ElderShield provides lifetime coverage to its insureds. Once an ElderShield insured starts paying premiums, he will be covered under ElderShield. An insured will be covered under ElderShield for the rest of his life when he finishes paying all the premiums under the Regular Premium Plan or a lump sum premium under the Single Premium Plan. For example, he can still submit a claim if he develops severe disability at age 85, so long as his total claims have not exceeded 60 months (for ElderShield 300) or 72 months (for ElderShield 400). 

If you are covered by CareShield Life/ElderShield, you will be eligible to claim in the event of severe disability. This means that you must be unable to perform at least three out of the six Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). The six ADLs are: 

• Washing – the ability to wash in the bath or shower (including getting into and out of the bath or shower) or do a sponge/bed bath.
• Dressing – the ability to put on, take off, secure and unfasten all garments and, as appropriate, any braces, artificial limbs or other surgical or medical appliances.
• Feeding – the ability to feed oneself food after it has been prepared and made available.
• Toileting – the ability to use the toilet or manage bowel and bladder function through the use of protective undergarments such as diapers or surgical appliances if appropriate.
• Mobility – the ability to move indoors from room to room on level surfaces.
• Transferring – the ability to move from a bed to an upright chair or wheelchair, and vice versa.

ElderShield was first launched by the Ministry of Health in September 2002 as a severe disability insurance scheme which provides basic financial protection to those who need long-term care especially in their old age. It provides a monthly cash payout for up to 72 months to help pay out-of-pocket expenses in the event of severe disability. 

ElderShield was offered to eligible Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents (PRs) who had a MediSave Account when they turned 40 years old in 2019 or earlier. 

You can check for your ElderShield coverage through the CPF Board’s website. The steps are as follows:

a. Visit the CPF website.
b. Log in using your Singpass.
c. Hover over "my cpf" and click on "Healthcare" under "My dashboards".
d. Click on “Long-term care insurance” on the anchor links or scroll down to the “Long-term care insurance” section.

If you are covered under ElderShield, this section will inform you of the ElderShield Plan that you are covered under, i.e. ElderShield 300 or ElderShield 400.

If you are not covered under CareShield Life/ElderShield, this section will inform you that you are not covered under CareShield Life/ElderShield.

You can check for your ElderShield coverage through the CPF Board’s website. The steps are as follows: 

a. Visit the CPF website.
b. Log in using your Singpass
c. Hover over "my cpf" and click on "Healthcare" under "My dashboards".
d. Click on “Long-term care insurance” on the anchor links or scroll down to the “Long-term care insurance” section.

If you are covered under ElderShield, this section will inform you of the ElderShield Plan that you are covered under, i.e. ElderShield 300 or ElderShield 400.

If you are not covered under CareShield Life/ElderShield, this section will inform you that you are not covered under CareShield Life/ElderShield.

The ElderShield scheme is no longer open for new applications.

If you are born in 1979 or earlier and do not develop severe disability, you may choose to join CareShield Life via the Application to join CareShield Life e-Service and log in using your Singpass to complete the application.

If you are born in 1980 or later, you will be automatically covered under CareShield Life.

You can terminate your ElderShield via the Termination of ElderShield e-Service if you do not wish to continue to be covered under the scheme. However, you will lose all existing benefits, and you may have to go for a medical assessment if you wish to join CareShield Life. We encourage you to consider keeping your ElderShield policy to ensure you continue to have basic protection for long-term care. 

ElderShield 300 insureds were given a one-time option to upgrade to ElderShield 400 in 2007.  Upgrades from ElderShield 300 to ElderShield 400 are no longer accepted.

You cannot downgrade from ElderShield 400 to ElderShield 300.

Severe disability could have many causes. Examples include:
• A sudden event such as stroke or spinal cord injuries
• Progression of illnesses such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and other causes of dementia
• Worsening of chronic conditions or diseases such as diabetes, and multiple sclerosis

ElderShield is a long-term care insurance scheme targeted at severe disability, especially in old age. ElderShield provides monthly payouts of $300 or $400 per month, for up to 72 months. Your plan’s benefits depend on when you joined ElderShield.

Table 1: Payouts for ElderShield 

If you joined ElderShield from September 2007 (inclusive)

If you joined ElderShield between September 2002 and August 2007

ElderShield 400

ElderShield 300

Payout Amount

$400/month

$300/month

Payout Duration

Up to 72 months (six years)

Up to 60 months (five years)

If you are also covered under ElderShield Supplements, you will receive additional benefits.

