The government has announced large increases in four types of its allowances paid to eligible local residents, namely unemployment, sickness, marriage, and funeral allowances, effective from Thursday, January 1 next year, with their increases ranging between 33.8 percent and 81.2 percent.
The increases were announced in an executive order, signed by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai on December 18, published in the Official Gazette (BO) on Friday.
Earlier this year, the government raised all seven types of pensions and allowances paid out by the city’s social security system, with their increases taking effect retroactively from January 1 this year. Macau’s social security system is run by the Social Security Fund (FSS).
The two types of pensions paid out by the fund comprise old-age pensions and disability pensions, while the five types of the fund’s allowances comprise unemployment, sickness, birth, marriage, and funeral allowances.
While the birth allowance was increased by 20.0 percent, the other six types of pensions and allowances were raised by between 4.3 percent and 4.7 percent, retroactively effective from January 1 this year.
According to Friday’s executive order, the unemployment allowance will be raised to 210 patacas per day from January 1 next year, a 33.8 percent increase from the current 157 patacas per day.
From January 1 next year, according to the order, the sickness allowance will be raised to 180 patacas per day for those whose treatment does not require hospitalisation, a 51.3 percent increase from the current 119 patacas per day, while the sickness allowance issued to those who have been hospitalised will be increased to 240 patacas per day, up 52.9 percent from the current 157 patacas per day.
According to the executive order, the marriage allowance will be raised to 4,000 patacas from the current 2,220 patacas, an 80.2 percent increase, while the funeral allowance will be increased to 5,200 patacas from the current 2,870 patacas, up 81.2 percent. Both allowances are one-off payments.
Concerning the other three types of FSS pensions and allowances not listed by Friday’s order, the birth allowance will remain unchanged at 6,500 patacas next year, while both the old-age pension and the disability pension will remain unchanged at 3,900 patacas per month next year. The birth allowance is also a one-off payment.
Macau’s social security system only covers local residents.
Both spouses can apply and each receive their own allowance, provided that both meet the eligibility criteria for the marriage allowance. Similarly, both parents, provided that both meet the eligibility criteria for the birth allowance, can apply and each receive their own allowance.
This means that both parents can receive birth allowances amounting to 13,000 patacas in total if both are eligible, while from January 1 next year a married couple can receive marriage allowances amounting to 8,000 patacas in total if both are eligible.
Cars are parked outside the Social Security Fund’s (FSS) service centre on Rua de Eduardo Marques, located near São Lázaro Church, yesterday. – Photo: Tony Wong
