Higher BTO income ceiling: what changes for you from 4 November 2026
Earned a bit too much to apply for a BTO flat last time? This launch could be your first shot. The BTO income ceiling is now S$16,000 a month for families and S$8,000 for singles. HDB's November 2026 exercise, which opened on 4 November, is the first BTO launch to use them. You can pick from seven projects in six towns, but four of them make you pay part of the price back when you sell. Here's what changed, who it touches and what to check before applications close on 11 November.
Can you earn up to S$16,000 a month and still apply?
Yes, if you're applying as a family. The family ceiling went from S$14,000 to S$16,000 a month, and the ceiling for eligible singles went from S$7,000 to S$8,000.
There's one more change, and it's for your parents. From this launch, the age to apply for a community care apartment drops from 65 to 55.
Family income ceiling
Before: S$14,000. Now: S$16,000
The most a family can earn a month and still apply for a BTO flat.
Singles income ceiling
Before: S$7,000. Now: S$8,000
The monthly limit for eligible singles buying a BTO flat.
Community care apartments
Before: Age 65. Now: Age 55
The age your parents can apply from, starting with this launch.
The higher ceilings were announced at the National Day Rally in August 2026. They count for HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter applications made from 24 August 2026, and this is the first BTO launch since then.
It also means more families and singles may now qualify for housing support when buying a home. Eligible first-timer couples buying a BTO flat can get an Enhanced CPF Housing Grant of up to S$120,000, and eligible first-timer singles up to S$60,000. Our guide to HDB grants for singles shows how the amount is worked out.
Which seven projects are on sale, and how long is the wait?
You'd wait under four years at any of them. Sembawang Anchor's is the shortest, at two years and 10 months.
More than one in three of the 7,964 flats are two-room Flexi flats, meant for singles and seniors, and you'll find them in all seven projects. It's the last BTO exercise of 2026, and it brings this year's new flats to 23,928.
Plantation Dew is the first BTO project in its Tengah neighbourhood since October 2023. Its three-, four- and five-room flats come as white flats if you choose, with no walls between the living room and bedrooms. They cost S$6,000 to S$9,000 less than the usual layout.
Our earlier post on this launch covers Sembawang Anchor and the white flats in more detail.
| Project | Town | Classification | Flats | Wait | Clawback when you sell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toa Payoh Hillside | Toa Payoh | Prime | 1,432 | 3 years 9 months | 11% |
| Bayshore Sails | Bedok | Plus | 1,637 | 3 years 8 months | 9% |
| Bayshore Oasis | Bedok | Plus | 855 | 3 years 2 months | 9% |
| Merpati Meadow | Geylang | Plus | 438 | 3 years 3 months | 8% |
| Sembawang Anchor | Sembawang | Standard | 1,310 | 2 years 10 months | None |
| Plantation Dew | Tengah | Standard | 710 | 3 years 2 months | None |
| Chencharu Acres | Yishun | Standard | 1,582 | Under 4 years | None |
The catch: what does an 11% clawback at Toa Payoh Hillside mean?
It means you pay HDB 11% of the price when you sell. HDB works it out on the resale price or the valuation, whichever is higher.
Toa Payoh Hillside is the only Prime project in this launch, and it sits next to Caldecott MRT station. Prime and Plus flats get extra subsidies. In return, they come with a 10-year minimum occupation period (MOP), which is how long you must live in the flat before you can sell it.
So what does a flat here cost? Before grants, a two-room Flexi flat is S$243,000 to S$400,000, and a four-room flat is S$558,000 to S$832,000.
Four-room resale flats in Toa Payoh have recently sold for S$820,000 to S$1.2 million.
The project will have its own foodcourt, supermarket, pre-school and active ageing centre. Your wait for a flat here is three years and nine months.
How much do the Plus flats in Bedok and Geylang claw back?
Less than Toa Payoh Hillside. Bayshore Oasis and Bayshore Sails in Bedok take back 9% when you sell, and Merpati Meadow in Geylang takes back 8%.
Share of the price you pay back to HDB when you sell, November 2026 BTO
| Project | Subsidy clawback |
|---|---|
| Toa Payoh Hillside | 11% |
| Bayshore Oasis | 9% |
| Bayshore Sails | 9% |
| Merpati Meadow | 8% |
All three come with the same 10-year MOP you'd get on a Prime flat. The two Bayshore projects are near Bayshore MRT station and offer 2,492 flats between them. Merpati Meadow has 438 flats near Mattar MRT station.
Bayshore Oasis has the shorter wait of the two, at three years and two months. Bayshore Sails takes three years and eight months, and Merpati Meadow three years and three months.
If you're weighing a new flat against an older one, our BTO vs resale calculator puts the two side by side.
Which projects have no clawback at all?
The three Standard projects: Sembawang Anchor, Plantation Dew in Tengah and Chencharu Acres in Yishun. There's no subsidy recovery charge when you sell, and the MOP is five years.
