Can You Get a Government Grant for a Forklift in Singapore?

The short answer: usually no for the forklift itself, and often yes for the systems around it. Singapore's main SME grants are aimed at productivity and technology rather than at buying a machine, so a plain forklift purchase generally does not qualify. The software that manages a fleet of them frequently does.

The two grants people mean

Both require a Singapore-registered business with at least 30 percent local shareholding, and the purchase has to be genuinely necessary to the operation rather than merely convenient.

What is actually on the list

For a warehouse, the pre-approved side of PSG has covered things like forklift fleet management systems, warehouse management software, inventory tracking, barcoding and scanning, and automated storage and retrieval. In other words the layer that tells you where your pallets and your trucks are. Not the truck.

Two things people expect to find, and do not:

• The forklift itself. A counterbalance truck, a reach truck or a pallet stacker is equipment, not a productivity solution, and buying one has not been on the standard list.
• Conventional racking. Ordinary pallet racking has not been a standard PSG item either. Automated storage and retrieval is a different category and has been covered.

That does not close the door completely. A larger project — automating a process, redesigning how goods move through a building, putting in a system that changes how the warehouse runs — is the shape EDG is built for, and equipment can sit inside such a project as part of the cost. The test is whether you are funding a change or funding a purchase.

The whole system is being replaced this year

Enterprise Singapore has announced that EDG, PSG and the Market Readiness Assistance grant are being consolidated into a single new grant, EDGE, launching in the second half of 2026. The existing grants remain open until it lands. (background, read August 2026.)

What that means practically: if you have a project that qualifies under today's rules, the case for doing it now rather than waiting is stronger than usual, because nobody outside EnterpriseSG yet knows what the new eligibility list will look like.

What we tell customers who ask

We are a forklift company, not a grant consultant, and we take no cut of anybody's application. What we can tell you honestly:

• Do not delay a truck decision waiting on a grant you have not confirmed. We have watched purchases sit for months waiting on funding that was never going to cover the machine.
• If cash flow is the real problem, rental solves it directly. No capital outlay, servicing included, and it does not depend on anybody approving anything. That is not a pitch, it is simply the mechanism that matches the problem.
• If you are digitising the warehouse, look properly. The management layer is where the funding actually sits, and most warehouses we visit still run on a spreadsheet and somebody's memory.
• Beware anyone who is certain. If a supplier tells you confidently that their machine is grant-covered without pointing at the current list, they are guessing with your money.

Where to check rather than taking our word

Go to the Business Grants Portal and Enterprise Singapore directly. The pre-approved list is updated over time, the caps change, and with EDGE arriving this year they will change again.

Common Questions

Can I use a government grant to buy a forklift in Singapore?

Generally no. A forklift is equipment rather than a productivity solution, and buying one has not been on the standard PSG pre-approved list. Systems that manage forklifts and warehouse stock - fleet management software, warehouse management systems, barcoding, automated storage - have been covered. A larger EDG project that changes how the warehouse operates can include equipment as part of the project cost, so the question is whether you are funding a change or funding a purchase.

Does PSG cover warehouse racking?

Conventional pallet racking has not been a standard item on the PSG pre-approved list. Automated storage and retrieval systems are a different category and have been covered. Check the current list on the Business Grants Portal before assuming either way, because the list is updated over time.

How much does PSG pay?

Up to 50 percent of the eligible cost, capped at S$30,000 per company per year, as at August 2026. EDG supports up to 70 percent of qualifying costs for SMEs on Core Capabilities projects, set per project. Both require a Singapore-registered business with at least 30 percent local shareholding.

What is the EDGE grant?

Enterprise Singapore is consolidating EDG, PSG and the Market Readiness Assistance grant into one grant called EDGE, launching in the second half of 2026. The existing grants stay open until it does. Nobody outside EnterpriseSG yet knows exactly what the new eligibility list will look like, so a project that qualifies under today's rules is worth doing under today's rules.

If I cannot get a grant, what are the options for a forklift?

Rental removes the capital outlay entirely and includes servicing, which is usually what a company hoping for a grant is actually trying to solve. Buying used costs less than new for the same work. Hire purchase spreads the cost. None of these depend on an approval from anybody.

Does M&C help with grant applications?

No. We are a forklift company, not a grant consultant, and we take no cut of any application. We will tell you honestly whether what you are buying from us is likely to be covered, and point you at the Business Grants Portal to check the current list yourself.