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Disbursement of Allowance

Disbursement of Allowance

  1. Can the applicant provide a savings/current bank account maintained with local banks other than Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (BOCHK) solely under his/her name for receiving the allowance?
    Yes (except virtual bank account).
  2. Can joint accounts be used for receiving the allowance?
    No. To avoid dispute and possible fraud, joint accounts cannot be used for receiving the allowance.

    Applicants must provide the account number of his/her local Hong Kong dollar savings/current account held solely under his/her name in the application. Joint account, credit card account, loan account, fixed deposit account, investment account or foreign currency account will not be accepted.
  3. Can non-local bank accounts (including accounts opened with overseas (or Mainland) branches of local banks and off-shore banks) be used for receiving the allowance?
    No. These bank accounts do not operate under the local banking network, making it difficult for us to verify the account particulars. Applicants cannot receive the allowance through non-local bank accounts.
  4. Are applicants required to collect the cheque in person? Can they authorise other persons to collect the cheque for them?
    To prevent fraudulent acts, applicants must collect the cheques in person at the designated location as per the notification letter. Applicants are required to produce their original Hong Kong Identity Cards at the time of collection. The cheques will only be issued to them after verification of their names and identity card numbers by the staff.
  5. Is the cheque a crossed cheque?
    To protect the interest of the applicants, the cheque to be issued under the Programme is an order cheque. An order cheque can only be encashed by the payee stated on the cheque (and not the bearer). The payee, after collecting the cheque, may encash it at any local branches of BOCHK.
  6. Can applicants authorise other persons to encash the cheques for them?
    No. As the cheque issued is an order cheque, the payee (not the bearer) will be the only person who can encash the cheque. As such, applicants have to encash the cheques in person at any local branches of BOCHK. This arrangement can provide more protection to the applicants.
  7. Can the cheques collected be deposited into bank accounts (including individual and joint accounts)?
    The cheques can be deposited into individual or joint accounts. However, applicants who have a local Hong Kong dollar bank account in their sole name should choose to receive the allowance through direct payment into bank accounts. This arrangement not only provides a more convenient method for applicants but also saves the efforts of the applicants to collect the cheque in person and encash the cheque.
  8. If applicants choose to collect the allowance in the form of order cheques, what is the validity period of the cheques?
    Cheques issued by banks are valid for 180 days from the date of issue. After collecting the cheques, applicants should deposit them into bank accounts or encash them as soon as possible. In the event that an applicant fails to collect the order cheque within its validity period (i.e. 180 days from the issue date of the cheque) or an applicant has collected the order cheque but has not encashed / deposited it to the bank before it becomes invalid, the applicant shall have forfeited the right to receive the allowance.
  9. Will eligible persons who pass away after submitting the applications but before receiving the allowance be granted the allowance?
    If an eligible applicant has submitted an application but passed away before disbursement of allowance, the concerned allowance will be treated as part of his/her estate.