The cheapest flat in the launch is a two-room Flexi at Plantation Dew, from S$131,000. A four-room Standard flat can cost from S$232,000 once grants come off.
To see what your own income could cover, try our BTO affordability calculator.
Sembawang Anchor's 1,310 flats have the shortest wait in this launch. Before grants, they cost:
- Two-room Flexi: S$156,000 to S$245,000
- Three-room: S$274,000 to S$348,000
- Four-room: S$312,000 to S$428,000
- Five-room: S$479,000 to S$614,000
Can your parents apply for a community care apartment at 55?
Yes, from this launch. The minimum age dropped from 65 to 55, and Toa Payoh Hillside has 256 of these flats, the first in Toa Payoh.
A community care apartment is a flat built for seniors. It comes with fittings like wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, plus health and community services that help residents live on their own.
The flats cost S$151,000 to S$192,000 before grants. That price doesn't cover the Basic Service Package, which every resident must sign up for. The package covers a set of care and support services and comes with its own monthly fee.
From 55, your parents can also look at short-lease two-room Flexi flats if they want to right-size. If they'd be selling a bigger flat to move, our Silver Housing Bonus calculator works through the numbers.
Who is affected and who is not?
The new ceilings and the clawbacks touch different groups. Here's who this launch changes things for, and who it doesn't. Our guide to income ceilings for BTO, EC and resale flats covers the other kinds of flat.
- Families earning more than S$14,000 and up to S$16,000 a month are now under the BTO income ceiling.
- Eligible singles earning more than S$7,000 and up to S$8,000 a month are now under the ceiling too.
- Buyers at Toa Payoh Hillside, Bayshore Oasis, Bayshore Sails and Merpati Meadow take on a 10-year MOP and an 8% to 11% clawback.
- Parents aged 55 and above can now apply for a community care apartment, down from 65.
- Buyers at Sembawang Anchor, Plantation Dew and Chencharu Acres pay no subsidy recovery charge and have a five-year MOP.
- You need a valid HFE letter when you submit your flat application. If yours is still being processed, you can apply once it's issued, as long as that's before applications close.
What should you check before applications close on 11 November?
Applications close at 11.59pm on 11 November, on the HDB Flat Portal. HDB shortlists applicants by computer ballot, so you don't need to rush in the first few days.
New HFE applications can't be made from 4 to 11 November. The HFE e-Service opens again on 12 November.
Our step-by-step BTO application guide covers what happens after the ballot. Before you submit, run through this list:
- You have a valid HFE letter. You can't apply without one.
- Your household earns no more than S$16,000 a month as a family, or S$8,000 as an eligible single.
- You know whether your project is Standard, Plus or Prime, and what a 10-year MOP would mean for your plans.
- You know how you'd pay for the flat, since HDB housing loans have a 75% loan-to-value limit.
- You've picked one flat type in one town. That's all one application allows.
- This week, open the HDB Flat Portal and check the application rates before you choose. They update several times a day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the BTO income ceiling in 2026?
From the November 2026 launch, it's S$16,000 a month for families and S$8,000 for eligible singles, up from S$14,000 and S$7,000. The new ceilings count for HFE letter applications made from 24 August 2026.
How does the subsidy clawback on Prime and Plus flats work?
When you sell, you pay HDB a share of the resale price or the valuation, whichever is higher. In this launch it's 11% at Toa Payoh Hillside, 9% at the two Bayshore projects and 8% at Merpati Meadow.
When do November 2026 BTO applications close?
At 11.59pm on 11 November 2026, on the HDB Flat Portal. You need a valid HFE letter to apply, and HDB picks applicants by computer ballot, so there's no need to apply on the first day.
When is the next BTO launch after November 2026?
February 2027, with about 4,300 flats in Bishan, Tampines, Tengah and Toa Payoh, plus about 5,000 balance flats. Sending in your HFE application and documents by 15 December 2026 gives you time to get the letter before it opens.
Sources
- The Straits Times: HDB launches 7,964 BTO flats; higher income ceiling kicks in
- My Nice Home (HDB): November 2026 Sales Launch
- AsiaOne: HDB launches 7,964 BTO flats across 6 towns in first exercise under higher income ceilings
- EdgeProp: November BTO exercise launches nearly 8,000 flats, including Toa Payoh and Bayshore units
- HDB: HDB Launches 7,964 Flats Across Seven Projects in November 2026 BTO Sales Exercise
Keep exploring
- 5 things to know about the November 2026 BTO exercise
- HDB BTO application in 2026: the full step-by-step guide
- HDB resale income ceiling: the rule nobody explains properly (2026)
- HDB grants for singles in Singapore: how much you can actually get in 2026
- BTO / HDB affordability calculator
- BTO vs resale HDB calculator
- CPF housing usage calculator
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change, so verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.
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