At a glance
- Lease Buyback age
- All owners 65 or older; household income up to S$16,000 (raised from S$14,000 in Aug 2026)
- LBS bonus
- Up to S$30,000 (3-room or smaller), S$15,000 (4-room), S$7,500 (5-room or bigger)
- Silver Housing Bonus
- Up to S$30,000, or S$40,000 if moving to a 2-room flat or CCA; one owner 55 or older
- Community Care Apartments
- 32 sqm studios, 15 to 35-year leases, minimum age lowered from 65 to 55
- Checked
- 12 October 2026
The three options at a glance
If you want to stay in your flat, the Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS) is the only one of the three that lets you. If you are willing to move, selling and buying a smaller flat usually releases more money, and the Silver Housing Bonus (SHB) adds cash on top. A Community Care Apartment (CCA) is one of the flats you can move into, built for seniors who want care services on site.
| Lease Buyback Scheme | Sell and right-size with SHB | Move to a Community Care Apartment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you move? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum age | All owners 65 | At least one citizen owner 55 | 55 (from the October 2026 BTO exercise) |
| Household income cap | S$16,000 | S$16,000 | Check the launch conditions |
| Bonus | Up to S$30,000 | Up to S$30,000, or S$40,000 for a 2-room flat or CCA | SHB applies if you sold a flat to buy it |
| CPF Retirement Account | Must top up first | Commit up to S$60,000 for the full bonus | Depends on how you fund it |
| What you keep | Your flat, on a shorter lease | Cash and a smaller flat | A 15 to 35-year lease and a care package |
Lease Buyback Scheme: who qualifies
All owners must be 65 or older and at least one must be a Singapore citizen. The household’s gross monthly income must be S$16,000 or less, up from S$14,000 before August 2026. You cannot own a second property, all owners must have lived in the flat for at least 5 years, and the flat needs at least 20 years of lease left. Every flat type qualifies except short-lease flats, HUDC flats and executive condominiums.
Lease Buyback Scheme: how the money works
You keep part of the lease and sell the rest, the tail end, to HDB. The youngest owner’s age sets the shortest lease you can keep.
| Youngest owner’s age | Shortest lease you can keep | Other choices |
|---|---|---|
| 65 to 69 | 30 years | 35 years |
| 70 to 74 | 25 years | 30 or 35 years |
| 75 to 79 | 20 years | 25, 30 or 35 years |
| 80 and above | 15 years | 20, 25, 30 or 35 years |
The proceeds go first into your CPF Retirement Account. For applications from 1 January 2026, a sole owner tops up to the age-adjusted Full Retirement Sum, and joint owners each top up to the age-adjusted Basic Retirement Sum.
| Owner’s age | One owner tops up to | Two or more owners, each tops up to |
|---|---|---|
| 65 to 69 | S$220,400 | S$110,200 |
| 70 to 79 | S$210,400 | S$105,200 |
| 80 and above | S$200,400 | S$100,200 |
The LBS bonus is up to S$30,000 for a 3-room or smaller flat, S$15,000 for a 4-room and S$7,500 for a 5-room or bigger flat. You get the full amount if the household tops up S$60,000 or more; below that it is pro-rated. After the top-up, the household can keep up to S$100,000 in cash. If the Retirement Account holds at least S$60,000 after the top-up, it is used to join CPF LIFE, which pays a monthly income for life. Owners aged 80 and above are not put on CPF LIFE.
HDB’s worked example: a couple, both 65, own a fully paid 4-room worth S$450,000 with 65 years of lease left. They keep 30 years and sell 35 years to HDB for S$190,000. Each has about S$20,000 in their Retirement Account, so S$180,000 goes to topping both up to the Basic Retirement Sum. With a top-up above S$60,000, they qualify for the full S$15,000 4-room bonus, and roughly S$10,000 is left in cash.
Selling and right-sizing with the Silver Housing Bonus
Selling the whole flat at market price usually frees more money than selling part of the lease, because the buyer pays for the whole remaining lease. The SHB is a cash bonus for doing this and putting some of the proceeds into CPF.
You qualify if at least one owner is a Singapore citizen aged 55 or above, the household earns S$16,000 a month or less, and you do not own another private home. You sell an HDB flat that has met its MOP, or a private home with an annual value of up to S$31,000. Then you buy a 3-room flat (not a 3-room terrace) or a 2-room or smaller flat, which includes a CCA. The new flat must be booked or the resale application made before you sell, or within 12 months of completing the sale. You then apply for the SHB within a year of the second transaction completing.
| You sell | You buy | Maximum bonus |
|---|---|---|
| HDB flat, or private home with AV up to S$21,000 | 3-room flat | S$30,000 |
| HDB flat, or private home with AV up to S$21,000 | 2-room or smaller, or a CCA | S$40,000 |
| Private home with AV S$21,000 to S$31,000 | 3-room flat | S$10,000 |
| Private home with AV S$21,000 to S$31,000 | 2-room or smaller, or a CCA | S$20,000 |
The S$30,000 portion is paid at S$1 for every S$2 you add to your Retirement Account, so the full amount needs a S$60,000 net top-up. The extra S$10,000 for moving to a 2-room or smaller flat is not pro-rated. CPF housing refunds from the sale count towards the top-up, so you may not need to put in cash. HDB enhanced the scheme from 1 December 2025, which is when the S$40,000 maximum came in.
