Previously:
Initially set at $1,000 per month, eligible self-employed persons will get three cash payouts of $3,000 starting from May 2020.
And since then, self-employed people be like:
Well, guess what? There’s finally an update from NTUC, the organisation placed in charge of dispensing the scheme’s funds.
You Can Start Applying From 27 Apr 2020
On 19 Apr 2020, the National Trades Union Congress announced that applications for the Self-Employed Persons Income Relief Scheme (Sirs) will be open on 27 Apr 2020.
Here’s a nifty infographic from the Assistant Secretary-General of NTUC, Mr Patrick Tay:
- Started work as a self-employed person on or before 25 March 2020
- Do not also earn income as an employee / earn less than $2,500 from employment work
- Earn a Net Trade Income of no more than $100,000
- Live in a property with an annual value of no more than $21,000
- For married couples, the spouse must have an assessable income that’s lesser than $70,000
- Do not own two or more properties (individual and (if married) together with the spouse)
And the best part? You can submit your application online.
The website which you can submit SIRS application to is still undergoing testing but it’s announced that the upcoming website will be integrated with MyInfo which will help to autofill residents’ personal data into official forms.
For those who can’t wait, however, there’s a website which you can go to and check your eligibility for the scheme.
Besides checking your eligibility, there are also useful guides and a FAQ section available to help clueless residents.
Things To Prepare:
While waiting for applications to open, Mr Tay suggests that you do the following first:
- File your tax return for income earned from 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2019: https://mytax.iras.gov.sg/
- Have a valid SingPass login: https://www.singpass.gov.sg/singpass/register/instructions
- Authorise MyInfo (for SingPass users) to display your Income and CPF information: bit.ly/myinfo_hp
People Who Auto-Qualify Will Be Informed
Not everyone needs to apply for the Sirs.
If you’re aged 37 and above (as of 31 Dec 2020) and you’ve declared your Net Trade Income to IRAS or CPF Board for personal income tax for the Work Year 2018, you’ll automatically be qualified for the scheme.
You will be notified via SMS and letter from CPF and receive your first payout by end-May 2020.
What If I Don’t Qualify But I Do Need Help?
Now, what if I just barely miss one of the criteria, and I need help?
You can submit your SIRS application to NTUC and see if your case will pass the case-by-case assessment.
