When will applicants of financial assistance for primary and secondary students received payment? How can they know the payment has been released?

Contents

• Payment Dates
• Payment Arrangements 

Payment Dates

Applicants who have submitted application for assessment of eligibility for financial assistance together with all necessary supporting documents on or before 31 May 2024:

• Applicants who have received School Textbook Assistance (TA) in the 2023/24 school year:  The Student Finance Office (SFO) will release the provisional TA and Subsidy Scheme for Internet Access Charges (SIA) in end July / August 2024 to eligible applicants.  When the Textbook Grant Rates for the 2024/25 school year are available, the SFO will release the remaining subsidy amount of TA and Student Travel Subsidy (STS) in end October/ November 2024. Applicants submitting application online will receive the provisional TA and SIA earlier than those applicants using paper-based forms.
• Other first-time applicants: If they have returned the completed Eligibility Certificate (EC) to school and completed the“Application for Financial Assistance Scheme(s)”, the SFO will release TA and SIA to eligible applicants from late October / November 2024. STS payment will also be arranged from late October/ November 2024 to eligible applicants.

Applicants who have submitted application for assessment of eligibility for financial assistance on or after 1 June 2024:

•  All applications of financial assistance for primary and secondary students submitted on or after 1 June 2024 will be handled by the SFO after the applications received before end May are processed. Notification of result and release of financial assistance to these applicants will therefore be deferred.

Payment Arrangements

The SFO will release financial assistance by autopay to the bank account provided by applicants.  Applicants can check their bank passbook or bank statement for the transactions.  The legends “TA” (for School Textbook Assistance), “SIA” (for Subsidy for Internet Access Charges) or “STS” (for Student Travel Subsidy) will normally be shown in the bank passbook or bank statement to indicate the transactions.