The Social Security Fund (FSS) today announced the list of Special Allocation from Budget Surplus 2014 for the Provident Fund Individual Accounts.  Members of the public can make their enquiries through the FSS website, 24-hour interactive voice response hotline 2823 0230, self-service kiosks, call 2853 2850 during office hours or visit the nine service locations in person.  For individuals who are not included in the allocation list, they can file, according to their will, an objection statement to the FSS on or before 31 July.  Account owners who are eligible for account withdrawal can apply for it, in stages by age, through the self-service kiosks or at various service locations from August or September. 

Provident Fund Individual Account owners must fulfil all the following three requirements in order to be included in the allocation list: 

1. He/she is a permanent resident of the Macao SAR, and aged 22 on or before 31 December 2013;
2. He/she is still alive on 1 January 2014;
3. He/she stayed in the Macao SAR for at least 183 days in 2013. 

There are totally 334,202 individuals included in the list of Special Allocation from Budget Surplus 2014, and their Provident Fund Individual Accounts are injected 7,000 patacas.  The above individuals are exempted from any formality and they will not be notified in writing. 

Subsequently, the FSS will send out notifications to 113,514 Provident Fund Individual Account owners who are not included in the allocation list.  If the individuals concerned are not included in the allocation list because they are under the following situations, they can file an objection statement on or before 31 July: 

1. He/she is attending higher level courses recognized by the local competent authority;
2. He/she is hospitalized;
3. He/she resides in Mainland China and reaches age 65;
4. He/she resides in Mainland China and is under age 65, but on health grounds, and particularly the need for non-hospital nursing, palliative therapy, rehabilitative services or family care;
5. He/she provides work outside the Macao SAR for the employer registered in the FSS;
6. He/she works outside the Macao SAR in order to bear the main living expenses of his/her spouse, any degree of lineal consanguinity or affinity who resides in the Macao SAR;
7. He/she performs official duties, performs duties for the Macao SAR or discharges other official duties;
8. For humanitarian or other duly substantiated reasons.

If the interested parties can provide sufficient evidence that they stayed in the Macao SAR less than 183 days because of the above reasons, then this period can be considered as the length of stay in the Macao SAR after the verification of FSS. 

For elderly aged 65 or above who declared last year that Mainland China was their habitual residence,and for beneficiaries of Subsidy for Senior Citizens who have registered that they resided in Mainland China, these people no longer need to submit witnesses or Proof of Residence in Mainland China this year, if they have already provided Proof of Life for this year’s Old-age Pension or Subsidy for Senior Citizens.  They only need to fill out the Statement of Residence in Mainland China and self-declare that they still lived habitually in Mainland China in 2013. 

For Provident Fund Individual Account owners who need to file an objection statement, they are required to submit the properly completed objection statement or Statement of Residence in Mainland China, together with the supporting documents, to the FSS Headquarters, Areia Preta Service Centre of MSAR (Area of Social Security and Employment), two Public Service Centres of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) or five Social Service Centres of Social Welfare Bureau (SWB). 

In order to effectively divert more than 48,000 elderly who are eligible for account withdrawal, the FSS will give priority to three groups of people in the allocation list, i.e. elderly aged 75 or above, residents who have received disability pension from the FSS for more than one year, and those who are receiving Special Disability Subsidy from the Social Welfare Bureau.  These people can submit their applications in August, and the money will be credited into their accounts in October.  For those included in the allocation list and aged 65 to 74, they can submit their applications in September and the money will be credited into their accounts in November. 

Account owners can file for account withdrawal only once in a year.  Eligible Provident Fund Individual Account owners can submit the properly completed applications to the above service locations specified by the FSS, or apply for account withdrawal through the self-service kiosks set at 30 locations, including the FSS Headquarters and FSS China Civil Plaza Office in NAPE, Areia Preta Service Centre of MSAR, the Social Welfare Bureau Headquarters and its five Social Service Centres, the Financial Services Bureau Building and its Taipa Service Centre, the Pension Fund, Border Gate (Portas do Cerco), Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, China Plaza, Hospital Conde S. Januário, district health centres and district activity centres, etc.

Attachment: Location of the self -service kiosks and service points