Can I apply for the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme if I am employed? If I am receiving CSSA, will it affect the amount I receive if I find a job and have a new income?

Which group do you belong to?

Non Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Scheme recipient 

• To be eligible for CSSA, an applicant and his /her family must satisfy the residence requirement and pass the income and assets tests.  In addition, their total assessable monthly household income must be insufficient to meet their total monthly needs as recognized under the Scheme.

• The total assessable monthly household income is subject to assessment by the Social Welfare Department (SWD), please contact the Social Security Field Unit of your district for details.

CSSA recipient 

• To encourage CSSA recipients to find jobs and continue working, SWD has the arrangement of "Disregarded Earnings" (DE).  DE refers to the earnings from employment that are disregarded when assessing the amount of assistance payable to a CSSA recipient.     

• All categories of recipients in cases which have been on CSSA for not less than 2 months are eligible for DE benefits.

• Therefore, the total monthly family income (i.e. earnings from employment plus CSSA) of CSSA recipients with employment is always higher than that of those relying entirely on CSSA.  

The provision of "Disregarded Earnings" (DE)

1. Monthly DE

• Monthly earnings from employment can be partially disregarded up to a maximum of $4,000 per month, calculated as follows :

2. Total disregard of maximum the first two months' income from a new job

• A maximum of the first two months' income earned by a recipient aged 15 or above from a new job can be totally disregarded on condition that the recipient has not benefited from this provision during the past two years.

Note: The r ecipient must satisfy the residence requirement and pass both the income and assets tests to receive assistance. The actual amount of assistance received depends on the decision of SWD.