Asked by Anonymous
Hi everyone,
My partner and I have an upcoming BTO appointment in September 2026 for a 4-room flat in Bukit Merah under the February 2026 sales launch.
We are likely to opt for the Deferred Income Assessment scheme and are trying to understand how HDB would assess our loan eligibility closer to key collection (estimated around 2031).
By then, I should have graduated and be working full-time. My partner, however, plans to pursue a full-time PhD after graduating in 2028, which may continue beyond the flat completion date.
We’re trying to understand whether her PhD stipend would be counted as income when assessing eligibility for an HDB loan.
Specifically:
If she is doing a PhD locally in Singapore and receiving a monthly stipend, would HDB count that as income?
If she is doing a PhD overseas and receiving a stipend from the university/scholarship, would that be treated differently?
I noticed HDB mentions that “stipends” can be considered for income assessment, but I’m unsure whether this applies to PhD stipends as well, especially for full-time students or overseas programmes.
Has anyone encountered a similar situation or checked with HDB on this before?
Would appreciate any insights. Thanks!
My partner and I have an upcoming BTO appointment in September 2026 for a 4-room flat in Bukit Merah under the February 2026 sales launch.
We are likely to opt for the Deferred Income Assessment scheme and are trying to understand how HDB would assess our loan eligibility closer to key collection (estimated around 2031).
By then, I should have graduated and be working full-time. My partner, however, plans to pursue a full-time PhD after graduating in 2028, which may continue beyond the flat completion date.
We’re trying to understand whether her PhD stipend would be counted as income when assessing eligibility for an HDB loan.
Specifically:
If she is doing a PhD locally in Singapore and receiving a monthly stipend, would HDB count that as income?
If she is doing a PhD overseas and receiving a stipend from the university/scholarship, would that be treated differently?
I noticed HDB mentions that “stipends” can be considered for income assessment, but I’m unsure whether this applies to PhD stipends as well, especially for full-time students or overseas programmes.
Has anyone encountered a similar situation or checked with HDB on this before?
Would appreciate any insights. Thanks!
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