Executive Condominium (EC) Singapore 2026: Eligibility, Income Ceiling, MOP and Launches

The short answer

An executive condominium (EC) is a condo with pools, gyms and full facilities, built and sold by a private developer on land the government sells for that purpose. It costs less than a private condo nearby, but you have to qualify to buy one new, and you cannot sell it for the first few years.

In October 2026 the main rules are:

• At least one buyer must be a Singapore citizen, applying with family or with other citizen singles.
• Household income must be S$16,000 a month or less. ECs on land tendered from 24 August 2026 will allow up to S$18,000.
• You cannot own private property, or have sold one in the past 30 months.
• If you own an HDB flat, you must sell it within 6 months after completing the EC purchase.
• The mortgage repayment cannot exceed 30% of your income.
• Every EC on sale today has a 5-year MOP. ECs on land tendered from 8 May 2026 will have a 10-year MOP.

The rest of this guide goes through each rule, then works through what a S$1.65 million EC costs a couple earning S$15,000. If you are deciding between an EC and a private condo, read our EC vs condo comparison next.

What an EC is

ECs sit between HDB flats and private condos. The government sells EC sites through its land sales programme, with HDB running the tenders as the land sales agent. A developer wins the tender, builds the project and sells the units directly to buyers, much like a private launch.

What makes it different from a condo is the set of HDB conditions attached to buying new: the eligibility rules, the income ceiling, the Mortgage Servicing Ratio and the minimum occupation period. Once the EC is fully privatised, those restrictions fall away and it is treated like any other private condo.

Prices reflect the conditions. PropNex data quoted by EdgeProp put the median price of new ECs sold in the first quarter of 2026 at S$1,837 psf, about 27% below the S$2,503 psf median for new 99-year leasehold condos in the Outside Central Region.

EC eligibility

These are HDB’s conditions for buying a new EC from the developer.

The core members you list must stay on the application and live in the EC throughout the MOP.

Owning one non-residential property, such as a shop unit, is allowed for EC land sales launched on or after 9 May 2023. Anyone with more must have sold the others at least 30 months before applying.

The EC income ceiling: S$16,000 or S$18,000

At the National Day Rally on 23 August 2026, the government raised the EC income ceiling from S$16,000 to S$18,000. The catch is the start date. The higher ceiling only applies to new units in EC projects where the land sale tender closes on or after 24 August 2026.

That means S$16,000 still applies to:

• balance units in ECs already on sale, according to MND
• the upcoming EC launches at Senja Close, Woodlands Drive 17 and Sembawang Road, whose land was sold before the cut-off

The first site under the S$18,000 ceiling is Canberra Drive, whose tender closed on 1 October 2026. ERA expects the first ECs under the newer rules to reach the market about 1.5 to 2 years after the May 2026 changes, so S$18,000 units are not on sale yet.

Income is the gross monthly income of everyone listed on the application, not just the two main buyers. Use our HDB grant calculator to check your average household income before you book.

The May 2026 EC rule changes

On 8 May 2026 the Ministry of National Development tightened the EC scheme. The changes apply to EC land sites whose tenders close on or after 8 May 2026.

PropNex counts five upcoming EC projects, about 1,970 units in total, that keep the old rules. The first site sold under the new rules is Canberra Drive, which drew 13 bids and a record EC land price of S$825 psf ppr when its tender closed on 1 October 2026.

EC MOP and resale rules

The minimum occupation period runs from the date the EC gets its Temporary Occupation Permit, not from the day you book.

Under the rules that cover every EC on sale today:

• Years 1 to 5. You must live in the unit. You cannot sell it.
• After year 5. You can sell, but only to Singapore citizens and PRs.
• After year 10. The EC is fully privatised. You can sell to anyone, including foreigners and companies.

For ECs on land tendered from 8 May 2026, the same steps happen at year 10 and year 15.

The Mortgage Servicing Ratio only applies while an EC is within its MOP. Anyone buying a resale EC after that is tested on TDSR alone, like a condo buyer.

