Starting from August, the Social Security Fund (abbreviated to FSS in Macao) will accept, in batches by age, the applications for fund withdrawal from eligible individual account owners of the non-mandatory central provident fund system.  Starting today, seniors who are 75 years old or older, individuals who are receiving disability pension from the FSS for more than one year, or those who are currently receiving special disability subsidy from the Social Welfare Bureau (the SWB) can apply to withdraw funds from their non-mandatory central provident fund system individual accounts, and seniors aged between 65 and 74 can apply to withdraw funds starting from September.

This year, about 67,000 account owners are eligible for the withdrawal of funds.  In order to make it easy to divert the applications, the FSS continues to take the measure adopted in the past years and accepts applications for fund withdrawal from members of the public in two stages according to age.  In the first stage, among the people included in the list, priority will be given to seniors who are 75 years old or older (born in or before September 1944), individuals who are receiving disability pension from the FSS for more than one year, and those who are receiving special disability subsidy from the SWB.  Recently, the FSS has mailed out application forms to the above-mentioned persons, and the money will be paid on 23rd October after the applications are approved.  In the second stage, the FSS will mail out application forms in September to seniors who are included in the list and aged between 65 and 74 (born between October 1944 and September 1954).  They can apply to the FSS for withdrawal of funds starting from September, and they will receive the money on 27th November at the earliest.

In addition, starting this year, account owners who are 65 years old or older and are currently receiving old-age or disability pension from the FSS can simultaneously register for automatic withdrawal of funds when applying for fund withdrawal, so that beginning from the year that immediately follows the year of registration, the special allocation from budget surplus for the year and all the income will be deposited directly into the bank account where the account owner receives old-age or disability pension provided that he/she meets the requirements for automatic withdrawal of funds in the year when there is fund allocation.

The application for fund withdrawal and the registration for automatic withdrawal of funds can be done at self-service machines set up at all districts of Macao, or the completed forms can be submitted to the following locations:

1. Temporary office of the FSS at Tap Seac;
2. Macao Government Services Centre at Areia Preta;
3. Macao Government Services Centre in Islands;
4. Six Public Services Centres and Stations under Municipal Affairs Bureau at Northern, Central and Islands Districts;
5. Three Social Service Centres (Tamagnini Barbosa, Ilha Verde and Patane) under the SWB (From now until 30th September)
6. Ha Wan Baptist Church Social Service Centre (From now until 30th September) 

According to the law, account owners can withdraw funds from their individual accounts only once a year.  To check the name list of special allocation from 2019 budget surplus for the non-mandatory central provident fund system or to learn more information, members of the public may visit the FSS website at www.fss.gov.mo, or call 2853 2850 during office hours for enquiries.