Objectives of the Pilot Scheme
1. The Government will launch a three-year “Pilot Scheme for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Households Transitioning to Working Family Allowance Scheme” (Pilot Scheme) on 1 October 2026. The Pilot Scheme, which is funded by the Community Care Fund, encourages Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients with working capability to achieve self-reliance through continuous employment. The Pilot Scheme is administered by the Working Family Allowance Office (WFAO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency.
2. Eligible households leaving the CSSA Scheme on or after 1 October 2026 and joining the Working Family Allowance (WFA) Scheme* may be eligible for cash incentives totalling up to $45,000 under the Pilot Scheme.
3. All types of CSSA households may participate in the Pilot Scheme and a separate sign-up is not required. Households are only required to submit WFA applications. WFAO will identify potentially eligible households through data matching with the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and issue letters to notify them of the eligibility requirements for the cash incentives.
* For information regarding the WFA Scheme, please visit the WFA Scheme website.
Eligibility Requirements
Leave the CSSA Scheme
on or after 1 October 2026
Continuous Employment
have at least two consecutive WFA applications approved (i.e. covering 12 consecutive claim months) with at least 10 claim months granted with WFA during the 12 claim months
Submit WFA applications
claim months should fall within October 2026 to September 2029
Cash Incentives and Increments
After approved for two consecutive WFA applications
$10,000
Subsequently, approved for two more consecutive WFA applications, the cash incentives will be increased to:
Totalling up to
Receive 3rd cash incentives (after receiving 6th WFA):
Totalling up to
Time and Arrangements of Disbursement
- Earliest Disbursement:Late 2027
- Disbursement of the Cash Incentive: Directly disbursed to the households' bank account for receiving WFA payments
- Eligibility Requirements: Having no breaks in the WFA claim periods and
at least 10 claim months granted with WFA during the 12 claim months
Download the General Notes
Download ImmediatelyDownload the Promotion Leaflet
Download ImmediatelyFrequently Asked Questions
As a general rule, if households return to the CSSA Scheme after receiving the cash incentive(s), they will no longer be eligible for the cash incentive(s) in the future, even if they left the CSSA Scheme again and re-joined the WFA Scheme subsequently.
Notwithstanding the above, considering that some households may encounter challenges in getting a stable job at the initial stage of their employment and need to return to the CSSA Scheme in the face of financial pressures, the “Pilot Scheme” provides a flexible arrangement. For households which have not yet received any cash incentives but need to return to the CSSA Scheme for particular reasons, they may still be eligible for the cash incentive(s), provided that all other eligibility requirements are met, if they left the CSSA Scheme again and re-joined the WFA Scheme subsequently.
Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency
Working Family Allowance Office
9/F, 181 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon
(Entrance at Tsun Yip Street near Kwun Tong Waterfront)