HDB · Grants

HDB Proximity Housing Grant: are you leaving $30k on the table?

By Winfred Quek · 9-minute read · Last reviewed May 2026

Quick answer: The Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) is a CPF housing grant that rewards eligible buyers of an HDB resale flat for living with or near their parents or married child. According to HDB and CPF Board, a family buying a resale flat to live with their parents or child can receive up to $30,000, and a family buying a resale flat to live near them can receive up to $20,000. Singles also qualify under the scheme, at lower amounts. The PHG can stack with other grants such as the Family Grant and the Enhanced Housing Grant, so families who do not check it can genuinely leave tens of thousands of dollars unclaimed.

Facts verified: May 2026 · Sources linked below

Key Takeaways

• The PHG is a resale-flat grant, it applies when you buy an HDB resale flat, not a new BTO flat.
• There are two tiers: living together with parents or a married child, and living near them. The live-with tier pays more.
• For an eligible family, the live-with amount is up to $30,000 and the live-near amount is up to $20,000.
• The PHG stacks with other CPF housing grants, so it adds to the Family Grant and EHG rather than replacing them.
• Because the PHG is a separate grant with its own conditions, buyers who do not specifically check it can miss a substantial sum.

The Proximity Housing Grant is one of the most commonly missed grants I see, simply because buyers do not realise it exists or assume it does not apply to them. It is a grant for buying a resale flat close to family, and for an eligible family it can be worth up to $30,000. That is real money, and leaving it unclaimed because you did not know to ask is an avoidable loss.

This article explains who qualifies, the two tiers, the amounts, and how the PHG fits with the other grants.

What is the Proximity Housing Grant?

According to HDB and CPF Board, the Proximity Housing Grant is a CPF housing grant designed to support families living with, or close to, their parents or married children. The policy intent is mutual care: parents and children who live near each other can support one another more easily.

Three things define the PHG:

It is a resale-flat grant. The PHG applies when you buy an HDB resale flat from the open market. It is not a grant for a new BTO flat.
It rewards proximity to parents or a married child. The grant is about the relationship and the distance, you are buying near the parents, or the parents are buying near a married child.
It comes in two tiers. Living together attracts a higher grant than living near, reflecting the closer arrangement.

What are the live-with and live-near tiers?

This is the heart of the PHG, and the part the brief flags as commonly garbled. The two tiers are about the living arrangement, not a simple distance number.

Living with

The higher tier is for buyers who buy a resale flat to live together with their parents, or together with a married child, in the same flat. According to HDB, an eligible family buying a resale flat to live with parents or a married child can receive a PHG of up to $30,000.

Living near

The lower tier is for buyers who buy a resale flat to live near their parents or married child, close by but not in the same flat. According to HDB, an eligible family buying a resale flat to live near parents or a married child can receive a PHG of up to $20,000.

Singles also qualify for the PHG, at amounts lower than the family figures, when they buy a resale flat to live with or near their parents.

Living arrangement	Family applicant	What the tier rewards
Living together with parents or a married child	Up to $30,000	Same flat, the closest care arrangement
Living near parents or a married child	Up to $20,000	Close by but in a separate flat

Family applicant amounts as published by HDB and CPF Board. Singles qualify at lower amounts. Confirm the current figures and the proximity definition with HDB.

Check the exact proximity definition with HDB: The "living near" tier has a specific definition of how close the flats must be. Because that definition is set by HDB and can be updated, confirm the current proximity criteria directly with HDB for your specific flat and your parents' flat before you rely on the grant in your budget.

Who qualifies for the Proximity Housing Grant?

The PHG sits within the broader CPF housing grant framework, so the standard eligibility logic for a resale flat applies, alongside the proximity condition. According to HDB and CPF Board, qualifying for the PHG generally requires:

Buying an HDB resale flat. The PHG is tied to a resale purchase, not a BTO flat.
A qualifying relationship. You are buying to live with or near your parents, or, for parents buying, to live with or near a married child.
Meeting the citizenship and other standard grant conditions. The PHG is part of the CPF housing grant scheme and carries the usual eligibility requirements.

