EC Eligibility and MOP: S$18,000 Income Cap, 10-Year MOP on New ECs
Who can buy a new executive condo, the income ceiling, the CPF grant, and the 5- or 10-year MOP by land tender date.
A citizen family can buy a new executive condo (EC) on household income of up to S$18,000 a month. Older EC sites keep a S$16,000 cap. The minimum occupation period (MOP) is 10 years on land tendered from 8 May 2026, and 5 years before, per HDB.
Who can buy a new EC?
An EC is a condo built by a private developer with some public-housing rules attached. The buyer rules come from HDB’s EC eligibility page and apply to everyone in the application.
- 11Citizenship and ageA Singapore citizen aged 21 or above, buying with at least one other citizen or PR.
- 22A family nucleusSpouse, fiancé or fiancée, children, or parents. Two or more citizen singles aged 35 and above can apply together.
- 33Income ceilingS$18,000 a month for ECs on land tenders that closed from 24 August 2026; S$16,000 for older sites.
- 44No private homeNobody in the application may own private residential property, or have sold one in the past 30 months.
- 55Past subsidiesSecond-timers pay a resale levy. Households that have already had two housing subsidies cannot buy.
Source: HDB, EC eligibility (October 2026); HDB, increase in income ceilings.
The five checks run in order, and failing one ends the matter. Think of it as a turnstile with five slots for one ticket.
What is the EC income ceiling in 2026?
| EC project | Monthly household income ceiling | Rule history |
|---|---|---|
| Land tender closed on or after 24 August 2026 | S$18,000 | hdb.income-ceiling.ec |
| Land tender awarded before 24 August 2026, including unsold units | S$16,000 | hdb.income-ceiling.ec |
Source: HDB. Rules as at 31 October 2026.
The trigger is the land tender date of the project, set out in HDB’s August 2026 release. Your own application date does not move you into the higher cap. So a household earning S$17,000 can buy in a newer EC and is shut out of an older one.
How long is the EC MOP, and when can you sell to anyone?
| Rule | Older ECs | Newer ECs | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum occupation period (MOP) | 5 years | 10 years | Sites tendered from 8 May 2026 |
| Foreigners can buy after | Year 10 | Year 15 | Sites tendered from 8 May 2026 |
| Household income ceiling | S$16,000 a month | S$18,000 a month | Sites whose land tender closed from 24 August 2026 |
Source: MND, strengthening the EC housing scheme (8 May 2026); HDB, increase in income ceilings (24 August 2026). The income ceiling changes on a different date from the other two rules.
The Ministry of National Development doubled the MOP for EC sites with tenders closing on or after 8 May 2026. On those sites, owners can sell only to citizens and PRs until year 15, and to any buyer after that. On older sites the steps fall at year 5 and year 10.
- 1Years 1 to 10Minimum occupation periodOwners live in the unit. No Deferred Payment Scheme at purchase.
- 2Years 11 to 15Citizens and PRs onlyThe unit may be resold, but only to citizens and PRs.
- 3From year 16Open to all buyersForeigners may buy. The EC is then a fully private condo.
Source: MND, strengthening the EC housing scheme (October 2026). On older sites the timeline is MOP 5 years, citizens and PRs only in years 6 to 10, all buyers from year 11.
For an EC, the MOP counts from the date the project gets its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP), says HDB. During the MOP you cannot sell, rent out the whole unit or buy another home. Rule histories: hdb.mop.ec and hdb.ec.open-market-year.
Worked example. An EC on a site tendered in 2027 gets its TOP in, say, June 2031. The MOP then ends in June 2041, and citizens and PRs can buy it from that month.
Foreigners can buy it from June 2046. That is a long engagement before the condo is fully private.
What else changed for ECs in May 2026?
The same MND release made two more changes for sites tendered from 8 May 2026:
- the Deferred Payment Scheme ended, so buyers pay on the normal schedule;
- the share of units kept for first-timer families rose from 70% to 90%, with a two-year priority period.
How much CPF grant do EC buyers get?
First-timer families can get a CPF Housing Grant for a new EC, paid by household income, per HDB’s EC grant page. The grant stops at S$12,000 a month, below both income ceilings.
Maximum grant
Source: HDB, CPF Housing Grant for ECs (October 2026).
| Monthly household income | Citizen couple | Citizen and PR couple | First-timer and second-timer couple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to S$10,000 | S$30,000 | S$20,000 | S$15,000 |
| S$10,001 to S$11,000 | S$20,000 | S$10,000 | S$10,000 |
| S$11,001 to S$12,000 | S$10,000 | Nil | S$5,000 |
| Above S$12,000 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
Source: HDB. Rules as at 31 October 2026. Rule history: hdb.cpf-housing-grant.ec.
Worked example. A first-timer citizen couple earns S$10,500 a month. They are under both income ceilings and fall in the S$11,000 band, so the grant is S$20,000. A couple earning S$12,500 gets no grant but can still buy.
What about stamp duty and second-timers?
Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) on a new EC unit is remitted when any buyer is a citizen. Buyer’s Stamp Duty still applies; our stamp duty guide has the rates.
Second-timers pay a resale levy set by the first subsidised flat they sold. Anyone who has owned private residential property must wait 30 months after selling it before buying an EC, under the HDB wait-out rule.
Where to go next
Compare the monthly cost of an EC loan with a resale flat in the mortgage calculator, and check flat prices by town on the HDB town pages. Recent EC reviews include Rivelle Tampines and Coastal Cabana.
Related reading: Is an executive condo still a good investment?, the HDB MOP and CPF housing grants.
Rules and rates as at 31 October 2026.
