A spokesman for the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration's Office said today (February 6) that the Government has commenced to disperse the one-off Newborn Baby Bonus of $20,000 to the first batch of about 6 000 eligible parents, following completion of the required internal procedures after obtaining funding approval for implementing the Bonus from the Legislative Council Finance Committee on January 19 this year.
The applications for the first batch of about 6 000 eligible parents were submitted between October 25, 2023 and mid-January this year. The Government will notify payees by SMS message through a designated telephone number (852-5928 7409) upon disbursement.
From now on, provided that the information, including bank account details, provided by eligible applicants is correct, applicants will receive the Newborn Baby Bonus via their designated bank account in about two to three weeks from the time of application.
The spokesman said, "The Government reminds the public that no hyperlink will be included in the SMS notifications of bonus disbursements. Members of the public should stay vigilant and avoid falling prey to fraud in the name of the Newborn Baby Bonus."
The Government hopes to reverse the low level of the local birthrate to provide the manpower required for the long-term economic development of Hong Kong, and to alleviate the challenges of an ageing population. The Chief Executive announced in his Policy Address last year an array of measures to promote fertility by adopting a "combination of punches" approach, such as providing a newborn cash allowance for eligible parents. The Newborn Baby Bonus scheme will run for three years. The Government will provide a one-off cash allowance of $20,000 as a financial incentive to eligible parents for each eligible baby. In order to be eligible for the bonus, two conditions have to be fulfilled: babies must be born in Hong Kong between October 25, 2023 (the day of the announcement of the Policy Address), and October 24, 2026, and either parent of the baby must be a Hong Kong permanent resident when applying for the bonus.
The Newborn Baby Bonus scheme has become open for applications since October 25 last year. As of February 3 this year, a total of about 6 900 eligible applications were received. For details of the scheme, please visit www.cso.gov.hk/newbornbabybonus/eng/index.htm.
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