Continuing Education Fund (CEF)

Persons who meet the following criteria can apply for CEF:

• Hong Kong residents who have the right of abode or the right to land or to remain in Hong Kong without restriction, i.e. “A” (right of abode), “R” (right to land) or “U” (remain in Hong Kong without restriction) should appear below the date of birth on the HK Smart Identity Card, or holders of one-way permit from Mainland China;
• Aged 18 or above at the time when the CEF reimbursable course commenced. The application for fee reimbursement for course(s) which commenced during the period from 1 April 2019 to 31 July 2022 must be submitted within one year upon the successful completion of the course(s) and before reaching the age of 71. Late applications will not be accepted;
• Have enrolled in and paid the tuition fee for the CEF reimbursable course; and

  [Remarks : All CEF course providers are required to collect the tuition fees of CEF courses on an equal monthly instalments basis except those which have been granted exemption by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare. For the list of the exempted courses, please refer to "Reimbursable Course List" in the website of the Office of the Continuing Education Fund (OCEF).]
• Have not obtained any other public funds or assistance under any other publicly-funded financial assistance schemes for the same course.

Persons who are aged 18 or above at the time when the CEF reimbursable course commenced. For those enrolled CEF reimbursable courses commenced from 1 April 2019 to 31 July 2022, their applications for fee reimbursement should also be submitted before reaching the age of 71. Late applications will not be accepted.

In respect of any courses, modules or units of study credits for which the fees are to be reimbursed, the applicant must not have obtained any other public funds or assistance under any other publicly-funded financial assistance schemes for the same course, such as pursuing courses funded by the University Grants Committee, grants or loans from the Financial Assistance Scheme for Post-secondary Students administered by the Student Finance Office (SFO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency (WFSFAA), subsidy from the “Non-means-tested Subsidy Scheme for Self-financing Undergraduate Studies in Hong Kong” or “Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions / Sectors”, etc.

If loans for tuition fee payments obtained from Extended Non-Means-Tested Loan Scheme (ENLS) administered by SFO are borrowed to meet the payment of fees for a CEF reimbursable course, the applicant may be eligible for reimbursement of the course fee subject to other eligibility criteria being met. The CEF reimbursement would be used to offset any outstanding NLS loans borrowed by the applicant for paying the tuition fee in respect of the same course. Any remaining balance of the CEF reimbursement after offsetting the loan amount will be credited to the designated bank account of the applicant.

Applicants can only apply for tax deduction in respect of the actual amount of self-education expenses paid (i.e. the course fee paid less fee reimbursement from CEF). For enquiries, please contact the Inland Revenue Department.

Applicants should submit to OCEF the completed original application form with certification by institution / course provider together with copies of the supporting documents [Hong Kong Smart Identity Card, one-way permit (if applicable), documentary proof of course fee paid, documentary proof showing the successful completion of the CEF reimbursable course(s) and the front page of his / her bank passbook or bank statement showing the name, account number and bank name / bank code] through the following channels.

By post or over the counter (Paper-based application)

• Applicants can submit application forms to OCEF by post or in person.

  OCEF’s address :
  Units 07-11, 25/F., CDW Building, 388 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays), 8:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. - 5:45pm.

• By using the drop-in boxes at the following locations (Paper-based application)

  Location of Drop-in Box:	Address
  Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices	303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon 11/F Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, Student Finance Office Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays), 8:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
  Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices	303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon G/F lift lobby of Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices. The public can enter the building through the side entrance near the security counter. Opening hours: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (whole day)
  Office of the Continuing Education Fund	Near the main entrance of the Office of the Continuing Education Fund Units 07-11, 25/F, CDW Building 388 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories Opening hours: Mondays to Sundays, 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Online application through “GovHK” (Electronic application)

• Applicants may also complete and submit the online application form through “GovHK”. After the online submission of the application form and the required documents, applicants are required to print a hard copy of the form and sign the Declaration at Part D or print out a hard copy of the form with digital signing of “iAM Smart”, and then submit the form to the institution / course provider concerned for certification to prove that the applicants have successfully completed the course(s) concerned. The original of the signed or with digital signing of “iAM Smart” and certified application form should be submitted to OCEF within one month after online submission.

• Applications for fee reimbursement for CEF course(s) which commenced on or after 1 August 2022 must be submitted within one year upon the successful completion of the courses*. Late applications will not be accepted.

• Applications for fee reimbursement for CEF course(s) which commenced from 1 April 2019 to 31 July 2022 must be submitted within one year upon the successful completion of the courses* and before the applicants reaching the age of 71. Late applications will not be accepted.

• Applications for fee reimbursement for course(s) which commenced before 1 April 2019 (only applicable to applicants who have opened their CEF accounts before 1 April 2019 and the accounts are still valid on 1 April 2019) must be submitted within the validity period of the applicants’ account and before the applicant reaching the age of 66. Late applications will not be accepted.

