The Proximity Housing Grant: Money for Living Near Your Parents

The Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) is the government’s reward for keeping the family close. If you buy a resale HDB flat to live with — or near — your parents or your married child, you can claim a one-time CPF grant worth up to $30,000. It is one of the very few housing grants with no income ceiling at all, which makes it unusually easy to qualify for. Here is exactly how much you get, what “near” means, and the conditions you have to keep.

How much you get

The amount depends on whether you move in with your family or simply near them, and on whether you apply as a family or as a single. The “living with” family amount was raised to $30,000 in 2024; the “near” amount stayed at $20,000.

What “near” actually means: 4 km

“Near” is a straight-line radius of 4 km between the resale flat you are buying and your parents’ or child’s home — not whether you land in the same town. Two addresses in different towns can still qualify if they fall within 4 km of each other, and two in the same town can fail if they don’t. Rather than guess, our blocks near parents tool maps every block inside the 4 km ring around an address, so you can shortlist grant-eligible flats and then check how each one scores for liveability.

The rule that makes PHG easy: no income ceiling

Most HDB grants are means-tested. The Enhanced CPF Housing Grant, for instance, cuts off at a $9,000 household monthly income. The PHG has no income ceiling— a high earner qualifies just as a lower one does, provided they meet the “with” or “near” conditions. That is what makes it worth checking even if your income rules you out of every other grant. At least one applicant (or, for a single buyer, the co-occupier) must be a Singapore Citizen.

The conditions you have to keep

The PHG applies to resale flats only — not new BTO or Sale of Balance flats. It is a one-time grant: claim it once and you cannot claim it again on a later purchase. And you must actually live the arrangement you claimed. For the “living with” grant, your parents or child are listed in the flat application and must physically occupy the flat with you throughout the Minimum Occupation Period; for the “near” grant, you must stay within the 4 km band. Move out early or break the arrangement and HDB can claw the grant back.

How it stacks with other grants

The PHG is additive. A first-time family or single can receive it on top of the CPF Housing Grant and the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant, as long as each grant’s own eligibility is met — so a single buying near their parents could combine the Singles Grant, the EHG and the PHG. The money is paid into your CPF Ordinary Account and offsets the purchase price rather than landing as cash. One consequence people forget: like any CPF you use for the flat, the grant accrues interest you must refund to your CPF when you eventually sell.

Is it worth choosing a flat just for the grant?

$20,000–$30,000 is real money, but it is a bonus, not a reason to buy the wrong home. The point of living near family — childcare, eldercare, shared meals — is the actual return; the grant just pays you for a choice you were already inclined to make. Shortlist the eligible blocks inside the 4 km ring first, then let liveability and lease decide between them. A grant-eligible flat that is a poor daily-life fit is not a bargain.

Figures on this page are computed from the current snapshot and update each rebuild. Contains information from data.gov.sg (Singapore Open Data Licence) and OneMap, Singapore Land Authority. This is general information for research, not financial or professional advice.