Recipients of social security payments and Individual-based Work Incentive Transport Subsidy to get one-off extra allowance starting from June 12

     The Government announced today (June 9) that recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), recipients of the Old Age Allowance (OAA) (including OAA under the Guangdong (GD) Scheme and Fujian (FJ) Scheme), the Old Age Living Allowance (OALA) (including OALA under the GD Scheme and the FJ Scheme) and the Disability Allowance (DA) under the Social Security Allowance (SSA) Scheme, as well as recipients of the Individual-based Work Incentive Transport Subsidy (I-WITS), will receive a one-off extra allowance starting from June 12. This is part of a series of relief measures announced in the 2020-21 Budget.

     A Government spokesman said that recipients who were eligible for the above social security payments on May 14, 2020 (the date the Legislative Council approved the Appropriation Bill 2020), will be eligible for the one-off extra allowance. The Social Welfare Department (SWD) has been allocated $4,209 million for implementing the arrangements and will credit the payment to the designated bank accounts of the eligible recipients without the need to make an application.

     For CSSA recipients, the amount of the one-off extra allowance is equivalent to one month's standard rate payable to different categories of recipients under the CSSA Scheme. Recipients of OAA (including OAA under the GD Scheme and the FJ Scheme), OALA (including OALA under the GD Scheme and the FJ Scheme) and DA will receive an additional one month's allowance. The level of payment is as follows:
 

     The measure will benefit about 1.39 million eligible persons, including 320 000 CSSA recipients, 600 000 OALA recipients, 270 000 OAA recipients, 28 000 GD Scheme recipients, 9 000 FJ Scheme recipients and 150 000 DA recipients.

     For enquiries, recipients of social security payments may call the SWD hotline at 2343 2255 or contact the respective Social Security Field Unit.

     As for recipients eligible for the extra allowance under the I-WITS Scheme, it applies to those whose applications were made in the period from November 1, 2019, to May 14, 2020 (the date the Legislative Council approved the Appropriation Bill 2020), and eventually approved. The extra allowance is equal to the average monthly amount of approved months payable to the applicants in their I-WITS applications which were most recently submitted in the above period, and eventually approved. The amount varies from case to case and will be credited to the designated bank accounts of the eligible recipients. They are not required to make separate applications.

     The Working Family Allowance Office (WFAO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency has been allocated $16 million for the one-off extra allowance to recipients of I-WITS. It is estimated that the measure will benefit 27 000 I-WITS recipients.

     For enquiries, recipients of I-WITS may call the hotline of the WFAO at 2558 3000 or visit the WFAO's enquiry counters at 9/F, 181 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong, or visit the website of the WFAO (www.wfsfaa.gov.hk/wfao).