Applicants should submit to OCEF the completed original application form with certification by institution / course provider together with copies of supporting documents [Hong Kong Smart Identity Card, one-way permit (if applicable), documentary proof of course fee paid, documentary proof showing the successful completion of the CEF reimbursable course(s) and the front page of their bank passbook or bank statement showing the name, account number and bank name / bank code].

Applicants studying language proficiency courses are required to pass a specified benchmark test (if applicable) at a specified (or higher) level to be eligible for fee reimbursement. If applicants wish to claim reimbursement for benchmark examination fees, they should also submit documentary proof of benchmark test / examination fees paid together with their applications.

"Successful completion" of a course means that an applicant has attended no less than 70% of the contactable hours of the course or such higher attendance requirement as prescribed for the course (whichever is higher) and attained an overall mark of either 50% or such higher percentage of assessment(s) as prescribed for the course (whichever is higher) as assessed by whichever method approved by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare (including any examination and assignment requirements with approved weighting).

In applying for the reimbursement under CEF, applicants must submit the proof of successful completion of course or a certification letter issued by the local agent (institution / course provider).

OCEF will acknowledge receipt of applications by means of SMS messages through applicants’ local mobile phone number. If local mobile phone number is not provided or the local mobile phone number provided by the applicants is incorrect, OCEF will not be able to issue acknowledgement to these applicants. Applicants who would like to receive an “Acknowledgement of Receipt of Application” in writing should attach a stamped and self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage and submit it to OCEF together with the application form. Please mark “Request for Acknowledgement of Receipt of Application” on the envelope. If no stamped and self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage is attached, OCEF will not issue any acknowledgement of receipt in writing. Applicants are requested to fill in the relevant information in the application form accurately. If applicants do not receive any acknowledgement of receipt by SMS messages or in writing from OCEF after 10 working days from the date of submission of their applications, please contact OCEF-

Address: Units 07-11, 25/F., CDW Building, 388 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories
Hotline: 3142 2277 (handled by the staff of “1823”)
Email: cef_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk

In general, application results will be issued within six weeks from the date of receipt of the application for existing CEF account holders or eight weeks for the first time applicants subject to the provision of complete and accurate information. If the information provided by applicants is incomplete or there are discrepancies in the information provided, applicants will be requested to explain or provide supplementary information, in which case the processing time will be longer. In case the CEF subsidy disbursed will have to be offset the Extended Non-means-tested Loan Scheme loans, or in other exceptional circumstances, the processing time will also be longer. If applicants do not receive any written reply from OCEF two weeks after the above-mentioned time period, please contact OCEF at 3142 2277 (handled by the staff of "1823") immediately.

Reimbursement will be made by direct credit to the saving / current account nominated by the claimant for receipt of the reimbursement. The name of the bank account must be exactly the same as the name on the HK Smart ID Card. Credit card accounts, fixed deposit accounts, foreign currency accounts and loans accounts are not acceptable for direct credit of reimbursement.

Eligible applicants may submit unlimited number of claims for reimbursement of fees on the successful completion of CEF reimbursable courses which commence on or after 1 August 2022 up to a maximum sum of HK$25,000. The co-payment ratios by learners (i.e. the percentage of fees to be borne by learners) for the first HK$10,000 subsidy is 20% of the course fee and that for the remaining HK$15,000 subsidy is 40% of the course fee.

Eligible applicants may submit unlimited number of claims for reimbursement of fees on the successful completion of CEF reimbursable courses commenced from 1 April 2019 to 31 July 2022 up to a maximum sum of HK$20,000. The co-payment ratios by learners (i.e. the percentage of fees to be borne by learners) for the first HK$10,000 subsidy is 20% of the course fee and that for the second HK$10,000 subsidy is 40% of the course fee.

For applicants who opened a CEF account before 1 August 2022, they are also eligible for claiming the additional HK$5,000 subsidy and the unused balance (if any) of the original subsidy of HK$20,000 for CEF reimbursable courses which commence on or after 1 August 2022, regardless of whether their accounts were closed in the past. Each eligible applicant is entitled to a maximum sum of HK$25,000 subsidy in respect of all CEF reimbursable courses pursued.

A “subsidy calculator” is available on the CEF website to facilitate applicants’ estimation of the amount of subsidy they are eligible for and the course fee to be borne by them.

Only continuing education and training courses registered under CEF as “reimbursable courses” are reimbursable under CEF. A list of the reimbursable courses can be obtained from our website, or through our hotline at 3142 2277 (handled by the staff of “1823”).

OCEF updates the list of CEF reimbursable courses on a monthly basis. Information on the reimbursable courses can be obtained from the CEF website or the registered institutions / course providers. In addition, course information can be obtained by fax through our hotline 3142 2277 (handled by the staff of “1823”).

