPF pays them the monthly amount you chose until your savings run out. Your child must attend or have attended a SPED school, or have a verified permanent disability.

What caregiver grants can I get in Singapore?

AIC runs two. The Home Caregiving Grant pays $200 to $600 a month if your child needs help with three daily activities and your household income is $4,800 or less per person. The Caregivers Training Grant pays for approved courses.

What happens to my special needs child when I die?

You can plan for that now. An SNSS nomination turns your CPF savings into monthly payouts for your child, and a Special Needs Trust holds cash from your will and CPF, paid out as your Letter of Intent sets out. If your adult child has a deputy, name a successor deputy too.