Old age allowance

Commonly known as "fruit money", the old age allowance is a monthly cash subsidy the Hong Kong government pays to senior citizens aged 65-69 with low incomes, and all elderly citizens aged 70 and over. The Leung Chun-ying administration in 2012 proposed to introduce a new means-tested subsidy called the Old Age Living Allowance, which provides HK$2,200 per month for the needy only.

WELFARE

Glitch delays old-age allowance payments to elderly

30 Mar 2013

A problem in government computer records may mean some elderly residents eligible for the new old-age allowance will not receive the money next week as promised. Meanwhile, thousands of people who...

4:34AM

Elderly allowance is welcome help for some, but others are not so lucky

30 Mar 2013

Residents who are eligible for the new elderly allowance are delighted to get some help to cope with the higher cost of living, but others with just a little too much money in the bank are not...

4:40AM

Retirees on mainland will get allowance

16 Feb 2013

The old-age living allowance to be introduced in April is expected to cover Hongkongers in Guangdong by the end of next year. Welfare secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said the government would...

4:11AM

Letters to the Editor, February 2, 2013

2 Feb 2013

Set timetable for schools funding plan

2:04AM

Relatives' cash for elderly to be treated as assets in allowance plan

1 Feb 2013

Financial support from relatives will not be counted as part of an elderly person's income, but will be considered assets when assessing his eligibility for a new government allowance, the social...

4:09AM

New means-tested old age allowance to start in April

31 Jan 2013

The HK$2,200 new, means-tested old age living allowance will be made available to some 290,000 elderly people starting from April, the government said on Thursday.

9:15PM

Opinion

Michael Cox

The 1-2 punch heard around the world

Updated 4:14PM

Wang Xiangwei

Placating graduates a work in progress

2 comments

5:24AM

Letters to the Editor, January 31, 2013

Priority should be to help grass roots

Young sandwich-class couples feel let down by the chief executive’s policy address.

2:27AM

Policy address is Leung's last chance to show Hong Kong he can lead

Responding to the massive protests on New Year's Day calling for Leung Chun-ying to step down, a government spokesman said the chief executive was concentrating on preparing his first policy...

3:31AM

2 comments

Letters to the Editor, January 7, 2013

Laws designed to protect maids ignored

I could not agree more with Geoff Carey's letter regarding the vulnerability of domestic helpers in Hong Kong ("Maids will be at mercy of agencies",...

2:36AM

3 comments

Letters to the Editor, January 6, 2013

Party is stuck in universal suffrage rut

I refer to the report ("Democrats make Emily Lau leader", December 17).

2:51AM

LEADER

The people suffer when there's too much politicking

Finally, there is good news for our elderly citizens. In a dramatic turnaround nine days ago, a means-tested HK$2,200 monthly allowance for those aged 65 and above was passed after the government...

3:35AM

Letters to the Editor, December 12, 2012