Quick Answer
You pay an option fee at booking, part of the downpayment plus stamp duty and legal fees at signing, and the rest at key collection. In this example, a S$450,000 4-room flat with an HDB loan needs about S$24,644 in cash by signing. With a 75% bank loan, it needs about S$69,408.
The Useful Number: In the example, a S$450,000 4-room flat with an HDB loan needs about S$24,644 in cash by signing. With a 75% bank loan, it needs about S$69,408.
What Do You Pay, And When?
You pay for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat in three steps. At booking you pay an option fee in cash: S$500 for a 2-room Flexi, S$1,000 for a 3-room and S$2,000 for a 4-room or bigger. It counts towards your downpayment.
HDB invites you to sign the Agreement for Lease within 9 months of booking. At signing you pay part of the downpayment plus stamp duty and legal fees; the rest, with some small fees, is due at key collection, when your loan starts.
How Much Cash Does A S$450,000 Flat Need?
Take a couple buying a S$450,000 4-room flat with an HDB loan. They have S$20,000 in cash and S$20,000 in CPF Ordinary Account (OA) savings, and each month add S$1,000 to each. They sign after 9 months and get their keys after 4 years, when we add their S$30,000 grant.
They need S$24,644 in cash by signing, or about S$69,408 with a 75% bank loan. At key collection, S$68,376 of downpayment and fees comes from CPF OA.
- Booking: S$2,000 Option Fee: Paid in cash. It counts towards the downpayment.
- Signing, Month 9: S$51,644: S$43,000 downpayment plus S$8,644 stamp duty and legal fees. CPF OA covers S$29,000, so S$24,644 in cash is needed by signing, including the option fee.
- Key Collection, Year 4: S$68,376: The rest of the downpayment and small fees, all from CPF OA after the S$30,000 grant is added. The HDB loan starts.
Sources checked and . Source: HDB — Booking of Flat; HDB — Sign Agreement for Lease; HDB — Key Collection; CPF Board — using your CPF to buy a home.
What Changes The Split Between Cash And CPF?
Your loan type matters most. An HDB loan lets CPF OA pay the whole downpayment. A bank loan doubles the signing payment to 20% of the price and needs at least 5% of the price in cash, or 10% if the loan runs over 25 years or past age 65. If your OA is short when a payment is due, the gap becomes cash.
Some buyers pay less at signing. The Staggered Downpayment Scheme halves the signing payment, and eligible young couples on Deferred Income Assessment pay 2.5%. HDB tells you at booking if you qualify. We add grants at key collection, the cautious choice, because HDB does not state the date.
What Should You Plan Next?
Put the cash figure into the Wedding + Reno + BTO guide so wedding and renovation bills do not clash with it. Compare paying the loan with CPF or cash in the CPF vs cash guide, and check each amount in your HDB letters before you pay.
Quick Check
Three statements from this guide. Tap True or False to check what you have read. Nothing is saved.
Card 1 Of 3
The option fee at booking can be paid from CPF.
Why?
For a 4-room or bigger flat it is S$2,000, and it counts towards your downpayment.
Card 2 Of 3
With a 75% bank loan, at least 5% of the price must be paid in cash.
Why?
In the example, that raises the cash needed by signing from about S$24,644 to about S$69,408. It is 10% if the loan runs over 25 years or past age 65.
Card 3 Of 3
The housing grant helps pay the amount due at signing.
Why?
HDB does not state the date, so adding it at key collection is the cautious choice. In the example, the S$30,000 grant helps pay the S$68,376 due then.
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Can We Pay The Option Fee With CPF?
No.
The option fee is paid in cash at booking: S$2,000 for a 4-room or bigger flat. It counts towards your downpayment.
Why Does A Bank Loan Need More Cash?
A bank loan needs a 20% payment at signing, and at least 5% of the price must be cash.
In the example, that raises the cash needed by signing from about S$24,644 to about S$69,408.
When Does The Housing Grant Help?
We add the grant to your CPF OA at key collection.
In the example, the S$30,000 grant helps pay the S$68,376 due at key collection, not the payment at signing.
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Sources & Assumptions
- HDB — Booking Of Flat ↗
- HDB — Sign Agreement For Lease ↗
- HDB — Key Collection ↗
- CPF Board — Option Fee And Housing Expenses ↗
- MAS — Loan Tenure And Loan-To-Value Limits ↗
Sources checked 12 October 2026. These are examples only. Check the stated assumptions and limits before you use a result.
Example only. HDB rules checked on 30 September 2026. It leaves out CPF interest, resale levy, fire insurance, Home Protection Scheme premiums and bank lawyer fees. HDB decides grants and schemes, and your HDB letters set the real amounts and dates.