Scheme on Living Allowance for Carers of Elderly Persons from Low-income Families

Introduction

The Social Welfare Department has launched the “Scheme on Living Allowance for Carers of Elderly Persons from Low-income Families” (the Allowance Scheme for Carers of the Elderly) in October 2023 with the aim of providing carers of elderly persons from low-income families with a living allowance to help supplement their living expenses so that elderly persons in need of long-term care services may, with the help of their carers, receive proper care and remain ageing in the community.

Eligibility Criteria

• The elderly person(s) being taken care of must be a Hong Kong resident living in Hong Kong, who has been assessed as suitable and recommended for community care services (CCS) and /or residential care services (RCS) under the SWD’s Standardised Care Need Assessment Mechanism for Elderly Services (SCNAMES), and remains on the Central Waiting List (CWL) for subsidised long-term care services (i.e. CCS and/or RCS) upon submission of the application (the postmark date will be regarded as the submission date for postal applications); 
• The elderly person(s) being taken care of must be living in the community without using any RCS during application and the receipt of the allowance;
• The carer must be capable of taking up the caregiving role (Note 1) and provide at least 80 hours of care per month to the elderly person being taken care of (Note 2), or a combined total of no less than 120 hours of care per month if caring for more than one elderly person who meets the above-mentioned criteria;
• The carer must be a Hong Kong resident living in Hong Kong and not engaged in any form of employment relationship with the elderly person(s) being taken care of;
• The carer must not be a recipient of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), the Old Age Living Allowance (OALA), the Disability Allowance (DA) or the living allowance under the “Scheme on Living Allowance for Low-income Carers of Persons with Disabilities” of the SWD for taking care of the same elderly person; and
• The carer must be from a low-income family, with monthly household income, excluding assets, of the carer and the household members residing with them (Note 3), not exceed the specified income limit for the corresponding household size.  (Please refer to Brief for details).  

1. Employment earnings:    salary, double pay, leave pay, work allowance, bonuses, prize, commission, tips, contract gratuity, income from rendering services, business profits, etc.; and
2. Other income:    contributions from children, financial assistance from relatives/friends, alimony, monthly pension, widow’s and orphans’ payment or pensions, investment profits (including income/ payout from trust fund, bonds and annuity scheme(s) etc.), interest income from fixed deposits, dividends, rental income, etc.

Application Procedures

• The elderly person(s) being taken care of must currently remain on CWL of the SWD for long-term care services without using any RCS.  Their carers can submit an application to the Carer Allowances and Subsidies Team (CAST) of the SWD.  For each elderly person being taken care of who meets the eligibility criteria, only one carer can apply for and receive the allowance.  If an elderly person being taken care of has more than one carer, the carers must coordinate among themselves to decide which one will apply for and receive the allowance.
• The applicant must submit the completed application form together with all necessary documents listed below to the CAST of the SWD by post or by hand:
  • Copies of identification documents of the carer and the household member(s) residing with him/her in Hong Kong;
  • A copy/copies of identification document(s) of the elderly person(s) being taken care of;
  • The original copy of the “Authority for Payment to a Bank” form (GF 179A) completed by the carer; and 
  • A copy of the first page of the carer's bank book or bank statement.

Enquiries

Carer Allowances and Subsidies Team, SWD

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