Important Announcement

To encourage continuing applicants to submit their applications electronically, the Student Finance Office (SFO) has been issuing an Access Code by email/ post in batches to all continuing applicants for accessing the 2024/25 school year Pre-filled E-Form so that they may submit application online instantly.  Continuing applicants can also access their Pre-filled E-Form by using "iAM Smart" as authentication.
 
Continuing applicants, who expressed their wish in the 2023/24 applications to receive paper-based application form in the 2024/25 school year, will be issued with Paper-based Pre-filled Form in batches starting from April 2024.

Guidelines

“Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” (Household Application Form) is a family-based application form which facilitates families with child(ren) attending primary and secondary school(s) or kindergarten(s) / child care centre(s) to apply for the following student financial assistance scheme(s):
 
“Electronic Household Application Form for Student Financial Assistance Schemes” (E-Form) has been launched to facilitate applicants to complete and submit applications online conveniently and efficiently.  Continuing applicants Note may even use the E-Form which has been pre-filled with their application details (Pre-filled E-Form) to submit their applications.
 
 
Pre-filled E-Form (Applicable to Continuing Applicants Only) Note 
 
Starting from mid-March 2024, the SFO has been issuing an Access Code by email/ post in batches to all continuing applicants, so that they may submit application online instantly.  Continuing applicants may click on the “Pre-filled E-Form” tab in the left menu bar of this page, access their Pre-filled E-Forms by authenticating using "iAM Smart" or inputting the Access Code and other information according to the instructions provided, and submit their applications after completing the E-Form and uploading necessary supporting documents.
 
 
Note:   For families which have successfully applied for financial assistance
(a) in the 2023/24 school year (on or before 1 March 2024) for
(i) primary and secondary students; or
(ii) students at pre-primary, primary and secondary levels; or
(iii) pre-primary students and the child(ren) who will be attending Primary 1 (P1) in the 2024/25 school year; or
(b) in the 2023/24 school year (on or before 1 May 2024) for pre-primary students only (not including students who will be attending P1 in the 2024/25 school year),
these families are continuing applicants in the 2024/25 school year.
 
 
E-Form [Applicable to Other Applicants (including New Applicants)]
 
Starting from May 2024, applicants who have not received financial assistance for primary and secondary students in the 2023/24 school year (including new applicants) may complete the E-Form and submit their applications for primary and secondary students online directly.  Starting from July 2024, applicants who have not received financial assistance for pre-primary students in the 2023/24 school year (including new applicants) may also complete the E-Form and submit their applications for pre-primary students online directly.  Applicants may click on the “E-Form” tab in the left menu of this page and submit their applications after completing the E-Form and uploading necessary supporting documents.
 
 
Signing of Declaration
 
The Student Finance Office encourages applicants to register and use “iAM Smart+” to digitally sign the Declaration.  Applicants do not need to print, manually sign and submit the signed declaration separately.  For more details on “iAM Smart+” registration, please visit the thematic website of “iAM Smart”.
 
Applicants without “iAM Smart+” need to print and sign the Declaration.  Please prepare a printer and press “Print Declaration” at Part VIII of the E-Form to download, print and sign on the Declaration.  Signed Declaration can be submitted by the following means:
  • through the direct uploading on the “Supporting Document” page of the E-Form; or
  • by post as soon as possible after the E-form has been submitted.  Please refer to the “Points to Note when Submitting Supporting Documents by Post” at the bottom of this page.
 
 
Checklist for Submission
 
Important Notes
 
Required Copies of Documentary Proof
 
New Applicants
Continuing Applicants
Identity documents (Applicant and his / her family members, including dependent parents (if applicable)) Note 1
 
Yes
 
No, unless there are:
  • additional family members
  • updated or amended identity documents
 
Documentary proof on single-parent family (if applicable), e.g. Copy of supporting documents for separation / divorce or spouse’s Death Certificate
 
Yes
Required to declare in writing that the single-parent family situation remains unchanged
 
Documentary proof on medical expenses (for family members who are chronically ill or permanently incapacitated) (if applicable)
 
Yes
Yes
 
Documentary proof on bank account , e.g. copy of the bank statement / first page of bank book Note 2
 
Yes
No, unless there is:
  • updated bank account information
 
Documentary proof for supporting the parent (if applicable), e.g. tenancy agreement, residential address proof or receipt of the home for the elderly, etc.
 
