How can persons residing abroad/settled in the Mainland receive the payment?

Same as other eligible persons, eligible persons outside Hong Kong may register and receive payment under “Scheme $6,000” through banks in Hong Kong or the Hongkong Post in the light of their individual circumstances. Regardless of which platform they use for registration, they do not need to submit the registration forms in person.

Eligible persons who have a local Hong Kong dollar bank account in their sole name may register through banks and receive payment through the specified bank account. They may download the registration forms from this website and submit the completed registration forms by mail to G.P.O. Box No. 186000, Hong Kong General Post Office. Alternatively, those who are registered e-banking users of 14 banks that provide an e-banking registration platform (please refer to Q. 29 for the list of the 14 banks) may submit registration via e-banking. Registrants confirmed to have met the eligibility criteria will receive payment directly through the specified bank account in around 10 weeks after registration.

Eligible persons who do not have a local Hong Kong dollar bank account in their sole name may register and receive payment through the Hongkong Post. They may download the registration forms from this website and submit the completed registration forms by mail to G.P.O. Box No. 186000, Hong Kong General Post Office. Registrants confirmed to have met the eligibility criteria will be notified by post to collect the cheque at the post office of their choice in around 12 weeks after registration. Registrants should collect their cheques in person at post offices within the period specified on the notifications where possible. The cheques will be available at post offices for at most one year starting from their issuance for collection by the registrant.  As registration for the Scheme will close only by 31 December 2012, eligible persons who are in places outside Hong Kong may submit their registration and collect the cheque in the light of their individual circumstances (e.g. the collection of cheques may tie in with their scheduled return to Hong Kong).

Can prisoners register and receive payment under "Scheme $6,000"?

Prisoners who meet the eligibility criteria may register for “Scheme $6,000”. In general, they may register and receive payment under the Scheme through banks as other eligible persons. For eligible prisoners who do not have bank accounts and whose terms are beyond the specified period for cheque collection, we will make special arrangements and give the sum to them through the Correctional Services Department.

If necessary and upon request, we can send registration forms for “Scheme $6,000” to such persons by post so that they can choose the platform that best suits their individual circumstances for registering and receiving payment.

Can bankrupts register for "Scheme $6,000"?

Bankrupts who meet the eligibility criteria may register for “Scheme $6,000”.

Do bankrupts need to return the payment received under "Scheme $6,000" during the bankruptcy period to the Official Receiver's Office for paying off their debts?

Under section 43A of the Bankruptcy Ordinance (Chapter 6), an undischarged bankrupt shall report on a regular basis to his/her trustee details of any property he/she acquired during the bankruptcy period, and the trustee may by notice in writing claim for that property.

In line with the objective of the Scheme to leave wealth with the people, the Official Receiver (OR) has decided not to claim the payment under the Scheme in all bankruptcy cases in which the OR acts as the trustee. For other cases where the OR is not the trustee, it is up to individual trustees to decide how to deal with the disbursement.

Can the family members of those who pass away after registration (but before receiving payment) claim the payment? What are the procedures required?

Eligible persons who have completed the registration procedures before passing away and are confirmed to have met the eligibility criteria of “Scheme $6,000” will receive the sum. No matter whether the payment is by direct bank transfer or order cheque, the sum will become part of their estate.

The executor of a deceased registrant’s will, administrator of the estate, or a person entitled to administer the estate (estate administrator) may claim payment under the Scheme on behalf of the registrant as his/her estate.

Before claiming the said payment, the estate administrator should first file with the Probate Registry or the Home Affairs Department an application for including the sum payable under the Scheme in the Schedule of Assets and Liabilities/Schedule of Money (the Schedule) of the deceased registrant. If the estate administrator has already completed the procedures in respect of the Schedule but has not included in it the relevant sum, he/she should complete the procedures required before claiming the payment.

Any person who wishes to claim payment under the Scheme on behalf of a deceased registrant as his/her estate should follow the procedures below:

If a registrant has opted to receive payment under the Scheme through direct bank transfer, but the sum has not been credited to the account before passing away, the estate administrator should first apply to the “Scheme $6,000 Secretariat” (the Secretariat) for a “Scheme $6,000 Registration Confirmation Letter” (Confirmation Letter).

The estate administrator should present the Confirmation Letter issued by the Secretariat to the Probate Registry or the Home Affairs Department and apply for the inclusion of the sum payable to the deceased registrant under the Scheme in the Schedule.

Upon completion of procedures referred to in (2) above, the estate administrator should within 30 days bring the necessary supporting documents to the Secretariat and claim payment on behalf of the deceased registrant as his/her estate through a specified registration form.

Payment by order cheque and the deceased registrant has received the notification of cheque collection or collected the cheque (but not encashed) before passing away

The estate administrator should present the notification of cheque collection (the notification) or the order cheque issued to the deceased registrant to the Probate Registry or the Home Affairs Department, and apply for the inclusion of the sum payable to the deceased registrant under the Scheme in the Schedule.

Upon completion of procedures referred to in (1) above, the estate administrator should within 30 days bring the necessary supporting documents to the Secretariat and claim payment on behalf of the registrant as his/her estate through a specified registration form.

Payment by order cheque but the deceased registrant has not received the notification before passing away

The estate administrator should first apply to the Secretariat for a Confirmation Letter.

The estate administrator should present the Confirmation Letter issued by the Secretariat to the Probate Registry or the Home Affairs Department and apply for the inclusion of the sum payable to the deceased registrant under the Scheme in the Schedule.

Upon completion of procedures referred to in (2) above, the estate administrator should within 30 days bring the necessary supporting documents to the Secretariat and claim payment on behalf of the registrant as his/her estate through a specified registration form.

Any person who wishes to claim payment under the Scheme on behalf of a deceased registrant as his/her estate may call the hotline 186 000 for obtaining the application form for the Confirmation Letter and/or the specified registration form together with the detailed guidance notes.

Is the payment received under "Scheme $6,000" subject to tax?

Under the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Chapter 112), only income or profits derived from an office or employment or from carrying on a business or letting of premises are subject to tax. The payment made under “Scheme $6,000” is not an income or profit as defined above, and is therefore not subject to tax.

Will payments under "Scheme $6,000" received by Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients be disregarded in the financial tests of the CSSA Scheme?

For those who apply to the Housing Department for public rental housing or make declarations under the well-off tenant policy or in the income surveys, will the payments they receive under "Scheme $6,000" be disregarded when they make such applications/declarations?

In line with the objective of “Scheme $6,000” to leave wealth with the people, payments under the Scheme received by these individuals will not be counted as income. The payments will also not be counted as their assets for 12 months from the date of receipt.

With regard to the Legal Aid Scheme, payment received under “Scheme $6,000” will not be counted as income. However, the Legal Aid (Assessment of Resources and Contributions) Regulations (Chapter 91B) provide that every resource of a capital nature must be included in the computation of the amount of capital of the person concerned unless otherwise prescribed in the Regulations. Accordingly, payment received under “Scheme $6,000” will be counted as capital.