<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Workfare money paid out today
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Total of $343 million given to 271,000 workers a month earlier than planned </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Tan Dawn Wei
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->There will be extra money in the hands of some 271,000 low-wage earners from today - $343 million to be exact.
They will get $294 million in Workfare payments and also poc- ket another $49 million - in cash - in the first of three one-off special payments which are part of the Resilience Package announced in this year's Budget.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>WHO'S ELIGIBLE
WHO QUALIFIES
You must be:
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Both payments from the Government will be given out today - one month earlier than the scheduled date.
Workfare is a two-year-old scheme meant to top up the income of low-wage workers and build up their retirement savings.
Those who worked at least six months last year will get anything from $90 to $2,400 from the scheme, depending on their age, earnings and whether they are self-employed.
Half of the amounts were paid out last October.
Those who worked three months in any six-month period in the year are entitled to half the payout.
Eligible workers can also get a cash payout of up to $1,200 in special payment given out in three tranches.
The other payments will be made in October this year and in March next year, for employees. The self-employed will get their payments in May and October this year, and in May next year.
This year, low-wage workers will receive 50 per cent more in Workfare payouts, as the Government has beefed up its incentive scheme to help them cope with the downturn.
At the same time, more workers will also qualify for the payouts as the eligibility criteria have been eased.
For instance, workers above 45 years old who earn $1,000 a month need contribute only $339 a year to their Medisave accounts to get Workfare and the special payment. This works out to less than $1 a day.
Part of the Workfare amount will be paid out in cash and part of it will be deposited into employees' CPF accounts.
Self-employed people and informal workers will receive theirs in their Medisave accounts.
Member of Parliament Cynthia Phua calls the early money good news.
'It will help families by reducing their financial stress in these times,' said the Aljunied GRC MP.
The scheme also makes it easier for community leaders like her to encourage their constituents to be employed 'rather than come for a handout'.
Madam Helen Tan plans to put her $240 payment in her bank account.
The 49-year-old polyclinic assistant, who earns about $1,300 a month, has no plans to spend it, especially now that her building contractor husband is jobless after his business was hit by the recession.
'Some people I know go shopping or have nice meals with the money, but I'm saving it for a rainy day. That is the reason why we are given this money,' she said. [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Total of $343 million given to 271,000 workers a month earlier than planned </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Tan Dawn Wei
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->There will be extra money in the hands of some 271,000 low-wage earners from today - $343 million to be exact.
They will get $294 million in Workfare payments and also poc- ket another $49 million - in cash - in the first of three one-off special payments which are part of the Resilience Package announced in this year's Budget.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>WHO'S ELIGIBLE
WHO QUALIFIES
You must be:
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Both payments from the Government will be given out today - one month earlier than the scheduled date.
Workfare is a two-year-old scheme meant to top up the income of low-wage workers and build up their retirement savings.
Those who worked at least six months last year will get anything from $90 to $2,400 from the scheme, depending on their age, earnings and whether they are self-employed.
Half of the amounts were paid out last October.
Those who worked three months in any six-month period in the year are entitled to half the payout.
Eligible workers can also get a cash payout of up to $1,200 in special payment given out in three tranches.
The other payments will be made in October this year and in March next year, for employees. The self-employed will get their payments in May and October this year, and in May next year.
This year, low-wage workers will receive 50 per cent more in Workfare payouts, as the Government has beefed up its incentive scheme to help them cope with the downturn.
At the same time, more workers will also qualify for the payouts as the eligibility criteria have been eased.
For instance, workers above 45 years old who earn $1,000 a month need contribute only $339 a year to their Medisave accounts to get Workfare and the special payment. This works out to less than $1 a day.
Part of the Workfare amount will be paid out in cash and part of it will be deposited into employees' CPF accounts.
Self-employed people and informal workers will receive theirs in their Medisave accounts.
Member of Parliament Cynthia Phua calls the early money good news.
'It will help families by reducing their financial stress in these times,' said the Aljunied GRC MP.
The scheme also makes it easier for community leaders like her to encourage their constituents to be employed 'rather than come for a handout'.
Madam Helen Tan plans to put her $240 payment in her bank account.
The 49-year-old polyclinic assistant, who earns about $1,300 a month, has no plans to spend it, especially now that her building contractor husband is jobless after his business was hit by the recession.
'Some people I know go shopping or have nice meals with the money, but I'm saving it for a rainy day. That is the reason why we are given this money,' she said. [email protected]
