HONG KONG – Standard payments under the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) scheme and allowances under the Social Security Allowance (SSA) scheme of Hong Kong will be increased by 2.2 percent.
Allowances that will be increased under the SSA Scheme include the Old Age Allowance, the Old Age Living Allowance and the Disability Allowance, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) announced on Wednesday.
All of the increases, taking place under an annual adjustment of standard rates, will take retrospective effect from Feb 1, the department added.
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“The retrospective payment will be issued in batches from tomorrow (Thursday) through the existing payment method (normally through payments credited to recipients' designated bank accounts), benefitting over 1.6 million recipients in total,” an SWD spokesperson said in a statement.
The approval of the proposal came on Feb 13, following the special administrative region government’s submission of a proposal to raise payment levels to the Legislative Council Finance Committee, in line with movement in the Social Security Assistance Index of Prices.
In addition, in line with movement in the Consumer Price Index rent index for private housing, the SAR government will increase the maximum rent allowance under the CSSA Scheme by 1.3 percent, also with retrospective effect from Feb 1.