Your net proceeds must be positive after the outstanding loan, the price of the next flat and any resale levy. Our HDB resale process guide covers the selling steps, and a valuation check tells you what the flat is likely to fetch before you commit.
Community Care Apartments
A CCA is a 32 sqm studio (35 sqm with the air-con ledge) in a block designed for seniors, sold with a compulsory Basic Service Package that covers things like emergency response and on-site staff. Leases run from 15 to 35 years in 5-year steps, and must last until you and your spouse are at least 95.
Two changes in 2026 matter if you are weighing one up.
- The minimum age has been lowered from 65 to 55, starting with the October 2026 BTO exercise, which includes about 260 CCA units in Toa Payoh.
- After a review announced in July, MOH, MND and HDB said Basic Service Package fees will fall by 18% to 75% from the second quarter of 2027, and MOH will subsidise 35% to 95% of some components for eligible residents.
The fees had risen sharply. At Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok, the first CCA, the 35-year package went from S$59,000 at launch in 2021 to S$136,000 in 2026, and will fall to S$106,000. For the Geylang and Sengkang projects, the 35-year package drops from S$168,000 to S$94,000. Demand has been uneven: Bukit Batok drew 706 applicants for 169 units, while the Sengkang project was undersubscribed.
Buying a CCA after selling your flat can qualify for the higher S$40,000 SHB, because a CCA counts as a 2-room or smaller flat.
Which one fits
Choose the Lease Buyback Scheme if staying in your own flat and neighbourhood matters more than the size of the payout, and you are 65 or older with modest CPF balances. The money mostly goes into CPF LIFE, which turns it into a monthly income.
Choose selling and right-sizing if you would be happy in a smaller flat and want the most money out. The bigger and better located your flat, the more this route beats the LBS, since a 4-room or 5-room LBS bonus is only S$15,000 or S$7,500 while the SHB stays at up to S$30,000.
Choose a CCA if you, or your spouse, expect to need help with daily living, and want a flat sized and serviced for that. Compare the total cost, flat plus service package, against a regular 2-room Flexi flat and paid home care before you apply.
Common questions
How much do I get from the Lease Buyback Scheme?
It depends on your flat's value, its remaining lease and how much lease you keep. HDB's own example is a fully paid 4-room worth S$450,000 with 65 years left: a couple aged 65 keeps 30 years and sells 35 years to HDB for S$190,000. S$180,000 goes into their Retirement Accounts, they get a S$15,000 bonus, and about S$10,000 is left in cash.
Is the Lease Buyback Scheme better than selling?
It is better if you want to stay in your home. Selling a whole flat and buying a smaller one usually frees up more money, because you sell the full remaining lease at market price. The Silver Housing Bonus then adds up to S$30,000 or S$40,000 in cash.
Who can get the Silver Housing Bonus?
A household with at least one Singapore citizen owner aged 55 or above, with a gross monthly income of S$16,000 or less, who sells an HDB flat (or a private home with an annual value up to S$31,000) and buys a 3-room or smaller flat, including a Community Care Apartment. The new flat must be booked before the sale or within 12 months after it.
How much does a Community Care Apartment cost?
The flat itself is priced at each launch, and you also pay a compulsory Basic Service Package. As an example, a 35-year lease at Fernvale Plains, launched in October 2025, was estimated to cost about S$290,000 in total, including S$122,000 for the flat. Service fees are being cut by 18% to 75% from the second quarter of 2027.
Can I use the Lease Buyback Scheme if I own a private property?
No. You cannot own a second property at the same time. The flat must also have at least 20 years of lease left, and all owners must have lived there for at least 5 years.
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Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 12 October 2026.
- HDB: Lease Buyback Scheme eligibility
- HDB: Lease Buyback Scheme, how it works (lease options, RA top-ups, bonus, example)
- HDB: Silver Housing Bonus
- HDB: Community Care Apartments
- Home & Decor (The Straits Times): Community Care Apartment fees to be lowered from Q2 2027
- Tabla (The Straits Times): Community Care Apartment costs reduced after lacklustre demand
- CPF: What happens to the sales proceeds after selling your home
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