Childcare and infant care subsidy calculator (Singapore)

How the childcare subsidy works

There are two layers. Both are for Singapore citizen children in an ECDA-licensed centre, and both are paid straight to the centre, so your bill is already net.

The Basic Subsidy goes to every citizen child. When mum works at least 56 hours a month it's $600 a month for full-day infant care and $300 for full-day childcare, and if she doesn't it's $150.

The Additional Subsidy is means-tested. A working mum gets it when gross household income is $12,000 a month or less. Households of 5 or more can also qualify on income per person of $3,000 or less. The lower your income, the more you get.

Each income band also has a minimum co-payment, and your subsidy stops at the point where your own share would fall below it. A family earning $3,000 still pays $3 a month for full-day childcare for that reason.

Full-day childcare subsidy table (from 1 Jan 2026)

Full-day infant care subsidy table

Working mum, Singapore citizen child. The income-per-person column applies to households of 5 or more. Infant care rates have not changed since 1 Jan 2023. Source: ECDA childcare and infant care subsidy tables, updated 18 Nov 2025.

Half-day programmes get about half. The Basic Subsidy is $150 for half-day childcare and $300 for half-day infant care, with a smaller Additional Subsidy on the same income bands. The calculator has those tables built in.

Fee caps at government-supported centres

Monthly caps for Singapore citizen children in 2026. Source: ECDA Anchor Operator page and AskGov ECDA on Partner Operator caps from 1 Jan 2026. Private centres set their own fees. Check a quote against the cap with our preschool fee cap checker.

If mum isn't working

You still get the $150 Basic Subsidy. Beyond that it depends on the programme.

For childcare, families with household income of $6,000 or less (or $1,500 per person or less) get the full working-mum subsidy anyway. That rule started on 9 December 2024.

For infant care, or childcare above those income lines, you can ask for Special Approval if there's a reason you can't work that ECDA accepts. It gives the full subsidy for a limited time.

This is due to change. The National Day Rally on 23 Aug 2026 announced that full childcare and infant care subsidies will go to families with citizen children whatever the main applicant's working status. More details will be announced in early 2027.

What changes in 2027 and after

Sources: MSF Committee of Supply 2026 speech; Made For Families NDR 2026 page, updated 24 Aug 2026.

MSF gave one example for 2027. A household earning $12,500 with two children in Anchor Operator childcare pays $730 a month in total in 2026. That falls to $470 in 2027. You can check the $730 here: choose childcare, type $12,500, and you'll get $365 per child.

Worked examples

How to apply

You don't send ECDA a form. When you enrol, the centre submits the subsidy application for you, and your income is checked through the government's means-testing system. The subsidy stays until the next fixed point of assessment or until your child leaves the centre. Your child has to attend at least one day in a month to get that month's subsidy.

If your income drops or mum starts work, tell the centre so it can be reassessed. The money left to pay can come from your child's CDA. See how long it lasts with our CDA spending tracker.