In response to media enquiries, a Government spokesman said today (April 4) that the Working Family Allowance Office (WFAO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency (WFSFAA) has received 2.6 million applications under the Caring and Sharing Scheme and issued 1.5 million acknowledgements as of April 3. The WFAO will issue the remaining acknowledgements as soon as possible. Its target is to issue acknowledgements to applications received in February and March by the end of April, and to all those received within the application deadline of the scheme (i.e. April 30) no later than the third week of May.

     "Applicants who receive no acknowledgement by the end of May should make enquiries with the WFSFAA on or before June 30 by calling the hotline at 3897 1088 or emailing careandshare@wfsfaa.gov.hk," the spokesman said. 

     "Should the WFAO confirm that their applications have not been received, they will be allowed to re-submit. Before then, applicants do not need to submit applications again," the spokesman added.

     The WFAO will start approving and disbursing payments from April 9, and aims to finish handling all cases by year end. 

     "Payments will be disbursed via autopay to successful applicants' local bank accounts under their sole names. The WFAO will send cash cheques (namely uncrossed order cheques) to successful applicants with no local bank accounts under their sole names by a special delivery service through Hongkong Post," the spokesman said. "The letters and the first three digits of the payee's Hong Kong identity card number will be printed on the cash cheque to facilitate checking of the identity of the payee by the bank when the cheque is encashed."

     Successful applicants who fail to receive the mail upon delivery may bring along the WFAO notification card left by the delivery staff to collect the mail at a designated post office within a specified period of 14 working days. They may, when necessary, visit Hongkong Post's website or dial the hotline set out in the notification card to change the post office for collection, but they are still required to collect the mail within the original specified period of 14 working days.

     In case the applicant has not collected the cheque after the specified period, the WFAO will contact the applicant by phone to make arrangements for the cheque to be collected at a post office selected by the applicant, or at the WFAO's Caring and Sharing Scheme Office on 16/F, Pioneer Centre, 750 Nathan Road, Kowloon.

     If the applicant has no correspondence address, the WFAO will contact the applicant according to the information provided in the application form to arrange collection of the cheque at a post office selected by the applicant, or at the WFAO's Caring and Sharing Scheme Office. If an applicant cannot receive payment because of his or her physical or mental condition, his or her legal guardian, appointee or agent (i.e. a relative) may receive the payment for the benefit of him or her. The WFAO will arrange payment to be disbursed according to the information provided by the applicant or his or her legal guardian, appointee or agent.

Ends/Thursday, April 4, 2019
Issued at HKT 18:50

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