Yes
Yes
 
Documentary proof on annual income, either one of the items (1) – (7) below:
  1. Tax Demand Note issued by the Inland Revenue Department; if not available
  2. Employer’s Return of Remuneration and Pensions Form; if not available
  3. Salary Statement; if not available
  4. Bank transaction record showing payment of salary, allowance, etc. (together with the page showing the name of bank account holder) (Please highlight the entries with colour and remarks next to them); if not available
  5. Income Certificate certified by the employer (Sample I); or
  6. Profit and Loss Account and Personal Assessment Notice (if applicable) (Self-employed driver or person running business) (Sample II or III); or
  7. Follow Sample IV to provide Self-prepared Income Breakdown (Salaried employed or self-employed person who cannot produce any income proofs)
  8. Tenancy Agreement or Bank transaction record showing rental income (Person with rental income)
 
Yes
Yes
 
Note 1: If applicant and the family member(s) meet the following requirements, it is not required to submit the supporting document(s):
  • Applicant / the family member(s) has / have a successful application under the financial assistance scheme of the SFO and has / have submitted a copy of their HKID Card in the above successful application; and
  • There is no change in personal particulars on the HKID Card.
Note 2: If applicant meets the following requirements, it is not required to submit the supporting document:
  • Applicant has a successful application under the financial assistance scheme of the WFSFAA and was disbursed with payment of grant and/or loan to his / her bank account while the applicant has submitted a copy of bank account proof in the above successful application; and
  • Applicant uses the same bank account in the application for the current school year (i.e. the above bank account which has been disbursed with grant and/or loan).
 
Regarding to the above exemption mentioned in Notes 1 and 2, applicant must enter correctly and clearly the information of the Identity Card and bank account number on the E-Form.  If necessary, the applicant may still be required to resubmit the relevant document(s).  In case of any disputes, the decision of the SFO will be final.
 
 
Points to Note when Submitting Supporting Documents by Post
 
If applicant wishes to submit supporting documents by post after submission of the E-Form, applicant may send copy of the relevant supporting documents separately by post to Tsimshatsui PO Box 96824. Please state clearly the Household Application Number (or the HKID Card No. of the applicant) on the supporting documents and affix sufficient postage on the envelopes. Insufficient postage will lead to non-delivery of the supporting documents, in which case the SFO will not be able to process the application. Applicants should write their correspondence address at the back of envelopes to avoid wrong / unsuccessful delivery.

System Requirements

Please refer to the System Requirements for GovHK Online Services. (Note that some versions of operating systems and browsers may have problems accessing online services. Please refer to the suggestions through the above link. If you opt to sign the declaration with a digital certificate, you must use one of the combinations of operating systems and browsers listed through the above link and have Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed.)

Required Items

Adobe Reader 7 or Above
For proper display and printing of Chinese characters
Download
 
 
Adobe Reader Asian Font Packs
For proper display and printing of Chinese characters
Download
 
 
Scanner (Optional)
For online upload and submission of supporting documents (including signed Declaration (applicable to applicants without iAM Smart+))
 
 
Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set (HKSCS)
For input, display and processing of Chinese characters specific to Hong Kong
Download
 
 
Printer (Optional)
For printing of Declaration (applicable to applicants without iAM Smart+), "Successful Submission of E-Form" message and application form (if applicable)
 
 
Smart Phone (Optional)
iAM Smart users may make use of the authentication function to log in and use the service while iAM Smart+ users may even make use of the authentication and digital signing functions to log in and sign the declaration. (More info)