While receiving Social Security Allowance, i.e. Old Age Living Allowance / Old Age Allowance / Disability Allowance, how many days can I leave Hong Kong? How to calculate the number of days of absence?

Upon receipt of the Old Age Living Allowance, Old Age Allowance or Disability Allowance, recipients must reside in Hong Kong but enjoy permissible limits of absence from Hong Kong. If the number of days of absence from Hong Kong does not exceed the permissible limit, the amount of assistance payable will not be affected.

For details, please refer to the “Pamphlet on the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme and the Social Security Allowance Scheme - Residence requirements for applicants and permissible limits of absence from Hong Kong during receipt of payment” (Sep 2023 version) (PDF).

1. Permissible Limits of Absence

Where a recipient has resided in Hong Kong for not less than 60 days in a payment year (Note), his/her temporary absences from Hong Kong will not affect the payment of allowance on condition that the total number of days of absence in the year does not exceed 305 days (or 306 days in a leap year).

Example：A recipient had resided in Hong Kong for not less than 60 days in a payment year and was absent from Hong Kong for 300 days in that payment year. As the recipient had resided in Hong Kong for not less than 60 days in that payment year, he/she was entitled to the 305-day (or 306-day in a leap year) permissible limit of absence from Hong Kong. Since the recipient was absent from Hong Kong for 300 days in the payment year, the number of days of absence was less than the permissible limit. He/She was entitled to receive a full-year allowance in that payment year.

If a recipient has resided in Hong Kong for less than 60 days in a payment year (Note), he/she is not entitled to any "absence allowance" in that year. He/she is eligible to receive allowance only for the periods during which he/she has resided in Hong Kong. If any overpayment is involved, the recipient must refund the overpaid allowance to the Social Welfare Department (SWD).

Example：A recipient had resided in Hong Kong for 34 days in a payment year. He/she was not entitled to any "absence allowance" in that year and was only entitled to receive allowance during his/her 34-day residence in Hong Kong.

Note：Payment year refers to the 12-month period from the date when the recipient starts to receive the allowance.

Example：If a recipient started to receive allowance from 2 February 2023, the first payment year is from 2 February 2023 to 1 February 2024, the second payment year is from 2 February 2024 to 1 February 2025 and so forth.

In the calculation of the number of days of absence, subject to there being sufficient documentary proof, consideration can be given to disregard a recipient’s absences from Hong Kong arising from the following situations:
- paid work outside Hong Kong;
- full-time study outside Hong Kong (only applicable to Disability Allowance recipients).

2. Calculation of the number of days of absence

The number of days of absence is calculated from the date of departure from Hong Kong, and the day of return to Hong Kong is not counted. If he/she leaves Hong Kong and returns on the same day, the number of days of absence is zero.

Example：If a recipient left Hong Kong on 10 February and returned on 20 February, the number of days of absence is 10 days.

If a recipient left Hong Kong at 11:30 p.m. on 10 February and returned at 00:30 a.m. on 11 February, even though he/she left Hong Kong before midnight and returned to Hong Kong after midnight, the number of days of absence is 1 day.

Last update: 8 Jul 2024

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