CPF Housing Grant for ECs

First-timer families buying a new EC from the developer can get a CPF Housing Grant, credited to their CPF Ordinary Account. The amount depends on average monthly household income.

The grant has to be refunded to your CPF account, with accrued interest, when you sell. The bands stop at S$12,000, so most households near the S$16,000 or S$18,000 ceiling get no EC grant. None of the 2026 announcements we reviewed changed these amounts.

Loans: MSR, TDSR and the Deferred Payment Scheme

ECs are financed with bank loans. Three limits apply.

Banks work out both ratios using a 4% interest rate floor set by MAS, even when actual rates are lower. For most EC buyers the MSR is the binding limit, as the worked example below shows.

Deferred Payment Scheme. Under the DPS, you pay 20% of the price upfront (a 5% booking fee in cash and 15% within 8 weeks), then nothing more until the project gets its TOP, when the remaining 80% falls due. Your mortgage starts only then. PropNex estimates 60% to 70% or more of buyers in some projects chose it, and that DPS units usually cost 2% to 3% more.

The DPS has been removed for ECs on land tendered from 8 May 2026. Buyers of those projects pay in stages as the building goes up, like a private condo. The five grandfathered projects can still offer it.

ABSD on an EC

The standard Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty rates apply.

Most EC buyers own nothing else, so they pay no ABSD. If you are a married couple with at least one citizen and you still own an HDB flat, MOF says couples buying a new EC get the ABSD remission upfront, because HDB already requires them to sell the flat. A couple buying a private condo while owning a flat has to pay the 20% first and claim it back after selling.

Buyer’s stamp duty is payable on every purchase. Our stamp duty calculator works it out for any price.

EC launches in 2026 and what is coming

Launched in 2026

Upcoming, under the old rules (5-year MOP, DPS allowed, S$16,000 ceiling)

99.co expects these to launch from the second half of 2026 through 2027. Project names and prices were not announced when we checked.

Under the new rules (10-year MOP, no DPS, S$18,000 ceiling)

Canberra Drive, about 185 units. The top bid of S$825 psf ppr came from a consortium of Santarli Realty, Heeton Holdings, Kay Lim Holdings and Sunray Group Holdings, and PropNex expects an average selling price of around S$1,900 psf. SRI also lists Admiralty Walk, with a tender closing in December 2026.

Worked example: a S$1.65 million EC on a S$15,000 income

Assumptions (yours will differ): a married couple, both Singapore citizens and first-timers, with a combined gross income of S$15,000 a month and no other debts. They buy a 900 sq ft three-bedroom at about S$1,833 psf, close to the first-quarter 2026 median, for S$1.65 million. No grant, because their income is above S$12,000. 30-year loan.

Step 1: the loan limit

The MSR wins. Their loan is about 57% of the price, not 75%.

Step 2: what they need upfront

Buyer’s stamp duty on S$1.65 million is 1% on the first S$180,000, 2% on the next S$180,000, 3% on the next S$640,000, 4% on the next S$500,000 and 5% on the last S$150,000.

What changes the picture

• A higher income. At S$16,000 the MSR loan rises to about S$1,005,400. At S$18,000, which only applies to ECs on land tendered from 24 August 2026, it is about S$1,131,100, cutting the down payment to about S$518,900.
• Selling an HDB flat. Upgraders usually fund the gap with their flat’s sale proceeds and the CPF refunded to their accounts. Our HDB to condo upgrading guide shows how those numbers work.
• The DPS. On a grandfathered launch with the DPS, the couple pays 20% (S$330,000) at the start, but the rest of the down payment is still due at TOP, because the loan is capped by MSR either way.

Try other prices and incomes in our mortgage calculator.

Before you book

1. Work out your household income the way HDB does, including everyone on the application.
2. Get an in-principle loan approval so you know your MSR limit in writing.
3. Check whether the project is on the old rules or the new ones. It changes your MOP, your payment schedule and when you can sell to foreigners.
4. If you own an HDB flat, plan the sale so it completes within 6 months after your EC purchase completes.

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