CareShield Life, ElderShield, MediShield Life, CPF LIFE, CHAS, HCG, PioneerDAS, ElderFund and IDAPE are schemes that help Singaporeans with different types of healthcare and retirement expenses.

CareShield Life and ElderShield are long-term care insurance schemes that will provide Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents with some financial protection should one develop severe disability (i.e. unable to perform at least three or more of the six Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)), especially in old age.

For CareShield Life, Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents born in 1980 or later will be automatically covered under CareShield Life on 1 October 2020, or when they turn 30, whichever is later. Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents born in 1979 or earlier can choose to join CareShield Life if they do not develop severe disability. CareShield Life insureds can receive monthly payouts for as long as they are unable to do three or more ADLs. Payouts start at $600 per month in 2020 and increase annually until age 67 or when a successful claim is made, whichever is earlier.

For ElderShield, eligible Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who had a MediSave Account when they turned 40 years old in 2019 or earlier were automatically covered under ElderShield. Depending on the plan you have, in the event of severe disability, ElderShield provides monthly cash payouts of $300 per month for up to 60 months (under ElderShield 300 plan), or $400 per month for up to 72 months (under ElderShield 400 plan).

MediShield Life is a basic healthcare insurance plan that protects all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents against large medical bills for life.  

CPF LIFE is the national longevity insurance annuity scheme, which insures Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents against the risk of outliving their retirement savings. Under CPF LIFE, members will receive a monthly payout from their payout eligibility age, for as long as they live.  

Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) enables all Singapore Citizens, including Pioneer Generation (PG) and Merdeka Generation (MG) cardholders, to receive subsidies for medical and/or dental care at participating General Practitioner (GP) and dental clinics. CHAS was implemented to allow CHAS cardholders to enjoy more subsidies at Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs) in public hospitals when referred by CHAS-partnered clinics or polyclinics. 

Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) is a monthly cash grant of $200 to support families caring for loved ones with permanent moderate disability (i.e. always require some assistance with at least three Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)) who reside in the community. The HCG can be used to defray caregiving expenses, such as the cost of eldercare and services in the community or hiring of a foreign domestic worker. 

Pioneer Generation Disability Assistance Scheme (PioneerDAS) offers life-long monthly cash assistance of $100 to Pioneers with permanent moderate disability (i.e. always require some assistance with at least three ADLs). Applicants must be a Pioneer to be eligible. 

Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly (IDAPE) offers a monthly cash assistance of up to $250 to needy elderly Singapore Citizens living in Singapore who are needy, have developed severe disability and are unable to join ElderShield when it was launched in 2002 either because they had exceeded the maximum entry age or had pre-existing disabilities. 

ElderFund is a discretionary government assistance scheme providing monthly cash assistance of up to $250 to lower-income Singapore Citizens, aged 30 and above, who have developed severe disability and are not able to benefit from CareShield Life, ElderShield and Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly (IDAPE), and have low MediSave balances and inadequate personal savings to meet their long-term care needs.

ElderShield policyholders who have renounced their Singapore Citizenship or Permanent Resident status before 1 April 2024
You can retain your ElderShield policy as long as your policy was paid up before 1 April 2024 or you continue to make payment for your premiums. 

As foreigners would no longer have CPF accounts from 1 April 2024 onwards, you will have to make alternative premium payment arrangement to continue payment, if you wish to retain your cover. If you are using your own MediSave Account to pay for the premiums and no alternative payment arrangements are made to continue, your ElderShield policy will lapse, with no refund of past premiums paid. However, in scenarios where there were a minimum number of premiums paid, your ElderShield cover will be converted to a policy with reduced payouts. 

ElderShield policyholders who renounce their Singapore Citizenship or Permanent Resident status after 1 April 2024
In line with the closure of CPF accounts, your ElderShield policy will be automatically terminated and there will be no refund of premiums paid. This is as per how MediShield Life and CareShield Life policies are terminated upon renunciation of Singapore Citizenship or Permanent Resident status.

I am (i) residing overseas or (ii) have renounced my Singapore Citizenship/Permanent Resident status. How do I pay my CareShield Life/ElderShield/MediShield Life premiums?

ElderShield premiums are based on the age at which you join the scheme, and the final premium payable is for the policy year in which you are still age 65 at the start of the policy year. The premium amount does not increase with age. You can find your premiums for ElderShield 400 and ElderShield 300 here.

You can use your MediSave to pay for your ElderShield premiums in full. If you do not have enough MediSave savings, you may also use the MediSave savings of your spouse, parents, children, siblings, and grandchildren to pay for the premiums.