Workfare Skills Support (employer-sponsored track)

The Workfare Skills Support scheme (WSS) encourages lower-wage workers to take up training that leads to better jobs. It now comes in two parts: WSS (Basic) for short courses and WSS (Level-Up) for long-form training.

You qualify for WSS (Basic) if you:

• Are a Singapore Citizen
• Are at least 30 years old as of 31 December of the work year, or at least 13 if you are a person with disabilities
• Earn an average gross monthly income of not more than S$3,000 over the past 12 months
• If self-employed, have declared your net trade income and paid MediSave contributions in full
• Live in a property with an annual value of S$21,000 or below, and own not more than one property
• If married, you and your spouse own not more than one property, and your spouse's assessable income does not exceed S$70,000

These mirror the Workfare Income Supplement criteria. Check your status in the Workfare eService with Singpass.

From 1 July 2026, the WSS (Basic) training allowance rose from S$6 to S$10.50 per training hour, capped at 180 training hours per WSS eligibility period. It is for self-sponsored trainees, meaning you paid for the course yourself.

To receive it:

• You must be currently employed.
• Employees do not need to apply. Self-employed people submit a claim online within 120 days after the course ends.
• You need PayNow linked to your NRIC. Payment can take 1 to 3 months after the course ends.
• You must meet the course attendance and assessment requirements.

There is also a Training Commitment Award of S$800 for completing one Full Qualification (a WSQ Qualification or Academic CET Qualification) per eligibility period. It is paid with your Workfare Income Supplement payout.

Course fees themselves are subsidised under the prevailing SkillsFuture funding rules for the course.

WSS (Level-Up) opened for applications on 9 February 2026. It supports long-form courses such as SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes, Nitec and Higher Nitec, diplomas, post-diplomas and degrees.

• Full-time training: 50% of your average income over the latest 12 months, minimum S$300 a month
• Part-time training: S$300 a month
• Up to S$18,000 a year full-time or S$3,600 a year part-time
• Monthly caps: S$1,500 for ages 30 to 39, and S$3,000 for ages 40 and above

For courses starting on or after 1 July 2026 that are supported under WSS (Level-Up), you can no longer get the WSS (Basic) hourly allowance. Apply for Level-Up instead. You cannot receive both allowances for the same period.

Employers who sponsor an eligible worker for training can claim absentee payroll of up to 95% of the trainee's hourly basic salary, capped at S$13 per training hour. This is much higher than the standard S$4.50 an hour, and the S$100,000 yearly enterprise cap on standard absentee payroll does not apply to WSS absentee payroll.

Employers apply and claim through the Enterprise Portal for Jobs and Skills. Only one type of wage compensation is paid for the same training period, so a worker cannot get the training allowance while the employer claims absentee payroll for the same hours.

Search for eligible WSS courses on the MySkillsFuture portal. The course list follows the agency's prevailing funding policy and can be updated at any time, so check eligibility before you enrol.

If you want the S$800 Training Commitment Award, tell your training provider before enrolling that you intend to complete the full WSQ Qualification. Self-employed people claiming the training allowance online will need a contract for service or ACRA business registration, plus a business transaction document dated within 3 months of the course end date to show you were actively working. For help, call the WSS hotline on 1800 536 8333. Full details are on the official WSS (Basic) page and the WSS (Level-Up) page.