In August, the Social Security Fund (abbreviated to FSS in Macao) will start accepting, in stages based on age groups, the applications for making withdrawals of eligible provident fund individual account owners.  For individuals aged 75 or older, those who have been 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 (SWB), they can start to apply for making withdrawals from their provident fund individual accounts on August 1^st.  Elders aged between 65 and 74 can start to apply for making withdrawals in September. 

This year, there are about 55,000 provident fund individual account owners eligible for making withdrawals.  The FSS will continue to adopt the measure employed last year to accept, in two stages based on age group, the applications for making withdrawals.  During the first phase, the FSS accepts the applications for making withdrawals of elders on the list who are aged 75 or older (born in or before September 1941), those who have been receiving disability pension from the FSS for more than one year and those currently receiving special disability subsidy from the SWB.  The FSS has recently mailed out application forms to the above individuals and the money will be paid on October 21^st once the applications are approved.  In September, the FSS will mail out application forms to elders on the list who are aged between 65 and 74 (born between October 1941 and September 1951).  They can start to submit the application forms to the FSS in September and the individuals concerned will receive the money at the earliest on November 22^nd. 

Provident fund individual account owners are allowed to make withdrawals only once a year.  Eligible provident fund individual account owners can apply through self-service machines allocated at 34 locations in Macao or return the completed application forms to the following locations:

(1)   All service points of the FSS;
(2)   Public Service Centres under the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau;
(3)   Social Service Centres under the Social Welfare Bureau (only between July 1^st and September 30^th). 

In addition, provident fund individual account owners under age 65 who need to meet huge medical expenditure due to serious injury or illness of his/her own, his/her spouse, any degree of lineal consanguinity or affinity, and those who have humanitarian or other duly substantiated reasons, they can also apply for making withdrawals.   Application forms can be downloaded from the FSS’ website or they are available at all service points. 

Members of the public who want to check if they are on the list of special allocation from 2016 budget surplus to the provident fund individual accounts, they can visit the FSS’ website at www.fss.gov.mo/en/eservice/r1-2016 or call 2853 2850 during office hours for more information.   

Attachment: Locations of self-service machines and service points