NS HOME Awards
The National Service HOusing, Medical and Education (NS HOME) Awards were introduced to recognise the efforts of NSmen (with Singapore Citizenship) at the various stages of their Operationally Ready National Service (ORNS) journey. The recognition comes in the form of incentive awards for your housing, healthcare and education needs.
From 1 Apr 2022, an additional $2,000 across three NS HOME milestones will be introduced – $1,000 at the completion of Full-Time National Service (FTNS) and $500 each at the mid-point and completion of ORNS. It will be disbursed in cash credits that can be accessed via the LifeSG mobile application. The cash credits can be used at any physical store, e-commerce platform and organisation accepting payment via PayNow UEN QR or NETS QR. These include heartland shops, hawkers, government agencies and education institutes.
The cash credits will complement existing NS HOME payments made to NSmen’s CPF accounts and/or Post-Secondary Education Accounts, to better cater to the current needs of national servicemen and their families.
NSmen who meet their NS HOME 2/3 milestones on or after 1 Apr 2022 will receive the additional $500 cash credits.
Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) who enlist on or after 1 Nov 2019 and complete their FTNS will receive the additional $1,000 cash credits.
All cash credits are valid for one year from the time they are credited.
Eligibility
The NS HOME Awards are disbursed at 3 milestones in your ORNS journey, as outlined in the following table. NSmen will not be eligible to receive NS HOME Awards if they have outstanding offences (such as not reporting for Summary Trial or having unpaid fines). The awards will be withheld from the date of offence, and will be forfeited if the offence remains unresolved after one year.
| Milestone | Reached upon |
|---|---|
| 1st milestone | Completion of full-time NS |
| 2nd milestone | Completion of 3 High Key (HK) In-Camp Training (ICT) or Completion of 5 ORNS years1 of which 2 are HK ICTs, whichever is earlier |
| 3rd milestone | Completion of your ORNS training cycle – when you have fulfilled 10 ORNS years of which 7 are High Key ICTs |
Amount per Milestone
Upon reaching each of the 3 milestones, you will receive the following amounts:
| Rank | 1st milestone | 2nd milestone | 3rd milestone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-commanders |
$3,000 into Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) $1,000 LifeSG credits* |
$3,000 into CPF Ordinary Account (OA) $500 LifeSG credits* |
$3,000 into CPF Ordinary Account (OA) $500 LifeSG credits* |
| Commanders (Third Sergeants and above) |
$3,500 into Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) $1,000 LifeSG credits* |
$3,500 into CPF Ordinary Account (OA) $500 LifeSG credits* |
$3,500 into CPF Ordinary Account (OA) $500 LifeSG credits* |
| LifeSG credits spent will be subject to income tax. | |||
To help full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) cover their MediShield Life premiums during their full-time NS, $200 from their NS HOME Awards will be credited into their CPF Medisave Account upon enlistment. An additional $200 will be credited after completion of their first year of full-time NS. The remainder of the NS HOME Medisave grant (i.e. $2,000 minus the total amount of MediShield Life premiums received during full-time NS) will be credited when they complete their full-time NS.
Commanders (Third Sergeants and above) take up higher responsibilities and will receive an additional $500 top-up to their Post-Secondary Education Account or CPF ordinary account at each milestone.
Uses for the NS HOME Awards
| Account credited | Usage |
|---|---|
| PSEA | Can be used for post-secondary education, according to MOE guidelines |
| CPF-OA | Can be used to buy a house, according to CPF Board rules |
| CPF-MA | Can be used for healthcare needs, according to CPF Board rules |
| LifeSG cash credits | Can be used for immediate needs at wide range of physical and online merchants offering PayNow UEN QR and/or NETS QR |
NS HOME cash credits will be taxable. IRAS regulations stipulate that cash awards made upon completion of a service rendered are subject to income tax for the Year of Assessment. No further action is required on your part as MINDEF will submit the returns on your behalf.
Disbursement
The NS HOME Awards will be paid out within 3 months after you reach each milestone. You will receive an SMS notification when you become eligible for the award.
