What are the eligibility criteria for financial assistance for primary and secondary students ? How to apply?

Applicants must complete the following forms:

1) For families which have successfully applied for financial assistance in 2019/20 (on or before 1 March 2020) for (i) primary and secondary students or (ii) students at pre-primary, primary and secondary levels or (iii) pre-primary students and the child(ren) will be attending Primary 1 (P1) in the 2020/21 school year

Applicants will receive the following documents sent by the SFO by post from late-March 2020 onwards：

• “Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” (SFO106B) with pre-printed data of family members ;
• “Guidance Notes on Household Application for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” (SFO107B(1)) and "Notes on How to Complete and Return Household Application Form”(SFO107B(2)) ;
• Addressed envelope for submission of application [SFO182]; and
• Supplementary forms (if applicable).

2) Applicable to those families who newly apply for financial assistance schemes for primary and secondary students or submitted EC for 2019/20 school year to the SFO on or after 2 March 2020 :   

Applicants may obtain the application documents from District Offices or schools or download the relevant application documents from the SFO’s website starting from May 2020:

• “Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” [SFO7B];
• “Guidance notes on Household Application for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” [SFO75B(1)]and "Notes on How to Complete and Return Household Application Form” [SFO75B(2)]
• Cover Sheet for Supporting Documents [SFO108]; and
• Addressed envelope for submission of application [SFO182]

Applicants must submit the following documents:

1) Copy of identity documents:

• Applicants using pre-printed “Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” : Copy of identity documents of the dependent parents or any family member(s) whose pre-printed data has been amended or added
• Applicants using “Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes”: Copy of identity documents of the applicant and his/ her family members (including the dependent parent(s) (if applicable)) reported in the application form

2) Copy of documentary proof on income:
Documentary proof on the total family income for the assessment period from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020.

Please put the completed application form, cover sheet for supporting documents and required documents into the addressed envelope and then send the application to the SFO by post. 

Starting from the 2019/20 school year, other than submitting the paper-based Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes and copies of relevant supporting documents by post, applicants may choose to complete and submit the electronic application form and copies of relevant supporting documents online. Please refer to SFO website for the application arrangements.

The SFO will acknowledge receipt of applications by means of SMS through applicants’ Hong Kong mobile phone numbers or in writing (applicable to applicants who are unable to provide Hong Kong mobile phone number) within 20 working days after receipt of the applications.  

• If applicants wish to know the results of Assessment of Eligibility in late August 2020, they should submit “Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” and all necessary information on or before 31 May 2020.
• For applicants of TA, their “Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” should reach the SFO on or before 31 October 2020. Otherwise, TA will generally not be released even if they can pass the means test.
• For eligible applicants who submit their “Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” to the SFO on or after 1 November 2020, payment of STS to the student-applicants may be effected from the date of receipt of application or the date of admission of the student-applicants to school (or the date of cessation of CSSA for students previously in receipt of CSSA).
• For applicants who submit their “Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” at a date on or after 1 February 2021, partial payment of SIA may be made to the successful applicants provided that the applicant can pass the means test.
• Under normal circumstances (except financial assistance for pre-primary students), the SFO will not accept any “Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” submitted on or after 1 March 2021. The SFO may give special consideration to cases with exceptional circumstances.

If applicants have submitted application and all necessary information, the SFO will inform them of the application results within 3 months.  Families who have passed the means test will receive the following documents by post:

(1) Applicants who have been disbursed with TA for 2019/20 school year: the family-based “notification of result” 

(2) Applicants who have NOT been disbursed with TA for 2019/20 school year and applicants who newly apply for financial assistance for primary and secondary students: the family-based “notification of result” and the student-based ECs  

Applicants under type (2) above (i.e. applicants who have NOT been disbursed with TA for 2019/20 school year and applicants who newly apply for financial assistance for primary and secondary students) should submit the completed ECs to the schools in which the children are attending within the designated period: 

• If the EC is received before the commencement date of school : within 1 week from the commencement date of school
• If the EC is received after the commencement date of school : within 2 weeks from the issue date of EC

Schools will certify the student-applicants’ status and attendance and then forward the ECs to the SFO according to the schedule.

(Note: In general, the SFO will not accept any EC submitted after the deadline.  Applicants submitting late ECs will be considered as self-withdrawing the applications.)