Can my / my spouse’s brothers, sisters or other relatives be counted as family members?

No. Only the applicant, his/her spouse, unmarried children residing with the family and dependent parents of the applicant or his/her spouse can be counted as family members.

1. They are not in receipt of CSSA; and
2. For a continuous period of at least 6 months throughout the assessment year (1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009),
    
   1. they have resided with the applicant’s family and are supported by the applicant or his / her spouse; or
   2. they have taken up permanent residence at another premise owned or rented by the applicant or his/her spouse (i.e. Name of the applicant and / or his / her spouse should be shown on the relevant lease documents); or
   3. they have lived in their own premises or elderly homes and have been fully supported by the applicant or his/her spouse.

Will my ex-spouse, divorced or separated, be counted as a family member?

No.  However, for single-parent family of two to three members, the “plus 1 factor” in the divisor of the AFI formula will be increased to 2 to ensure that students from such families will not receive less assistance under AFI.

Can married children residing with the family be counted as family members?

No. However, the contribution paid by married children residing with the family should be stated in the application form and will be taken as part of the family’s income.

Can new-born baby of the family be counted as family member even if the baby was born after the assessment period?

Applicants should report on the details of their family members present at the time when they submit their applications.

Do I have to declare the income of my ex-spouse, divorced or separated?

No. However, the alimony or maintenance paid by the ex-spouse to the applicant for the period from April 2008 to March 2009 should be stated in the column “Any other yearly income” in the “FAMILY INCOME” item of the application form.

If my spouse only contributes part of his / her income to the family, can I report only the contribution as his / her “INCOME”?

No. All salary, allowances and other fringe benefits of both the husband and wife should be included in the family’s income.

Is rent / mortgage repayment deductible from income?

No. The SFAA will only take account of the gross annual income of the family in conducting the means test.

How should I report my income and working hours if I do not have fixed employers and my salary is paid in cash?

Applicant may consider providing copies of records of income as recorded in the bank passbook or fill out the ‘Self-declared Income Statement’ (SFAA 48), explaining why income proof cannot be produced and state the average working hours per month during the assessment period in case they are applying for whole-day fee remission.

How should I report the income of unmarried children residing with the family?

The “social need” assessment form should only be filled out if you are applying for whole-day fee remission for your child. The criteria for assessing ‘social need’ are set out in the Appendix of the ‘Guidance Notes of KCFRS (2009/10)’. Some salient points are set out below for applicants’ attention:

a. Category 1
The period of employment should normally cover the entire assessment period from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009. However, the SFAA will also consider cases whereby the parents of the student-applicants can prove, with documentary evidences such as appointment letters or employment certifications, that they have subsequently met the 120/104 hours criteria (at least one month or more prior to applications). Based on the changes of the parents’ employment status, the SFAA will assess the ‘Adjusted Family Income’ and ‘Social Needs’ of the family according to the applicant’s latest projected annual family income and situation. The SFAA will adopt the same assessment period in conducting overall assessment of the applicant's AFI and social needs, having regard to his/her family's latest circumstances.

b. Category 3 (b)
Pupil-applicants of unmarried parents who are not under the care of their parents will have met the “Social Needs” assessment Category 3 (b) upon the applicant’s production of the birth certificates of the children and self-declaration from the parents that the children are not taken care of by them. Social worker’s recommendation is not required.

c. Category 3 (c)
Pupil-applicants who are orphans/semi-orphans under the care of relatives will have met the “Social Needs” assessment Category 3 (c) upon the applicant’s production of the death certificates of the children’s parents and a self-declaration from the relatives that they have taken up the responsibility to look after the children. Social worker’s recommendation is not required.

d. Category 4 (e)
For pupil-applicants with a parent or guardian in prison or absent from home for other valid reason for long periods, apart from social worker’s recommendation, this Agency will also consider cases if applicants can produce relevant supporting documents and declare that the children are under their care.

e. Category 5 (a)
For pupil-applicants who need whole-day care because of special conditions of other family members (e.g. chronically ill, physically or mentally handicapped), the family will have met the “Social Needs” assessment Category 5 (a) upon the applicant’s production of the identity document(s) of the relevant family member(s), medical certificate (which shows the kind of chronic illness the family member(s) is/are suffering from) issued by hospital or medical practitioner, or documentary proofs of their being physically/mentally handicapped. Social worker’s recommendation is not required.

We will determine the effective month for fee remission according to the month in which the application is submitted by the applicant, or the month in which the pupil is admitted to the kindergarten, whichever is the later.

Should I apply to KCFR Section for my child who has been studying in a child care centre and has been receiving assistance under the Child Care Centres Fee Assistance Scheme (CCCFAS) before September 2009 and who changes to study in a kindergarten in September 2009 or later?

For children who have benefited from CCCFAS during the period from1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009, their parents can choose to continue to apply for CCCFAS if these children are receiving whole-day service in child care centres or kindergartens until they are admitted to primary schools. Change of pre-primary institutions will not affect these children’s eligibility for CCCFAS. Alternatively parents can choose to apply for KCFRS. If parents subsequently succeed in receiving fee remission under the KCFRS, they cannot re-apply for CCCFAS.
In case the children are not CCCFAS beneficiaries during the period from 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009, they need to apply to fee subsidy under the PEVS and fee remission under KCFRS in 2009/10 if they wish to receive assistance from the Government for pre-primary education.

My child is currently in receipt of CSSA and has been referred by SWD to the SFAA to receive assistance under KCFRS in 2007/08 or 2008/09. Should I continue to apply for KCFRS for my child in 2008/10 and in years afterwards?

For the CSSA children referred by SWD to the SFAA to receive fee remission under KCFRS in 2007/08 or 2008/09, they can apply direct to the SFAA for joining the PEVS in the 2009/10 school year, as with other children at the age appropriate for pre-primary education, so as to receive fee subsidy from the voucher. If financial assistance on top of the subsidy from the voucher is required, to cover the tuition fee, parents of these CSSA children should apply to the Social Security Field Unit of SWD for special grants under the CSSA Scheme. They are not required to apply separately for fee remission under the KCFRS from the SFAA unless they have ceased to receive assistance under the CSSA Scheme. In any case, to avoid double subsidies, children in receipt of special grant under the CSSA to cover kindergarten fees will not be provided with fee remission from the KCFRS for the same period.