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Confused about all the different payment terms when browsing for course information on TaF.tc's website? Here's a quick guide to the different grants, subsidies & payment modes available for you to tap on.
By default, all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PRs) are eligible for the SkillsFuture Singapore Grant (SSG). This means that your course fees will be 70% - 90% subsidised (depending on the type of course chosen). All you need to do during enrolment is to declare and indicate that you are a Singaporean or PR.
The Singapore Government supports and encourages mid-career Singaporeans aged 40 & above to upgrade or learn new skills in order to remain competitive in the workforce. This is done via the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy (SFMCES). By indicating that you are 40 and above (as of the calendar year), and upon verification of your NRIC, you will be eligible for the SFMCES grant - which subsidises up to 90% of the total course fees.
With effect from 30th June 2020, the Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme will cease and there will no longer be subsidies under WTS for courses that commence from 1st Jul 2020.
The Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme is newly introduced to replace the WTS scheme, and seeks to improve employment outcomes for low wage workers by having them undergo training. Those eligible may receive training allowance ($6 per hour) for selected courses that they personally paid for, and even a cash reward for completing their training (Training Commitment Award cap at S$1,000 per WSS Eligibility year). Those eligible can also apply for Absentee Payroll for selected courses through the WSG's website.
Singaporeans aged 35 & above (as of the calendar year) who are currently employed and earning a gross monthly income of not more than S$2,300 for the past 12 months are eligible for the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) scheme. They must also be living in a property with an annual value of less than S$13,000 assessed as of 31st December of the preceding year, and own less than 2 properties. If married, he or she must own less than 2 properties together with spouse, or spouse’s assessable income for the preceding Year of Assessment must be less than S$70,000.
To see if you qualify for this scheme, you may contact the WSS hotline (Tel: 1800-536-8333), where they will assess your eligibility for the WSS scheme. You may refer to the WSS website for more information.
Still unsure about which grant you are eligible for? Check out the infographic below!
Do note that while the grants & subsidies are available for all our short courses and qualifications, it can only be used once per course. If you decide to take the same course again, there will be no grants or subsidies available for it the second time round.
For example, let's say you completed our Basic Drafting & Sewing (BDS) course at S$174.41 (after the SSG subsidies). A few years later, you might have forgotten what you learnt, and would like to take the course again. However, now, you would not be eligible for any grants for this particular module, and hence, would have to pay the full course fee of S$1,510. But if you take a different module after completing BDS, for instance, Intermediate Drafting & Sewing (IDS), then you only need to pay the subsidised amount for IDS!
Now that you know more about the most commonly used grants and subsidies for our courses at TaF.tc, here are the modes of payment you may use to offset the remaining amount of your fees.
Since January 2016, the government has given every Singaporean aged 25 & above S$500 worth of SkillsFuture Credits (SFC) to be used for skills development. These opening credits will not expire, and can be used to make payment for our courses at TaF.tc. Take note that once the credits have been used up, there is no guarantee that there will be a top-up by the government*. So if you're eyeing our expensive Diploma programme, you may want to reconsider using your SkillsFuture Credits to offset the fees for that one module you're only vaguely interested in!
*From MySkillsFuture Portal: On 18th February 2020, the Government announced a one-off SkillsFuture Credit top-up of S$500 for all Singaporeans who are 25 years and above by 31st December 2020. An additional top-up of S$500 was given to Singaporeans between 40 to 60 years of age by 31st December 2020. The top-ups would be made available on 1st of October and can be used for courses starting 1st of October onwards. This is in view of the current challenging economic conditions due to COVID-19. However, credits from the top-ups would expire on 31st December 2025.
Here's a summary of the recent top-ups introduced by the Government:
When you enrol with TaF.tc, you will be given the option to use your SFC to offset your fees. However, the SFC does not cover the course application fee (inclusive of the GST), and so, you will still have to pay for it. For example, you must pay S$12.84 for the application fee and GST for our Basic Drafting & Sewing course. The remaining amount of S$161.57 can be claimed with your SFC through the SkillsFuture website, and by selecting the option "Submit a Claim". Please prepare your SingPass login details and set aside at least 10 minutes to complete the claim.
The Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) is created automatically by the Ministry of Education for all Singaporeans to encourage them to complete their post-secondary education. These funds are available for your own use until you have reached the age of 31. The remaining funds will then be transferred to your CPF - Ordinary Account (CPF-OA). Where applicable, students may also use their eligible siblings' PSEA to pay for their courses.
Students will need to fill up and submit their PSEA forms (one form for each course, you may approach any of our staff to get the form) to TaF.tc to process the payment. Applicants for the Diploma and Advanced Certificate programmes may submit a single form for the whole qualification. If you are planning on taking the qualification programme on a modular basis, you may approach one of our friendly Programme Advisors for more information.
By default, TaF.tc students can make payment for their courses via debit or credit card through our online billing system, Stripe. Payment is generally made and completed during the enrolment process - with the amount payable usually inclusive of the application fee and GST.
In the event that you make an incorrect claim (if you're over or under your balance SFC/ PSEA amount), you will be notified via email to make partial payment for the remaining amount. For example, when enrolling for our Footwear Design Sketching course, you indicated that you will claim the S$465.45 via SFC, but only have S$200 of SFC credit left in your account. If this happens, you must first inform our Programme Advisors or Customer Relations Executives, and then make the SFC claim of S$200 before paying the remaining S$265.45 through Stripe.
Here's an infographic that explains the different payment modes:
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We hope this guide has been invaluable in explaining the different grants, subsidies and payment methods available at TaF.tc, and how you can pay less and learn more. If you are interested in signing up for our courses, here are some of the more popular courses currently available:
We hope that from this article, you feel encouraged to continue your lifelong learning journey with us at TaF.tc. If you have any queries, do feel free to reach out to us at 6011 8066.
