EC Maximum Budget
Your maximum new-launch EC budget
MSR and TDSR both bind, the 5% cash floor is unforgiving, and the resale levy comes out of cash first — solved to a budget with the constraint named, under the post–8 May 2026 rules.
Applicant 1
Financing
Funds
How this planner works — and what changed in 2026
An EC is bank-financed private property sold under HDB eligibility rules, so it inherits the strictest slice of both worlds: the 30% MSR and the 55% TDSR (whichever binds first), the 4% assessment floor, the 75% LTV, and a 5% cash component that CPF and grants cannot touch. Second-timers pay the resale levy in cash at purchase — before anything else — which is why this planner nets it off your cash first.
The 8 May 2026 measures rewrote the EC proposition. The five-year flip is over: new-rule ECs carry a 10-year MOP from key collection — with construction, roughly 13 years before an open-market sale — and privatise fully at 15 years. The Deferred Payment Scheme is gone, so every buyer is on progressive payments from the construction stages (our New Sale planner maps that cash flow stage by stage). In exchange, first-timers get 90% of units reserved for two full years. Five launch-ready 2026 projects remain on the old framework — the last ECs with a 5-year MOP.
The banker's read: an EC is now a decade-plus hold, so buy it as a home with a discount, not a trade — and stress your numbers against the peak progressive instalment, not the booking-stage one.
Already know your price? The New EC Purchase Planner lays out the payment order — bridging, deferred vs progressive — for that exact number.
Frequently asked questions
- What changed for ECs on 8 May 2026?
- MND raised the Minimum Occupation Period from 5 to 10 years, extended full privatisation from 10 to 15 years, removed the Deferred Payment Scheme, and raised the first-timer reservation from 70% of units (for one month) to 90% (for two years). The measures apply to EC land sites with tenders closing from 8 May 2026; five launch-ready 2026 projects stay on the old framework.
- How much can I borrow for a new EC?
- Two caps apply together: the Mortgage Servicing Ratio limits your housing instalment to 30% of gross monthly income, and TDSR limits all debt servicing to 55%. Banks assess at the 4% medium-term floor over at most 30 years ending by age 65 — a $12,000 household with no debts supports roughly $754,000 of loan. ECs cannot be financed with an HDB loan.
- How much cash do I need for an EC?
- At least 5% of the price in hard cash — CPF and grants cannot substitute for it — plus the resale levy in cash if you are a second-timer. With the Deferred Payment Scheme gone for new-rule ECs, progressive payments begin from the construction stages, so the cash-flow plan matters more than before.
- Do EC buyers pay ABSD on their existing HDB flat?
- No — eligible EC buyers receive upfront ABSD remission. HDB upgraders sign an undertaking to dispose of their existing flat within six months of the EC reaching TOP. BSD applies as normal.
- What is the EC income ceiling and do grants apply?
- The household income ceiling is $16,000 a month (unchanged by the 2026 measures). CPF housing grants for ECs step down with income. We deliberately don't assess either — eligibility and grant amounts come from HDB's own check; enter your grant total in the planner and it is treated as CPF-side funds.
Indicative only. EC eligibility, grants, ceilings, and the resale levy are determined by HDB; financing is subject to bank approval under prevailing MAS rules. Measures described per MND's 8 May 2026 announcement. Not financial advice.