If you are the parent or guardian of a child and you are having financial difficulties, you may be able to get a maintenance allowance from your child's trust fund to help support them.

What is a maintenance allowance

A maintenance allowance is moneys that the Public Trustee's Office can release from your child's trust fund to help pay for his / her daily needs like food, housing, and school fees, etc.

Under the Women's Charter 1961 (sections 68 and 70), parent and guardian has a legal duty to support his / her child. When you cannot afford this support, we may release some of the child's own moneys to help.

You can apply if:

• You are the parent or legal guardian of the child

• The child has moneys held in trust with the Public Trustee's Office

• You are facing financial difficulties in supporting the child

What we consider when reviewing your application

We will look at these four factors to decide if you qualify and how much moneys to release:

• Your income, property and other financial resources.

• Your financial needs and responsibilities.

• The financial needs and the age of the child.

• The way in which the child is being or is expected to be educated or trained.

We may also consider other factors relevant to the application.

How the moneys are paid

The maintenance allowance will be paid into a joint savings account (shared between you and your child) every 3 months in January, April, July and October.

The moneys are transferred automatically using GIRO (which means automatic bank transfer from the trust fund to your joint account).

[Important] You must have the following documents ready:

• Joint savings account with your child before applying.

• Birth certificate of the child and your Identity Card (if you are the parent)

• Guardianship documents (if you are the guardian, not the parent)

What to do next

To apply for a maintenance allowance:

·        Visit our e-Services at https://go.gov.sg/pto

·        Click on “Maintenance and Allowance for Minor”

·        Log in with your Singpass

Need help with the steps? Download the step-by-step guide.

If you need help

Contact the Public Trustee's Office:

• Phone: 1800 225 5529 (airtime charges may apply for mobile calls)

• Online enquiry: Contact Us @ OneMinLaw  at https://go.gov.sg/contactminlaw

[Note] Office hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM