What is per capita household income (PCHI)?
PCHI is calculated by dividing the total gross household income by the total number of household members.
"Gross income" refers to the gross wages or salaries before deduction of CPF contributions and personal income tax. It comprises basic wages, overtime pay, commissions, tips, other allowances, and bonuses. For self-employed persons, gross income refers to profits from their business, trade or profession (i.e., total receipts less business expenses incurred) before the deduction of income tax.
"Household members" refers to persons related by blood, marriage and/or legal adoption and have the same residential address reflected on the NRIC as the applicant.
For applications for criminal defence aid, we will examine the average PCHI over the last 12 months.
Example:
For a household of four with two working adults earning $3,000 and $2,800 monthly, and two non-earning children, the average PCHI would be calculated as follows:
Average Per Capita Monthly Household Income (PCHI) = [($3,000 x 12) + ($2,800 x 12)] / (4 x12) = $1,450