Childcare

Childcare Costs in Singapore: A Complete Budget Guide for Parents

A useful childcare budget starts with the care hours your family needs and the amount you will actually pay after approved support. A centre’s advertised fee, a nanny’s quotation and a childminding day rate can cover very different things.

This guide brings together official fee benchmarks for 2026 and a practical way to compare quotations. All amounts are in Singapore dollars. Check the fees and subsidy rules for your intended start date, particularly if you are arranging care for a later year.

Centre-based childcare and infant-care fees

Government-supported operators have fee caps for Singapore Citizen children. These are ceilings before subsidies, rather than the amount every family will pay. The figures below exclude GST.

Ask the centre for its fee for your child’s citizenship, age group and programme, including GST where applicable. Private centres outside these schemes need an individual quotation; an unsupported national price range is a poor substitute for the actual fee and what it includes.

MOE Kindergarten and KCare

MOE Kindergarten provides four-hour K1 and K2 programmes. Its 2026 monthly fees are $160 for Singapore Citizens and $320 for Singapore Permanent Residents, payable during the June and December holidays too.

If you need a longer care day, ask about Kindergarten Care (KCare), its separate fees and subsidies, and availability at the kindergarten. Comparing the kindergarten fee alone with full-day childcare would leave part of your care budget out.

Private nanny care and the childminding pilot

Private nanny care

Request a written quotation for the days, hours and duties you need. Confirm whether care takes place in your home or the caregiver’s home, whether meals and transport are included, and what happens on public holidays, when your child is absent or when the caregiver is unavailable. A private nanny quotation should not be assumed to qualify for centre-based preschool subsidies.

ECDA infant childminding pilot

The pilot is a separate arrangement for Singapore Citizen infants aged two to 18 months who are not enrolled in an infant-care centre. ECDA funds appointed operators so that parents pay $16.50 for a five-hour block or $33 for a ten-hour block, before GST. CDA monies can be used towards these fees.

Ask the operator to calculate the charge for your actual booked days, including GST where applicable, deposits and cancellation terms. Do not treat a day rate as a fixed monthly fee.

ECDA explains that pilot operators must meet service requirements; this is distinct from licensing a preschool. Private nanny care outside the pilot is a separate service again. Our EduNanny childminding pilot page explains the service to enquire about when checking availability and terms.

Employing a migrant domestic worker

This involves a household employment budget as well as the care arrangement. MOM lists costs beyond salary, including agency fees, levy, insurance, security bond and repatriation. Include food, accommodation and medical costs in your planning, and use MOM’s current guidance and an itemised quotation rather than comparing salary alone with a childcare fee.

Which preschool subsidies should you check?

ECDA’s Basic and Additional Subsidy guidance applies to Singapore Citizen children enrolled in licensed infant-care or childcare centres. It uses the main applicant’s circumstances: the mother or single father. Both parents do not have to be working for a child to receive any subsidy.

Additional Subsidy is means-tested. For a working main applicant, ECDA currently lists a gross monthly household income ceiling of $12,000, or per capita income of $3,000 for households with five or more members. Ask the centre to assess the correct route for your household.

There are important exceptions to the standard non-working rates. ECDA’s guidance for non-working applicants explains higher childcare subsidies for qualifying families with household income of $6,000 or less, or per capita income of $1,500 or less, regardless of working status. It also covers time-limited Special Approval for circumstances such as job-seeking or caregiving. Check eligibility rather than ruling yourself out.

Budget with your assessed subsidy, not the largest advertised grant. ECDA explains that the actual Additional Subsidy depends on fees and the required minimum co-payment. Ask the centre for a written net-fee estimate and confirm the approved amount and effective date when your application is processed.

Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS)

The relevant scheme is KiFAS. It supports eligible Singapore Citizen children in AOP or MOE kindergartens, with current income criteria of household income up to $12,000 or per capita income up to $3,000 for households of five or more. Private kindergartens are not covered. For MOE Kindergarten, KiFAS applies to the kindergarten fee; ask separately about KCare support.

Tax relief is separate from the monthly fee

Check the current conditions for any family tax relief directly with IRAS. Do not deduct a possible tax saving as though it were an approved monthly childcare subsidy. In particular, Foreign Domestic Worker Levy Relief ended from Year of Assessment 2025; YA 2024 was the final claim year. It should not appear as a current childcare cost-saving benefit.

Compare the full cost of each option

Use the same start date and care hours for every quotation. Ask each provider to complete these items in writing:

• Recurring fee: the exact programme or booked hours, GST treatment and items included.
• Approved support: subsidy amount, effective date and what you pay while an application is pending.
• Regular extras: transport, meals, materials, uniforms, activities or overtime, where charged.
• Upfront payments: registration, deposits and any settling-in charges.
• Absence and closure terms: charges during illness, holidays and provider closures; any replacement care you may need.
• Leaving or changing care: notice period, withdrawal charges and the conditions and timing for returning a deposit.

Keep refundable deposits in your cash-flow plan separately from ongoing expenses. A deposit ties up money at the start even when it is returnable later; the contract determines whether and when it comes back.

A simple childcare budget worksheet

Recurring monthly cost = programme fee including applicable GST minus approved subsidies, plus regular extras and any backup-care allowance.

For illustration only, if a quoted fee including GST is $1,000, approved subsidy is $300 and your regular extras total $100, the recurring amount is $800 a month. These are made-up worksheet figures, not market rates or an eligibility assessment. Add registration fees and deposits separately to calculate the cash needed at enrolment.

For day-rate childminding or hourly nanny care, calculate the booked days or hours first. Check whether the provider charges by actual bookings or a subscription, then add the agreed extras. Payment from an account such as CDA is a way of funding an eligible bill; it is not another fee reduction to deduct twice.

Before you commit

1. Write down the hours you need, including travel and collection time.
2. Compare two or three written quotations for an arrangement your child is eligible to use.
3. Check the provider’s service framework and the subsidy or pilot rules that apply to that arrangement.
4. Confirm the net fee, start date, deposit and withdrawal terms before paying.
5. Review your budget when your child’s programme or your household circumstances change.

Cost is one part of the decision. Our infant-care visit checklist can help you compare caregiver continuity, routines, communication and practical care arrangements alongside the price.