ESF Financial Assistance Scheme

The ESF Financial Assistance Scheme has been set up to provide financial support to families who have encountered “sudden and unexpected” change of circumstances.

Read more below.

Guidance Notes for Application

Eligibility Criteria

Under the current Financial Assistance Scheme policy, families of applicants have to have encountered “sudden and unexpected” change of circumstances* during the period of 12 months immediately prior to the date of application in order to qualify for hardship allowance assessment (Means Test). 

If an applicant whose application for financial assistance was successful in the prior year and the adverse financial impact resulted from the “sudden and unexpected” change of circumstances is still proven after the 12-month period, the case is deemed eligible for the means test till the completion of student’s schooling at primary or at secondary school. Under any circumstances, financial assistance granted to a particular student will not be more than 5 years (Year 2 to 6) and 6 years (Year 8 to 13) for primary and secondary school students respectively. Financial assistance will be granted provided that the means test is passed. Each case will be reviewed individually based on the supporting documents provided. 

Tuition fee relief for 3 months will be granted following the death of a parent. The application needs to be made within 12 months after the death and a copy of the death certificate is required. A means test is not required in this situation. Should the student needs any further financial assistance after the 3 month period, a separate application is required. 

If the family of an applicant is in receipt of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) from the government during the school year, means test will be exempt and full remission will be granted upon application and supporting document received. Additional financial assistance will be considered to cover the student’s mandatory education or curriculum expenses including public examination fees, CAS activity fees, compulsory laptops and etc. 

In the absence of “sudden and unexpected” change of circumstances, financial assistance will be considered provided that:- 

∙ the family has 2 or more students currently studying in ESF schools, and 

∙ one of whom has been studying in an ESF school continuously for 5 years or more, and 

∙ the family has good tuition fees payment history, and 

∙ the family’s income and assets level pass the means test 

Statement of Income

Please state the following under income declaration: 

∙ Latest annual salaries/wages, business profit, and any other earned income of all family members received in the year. The annual income for the period should also include bonuses, commissions, tips and any allowance received. All latest income information of the applicant which can help ESF make an informed decision would be welcomed. Applications made later in the school year should supply the most recent data on income. 

∙ Remittances and contributions received from family members, relatives or friends. 

∙ Latest annual rent received in the past financial year from letting of any houses, flats, shops or land owned by any member of the family (in Hong Kong or overseas). This should also include any subletting of a house/flat occupied by the family. Details of which should be given in the ASSETS Section. 

Assets

Please give full details of all assets held at current market value, owned or partly owned by each member of the family during the period of 12 months immediately prior to the date of application. This should include all land and properties, stocks and shares, vehicle(s), monies including foreign currencies deposited in bank(s) and/or other financial institutions, companies, firms or with individual persons, and finally any cash on hand.

Housing

Please give full details of accommodation occupied by the family. Do not include management fees, electricity, gas or water charges. If housing is rented, one copy of the current rental agreement in respect of your housing should be attached to the form, failure to do so may result in the exclusion of housing expenditure incurred by you. 

Additional Information by Applicant

If there has been a considerable change in circumstances, information, as detailed above, should still be supplied. In addition, documentary evidence of new circumstances must also be included. This may be a photocopy of notification of redundancy or cancellation of a contract, a statement of new income, a copy of pay advice etc. 

Documents to be Submitted with the Application

The following documents should be attached to this application: –

(a) Documentary evidence in respect of the earned income of every member of the family which include:

(i) Photocopies of latest Salaries Tax demand note from Inland Revenue Department
(ii) Photocopies of latest salary statement or contract

In addition, for self-employed workers, it will be necessary for them to provide in writing details of income earned with supporting evidence during the relevant period, which include:

(iii) Photocopies of latest Profit Tax demand note from Inland Revenue Department
(iv) Photocopies of Audited Profit and Loss account and Balance Sheet

(b) Photocopies of last three months’ bank statements / passbook records in respect of all current / savings / fixed deposit accounts held by yourself and family members. The photocopy of the first page of each passbook showing the name(s) of the account holder(s) should be included.

(c) Photocopies of rental agreement, receipt for rent received (including sub-letting) or rent paid, rates or mortgage repayment of the property / properties or dwelling place.

(d) A social welfare certificate for receiving the comprehensive social security allowance.

Means Test

Means test will be applied only if the applicant satisfies the eligibility criteria as set out in the financial assistance scheme.

Modified Adjusted Family Income (MAFI) mechanism will be used to assess the eligibility of a family for student financial assistance and its assistance level.  Adjusted Family Income (AFI) is the mechanism being used by Student Financial Assistance Agency (SFAA) for the calculation of student financial assistance and it is regarded as a reference in this policy. Deductible expenses are factored into the AFI to calculate MAFI.

|                Gross annual income of the family – Deductible expenses
MAFI =   ———————————————————————————————–
|                                    Number of family members + 1

• Gross annual income of all family members includes salaries, double pay, leave pay, allowance, bonus, commission, tips, wages in lieu of notice of dismissal, profits from business / investment, alimony, contribution to the family from third parties, interest from fixed deposit, dividends from stocks and shares, rental income, monthly pension, widow’s and children’s compensation.
• The number of family members normally refers to the applicant, his/her spouse, unmarried child / children residing with the family and the dependent parent(s) who are supported by the applicant.
• For single-parent families of 2 to 3 members, the “plus 1 factor” in the denominator of MAFI formula will be increased to 2.

Deductible expenses include:

1. rental expense for the principal residence of the family capped at HK$20,000 per month;
2. home mortgage repayment for principal residence capped at HK$30,000 per month;
3. tuition fees for family members studying in ESF schools only;
4. family allowance as follows:-
   • 1 dependent child                             HK$16,000
   • 2 dependent children                        HK$32,000
   • 3 dependent children                        HK$48,000
   • 4 dependent children                        HK$64,000
   • 5 dependent children and above      HK$80,000

Asset Test

1. As a general principle, assets held by the applicant in a family of two over HK$700k will result in rejection of the application, irrespective of the income levels, unless exceptional circumstances can be shown. Assets include all readily realizable assets such as cash, bank deposits, properties (exclude principal residence), cash value of insurance policy, investment in equities and bonds regardless in Hong Kong or in overseas.
2. Asset limit for a family steps up by HK$350k for each additional member and reaches its cap at HK$1,750k.

Level of Financial Assistance

Please download the FAS application form for the 2022/23 academic year here.

Enquiries

Email: billing@esfcentre.edu.hk

Updated on: 7 September 2022