Cash handouts to begin July 1 under 183-day residency requirement

[Photo: Renato Marques]

This year’s cash handout scheme – which provides MOP10,000 to each permanent resident and MOP6,000 to each non-permanent resident – will be distributed to eligible residents starting next month, with recipients still required to have resided in Macau for at least 183 days.

The announcement was made by Secretary for Administration and Justice Wong Sio Chak at an Executive Council press conference Friday, confirming that the 183-day physical residency requirement –  a provision that sparked discussion last year – has been retained for this year’s cash handout program, which has set aside a budget of MOP6.64 billion.

As noted, the scheme retains exemptions for individuals under 22 whose parents qualify, those receiving disability pensions or allowances as of December 31 last year, and eight categories of absence treated as presence. These include residents aged 65 or older living in mainland China; those receiving medical treatment in mainland China; those working outside Macau for Social Security-registered employers; those working outside Macau to support family members now residing in the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin; those on official duty; those living, working or studying in Hengqin; and those working in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area cities on the mainland.

The Social Security Fund (FSS) president, Chan Pou Wan, who presided over Friday’s press conference alongside the Secretary, said that since the 183-day residency requirement was introduced last year, authorities have received over 56,000 applications. To date, 53,000 residents have been approved for distribution, with approximately MOP5.7 billion already disbursed, though authorities noted that specific figures on changes in direct handout recipients under the new rules will be announced at a separate press conference.

Responding to media queries on false declarations, Chan said, “The relevant figures are statistics from last year’s application launch to the present. No serious irregularities have been reported so far,” while urging residents to “ensure the accuracy of your declared information – authorities will conduct rigorous reviews and strict scrutiny.”

Meanwhile, the FSS announced it will use data from the Non-Mandatory Central Provident Fund System’s Budget Surplus Special Allocation to verify residents’ absence from Macau, streamlining procedures and avoiding duplicate applications. The allocation recipient list will be published on June 15, with residents aged 65 or older able to apply for withdrawals in August, and the first batch – including registered elderly meeting automatic disbursement criteria – expected to receive payments as early as September.