One feature that makes the PHG broadly useful: it is not limited to first-timer buyers in the way some grants are. Because eligibility detail can change, I always verify a specific client's PHG eligibility against the current HDB criteria rather than assuming.

How does the PHG stack with other grants?

This is where the "leaving money on the table" point becomes concrete. The PHG is a separate grant, and according to HDB and CPF Board it can be claimed in addition to other CPF housing grants for an eligible resale purchase.

For an eligible first-timer family buying a resale flat near or with their parents, the grant picture can include:

The HDB Family Grant: up to $80,000 for a 4-room flat or smaller, and up to $50,000 for a 5-room flat or larger.
The Enhanced Housing Grant (EHG): up to $120,000, tapered by income, for households at or below $9,000 a month.
The Proximity Housing Grant: up to $30,000 for living with, or up to $20,000 for living near.

Each grant has its own eligibility test, and not every buyer qualifies for all three, the EHG in particular has a lower income ceiling. But the structural point holds: the PHG adds to the others. A family that claims the Family Grant and EHG but overlooks the PHG has under-claimed by up to $30,000.

How do you avoid leaving the PHG unclaimed?

The PHG is missed for a simple reason: buyers focus on the headline grants and do not realise a separate proximity grant exists. Three practical steps prevent that.

Ask about the PHG specifically. When you work out your grant entitlement for a resale flat, name the PHG as its own line, not folded into "grants" in general.
Map the family geography early. If your parents live in a particular town, factor the PHG into where you search. Choosing a flat near them, or with them, may unlock the grant; choosing one far away forgoes it.
Confirm the live-with versus live-near tier. The two tiers differ by up to $10,000. Be clear which arrangement you are entering, and check the proximity definition with HDB so you claim the correct tier.

Winfred's Take

The PHG is the grant I most often have to bring up myself, because clients simply do not know it is there. Here is the practical angle: if you are already inclined to live near your parents, for childcare, for elderly support, for the obvious family reasons, then the PHG is a grant for a decision you were going to make anyway. Up to $30,000 for living with them, up to $20,000 for living near. That is not a reason on its own to uproot your housing plans, but if family proximity is even on your list, the PHG should be on the table from the first conversation, not discovered after you have signed for a flat across the island. The buyers who lose this grant are not ineligible, they are uninformed. Do not be one of them.

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Winfred Quek · CEA R073319H · Crestbrick

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Proximity Housing Grant?

For an eligible family, up to $30,000 for buying a resale flat to live together with parents or a married child, and up to $20,000 for buying to live near them. Singles qualify at lower amounts.

Does the PHG apply to a BTO flat?

No. The Proximity Housing Grant is a grant for buying an HDB resale flat from the open market. It is not available for a new BTO flat.

Can I claim the PHG on top of the Family Grant and EHG?

Yes, subject to meeting each grant's own conditions. The PHG is a separate CPF housing grant that stacks with other grants such as the Family Grant and the Enhanced Housing Grant.

What is the difference between the live-with and live-near tiers?

The live-with tier is for buying a resale flat to live in the same flat as your parents or married child, and pays the higher amount. The live-near tier is for living close by in a separate flat, and pays less. Confirm the proximity definition with HDB.

Can singles get the Proximity Housing Grant?

Yes. Singles qualify for the PHG when they buy a resale flat to live with or near their parents, at amounts lower than the family figures.

The bottom line

The Proximity Housing Grant rewards buying an HDB resale flat with or near your parents or married child, up to $30,000 for living together and up to $20,000 for living near, and it stacks on top of grants such as the Family Grant and EHG.

If family proximity is even part of your plan, name the PHG as its own line in your grant calculation and confirm the tier and proximity definition with HDB. The buyers who miss this grant are rarely ineligible, they simply never asked.

Winfred Quek is an Associate Marketing Consultant at Crestbrick Pte Ltd, advising Singapore upgraders, investors, and families. CEA R073319H. The information on this page is general and does not constitute financial, investment, or mortgage advice.