Applicants should make reference to the course information on our website to verify the course details provided by institutions / course providers. Website and telephone enquiry number of institutions / course providers can be found on our website under "List of Course Providers"

Information on the institution codes and course codes of the reimbursable courses can be obtained from OCEF and the registered institutions / course providers, and on our website. In addition, course information can be obtained by fax through hotline 3142 2277 (handled by the staff of “1823”).

Course providers are required to submit applications for assessment of their courses to the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic & Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) before their courses can be included in the Reimbursable Course List under CEF.

Therefore, a course which has not yet been submitted to HKCAAVQ for assessment or the assessment is under processing or has been rejected will not be included in our Reimbursable Course List. Please contact the institution / course provider concerned for enquiries or visit our website to get the latest course information.

The applicant should complete the "Notification of Change of Personal Data" [SFO 316 (2022)] and send it back to OCEF. The form can be obtained from OCEF (Units 07-11, 25/F., CDW Building, 388 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories) or downloaded from our website. In addition, it can be obtained by fax through our hotline 3142 2277 (handled by the staff of “1823”).

The applicant should inform OCEF the changes in writing as soon as possible.

Applicants studying language proficiency courses are required to pass a specified language benchmark test / examination (if applicable) at the specified (or higher) level to be eligible for fee reimbursement. Benchmark tests should be taken by the applicants after the course has commenced. For CEF language proficiency courses commenced from 1 April 2019 to 31 July 2022, language benchmark tests / examinations should be taken by the applicants after the course has commenced and before the applicants reach the age of 71. Applications for fee reimbursement for CEF course(s) must be submitted within one year (Note: according to the course completion date or the date of the specified language benchmark test / examination, whichever is later) upon the successful completion of the courses. Applicants can make use of the same language benchmark test / examination to support the claims for more than one CEF language proficiency courses. However, the date of the language benchmark test / examination must fall after the course commencement date of the reimbursable course(s) used for the reimbursement claims. Information on the specified language benchmark tests / examinations and levels of the language proficiency courses can be obtained from the "Reimbursable Course List" on CEF website.

A claim for reimbursement of fees for language benchmark tests / examinations will only be accepted if it is accompanied with a claim for the relevant language proficiency course and can only be claimed once for each benchmark test / examination. Applicants must fill in the information of both the language proficiency course and the language benchmark test / examination in the Application Form [SFO 313 (2022)]. Copies of documentary proof of passing the specified language benchmark test / examination and the language benchmark test / examination fee receipts should be submitted. Reimbursement of language benchmark test / examination fees alone will not be accepted.

Institutions / course providers have pegged the specified benchmark test(s) / examination(s) that the applicants should take based on the course level and content (please refer to the “Benchmark Examination” and “Remark” columns in the reimbursable course list). Applicants may enquire their institutions / course providers for the specified benchmark tests / examinations required for their language proficiency courses and other details of the tests/examinations.

General information of the benchmark tests / examinations (such as the types of benchmark tests / examinations) can be obtained from our website under "Language Benchmark Tests / Examinations". Applicants should contact the institutions / course providers concerned for detailed information.

Applicants must fill in the information of both the language proficiency course and the benchmark test / examination in the Application Form [SFO 313 (2022)]. Apart from submitting copies of Hong Kong Smart Identity Card, one-way permit (if applicable), documentary proof of course fee paid, documentary proof that the applicant has successfully completed the CEF reimbursable course(s) and the front page of his / her bank passbook or bank statement showing the name, account number and bank name / bank code, applicants should also submit copies of documentary proof of passing the specified benchmark test / examination and benchmark test / examination fees receipts.

If the benchmark test / examination fees have been reimbursed under any other public funds or assistance under any other publicly-funded financial assistance schemes, or the applicant fails to provide copy(ies) of benchmark test / examination fees receipt(s), the benchmark test / examination fees will not be reimbursed under CEF.

A claim for reimbursement of the benchmark test / examination fees will only be accepted if it is accompanied with a claim for the relevant language proficiency course.

Under CEF, benchmark test / examination should be taken after the commencement of the course. The purpose is to ascertain that applicants who receive subsidy from CEF do attain certain level of language proficiency after taking a reimbursable course. Thus, an applicant cannot make use of the benchmark test / examination result that he / she obtained before the commencement of the course to substantiate his / her claim for reimbursement.

As benchmark tests / examinations are held at a fixed interval, applicants should check the examination dates and details of relevant benchmark tests / examinations with the examination bodies / agents concerned and plan their study schedule.

No. Only the benchmark test / examination fees contributing to the passing of the specified benchmark test / examination at the specified (or higher) level can be reimbursed.

CEF claimants can make use of the same benchmark examination to support the claim for more than one language proficiency courses. However, the examination date of the benchmark examination must fall after the commencement date of the reimbursable course used for claiming fee reimbursement under CEF. Other conditions under the prevailing reimbursement requirements remain unchanged.

A comparison of the requirements and arrangements for CEF before and after the introduction of the enhancement measures is tabulated as follows: