MPF

A collective investment schemes approved by the MPFA pursuant to the MPF Ordinance for investment by registered schemes. Such registration or approval does not imply official recommendation.

To switch all or some of the units from one Constituent Fund or Constituent Funds and then re-allocate the redeemed amounts to another Constituent Funds or across any of the Constituent Funds. The investment allocation of your new contributions, including accrued benefits transferred from another registered scheme, will remain unchanged.

Payments made to an employee relating to an earlier period arising from a salary adjustment or a time lag for ascertaining the payment amount.

Bid price is the transaction price for redeeming units in a Constituent Fund after fees and charges are deducted from the net asset value per unit of the Constituent Fund (if applicable).

Employees who are engaged in the construction or catering industries, and are employed on a day-to-day basis or for a short-term fixed period of less than 60 days, and at least 18 but under 65 years of age.

A mechanism to distinguish between employees with different benefits in respect of the employer's additional voluntary contributions.

The day by which an employer is required to pay mandatory contributions for their employees (or by which a self-employed person must make his/her mandatory contributions) to the trustee of the relevant MPF scheme.

• For non-casual employees - the 10th day after the last day of a calendar month within which the contribution period ends (or the 10th day after the last day of the month during which the permitted period ends if this is a later date)
• For casual employees under Master Trust Schemes - the 10th day after the last day of the contribution period (or the 10th day after the last day of the contribution period during which the permitted period ends if this is a later date)
• For self-employed persons - the last day of the contribution period

If the contribution day falls on a Saturday, public holiday, or gale/black rainstorm warning day, then the next day (which is not a Saturday, public holiday, or gale/black rainstorm warning day) should be taken as the contribution day.

The period for which relevant income is paid to employees.

To change the investment allocation of your new contributions, including accrued benefits transferred from another registered scheme. The investment allocation of your existing investments will remain unchanged.

Fund that constitutes the MPF scheme, or a fund that forms part of the MPF scheme.

A default investment arrangement launched on 1 April 2017 as stipulated in accordance with the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance. It is for those members who are not interested or do not wish to make an investment choice, and is also available as an investment choice itself, for members who find it suitable for their own circumstances. For those members who do not make an investment choice when they set up a new MPF account on or after 1 April 2017, their new contributions and accrued benefits transferred from another registered scheme will be invested in accordance with it.

It aims to balance the long term effects of risk and return through investing in two Constituent Funds, namely the Age 65 Plus Fund (A65F) and the Core Accumulation Fund (CAF), according to the pre-set allocation percentages at different ages. It will manage investment risk exposure by automatically reducing the exposure to higher risk assets and correspondingly increasing the exposure to lower risk assets as the member gets older. Such de-risking is to be achieved by way of reducing the holding in the CAF and increasing the holding in the A65F over time. The asset allocation stays the same up until 50 years of age, then reduces steadily until age 64, after which it stays steady again.

A member who is between the ages of 60 and 64, and has permanently ceased employment or self-employment.

Employees are:

• Employed for 60 days or more under a continuous contract of employment
• Casual employees engaged in the construction or catering industries and employed on a day-to-day basis or for a short-term fixed period of less than 60 days

Exempt persons include:

• Domestic employees
• Self-employed licensed hawkers
• People covered by statutory pension or provident fund schemes, such as civil servants and subsidised or grant school teachers
• Members of occupational retirement schemes which are granted exemption certificates
• People from overseas who enter the Hong Kong SAR for employment for less than 13 months, or who are covered by overseas retirement schemes
• Employees of the European Union Office of the European Commission in the Hong Kong SAR

The financial year of HSBC MPF scheme is from 1 July to 30 June. 

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The statutory level of contributions set by MPF legislation.

The statutory maximum level of relevant income set by MPF legislation for the purpose of calculating mandatory contributions.

• If an employee's relevant income is higher than the statutory maximum, both the employer and employee are only required to contribute 5% of the maximum level of relevant income
• If a self-employed person's relevant income is higher than the statutory maximum, he/she is only required to contribute 5% of the maximum level of relevant income

The statutory minimum level of relevant income set by MPF legislation for the purpose of calculating mandatory contributions.

• If an employee's relevant income is lower than the statutory minimum, the employee does not need to make mandatory contributions but the employer is still required to do so
• If a self-employed person's relevant income is lower than the statutory minimum, he/she does not need to make mandatory contributions.

The monthly pay record is a pay slip that shows employees' relevant income, mandatory and, if any, voluntary contributions, and the date contributions are paid to the trustee.

Under statutory requirements this fund must be offered by any MPF scheme. MPF providers are allowed to deduct fees from the fund only when the investment return is higher than the prescribed savings rate published by the MPFA, subject to the portion of investment returns in excess of the prescribed savings rate.

Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, which regulates and monitors the operation of the MPF system.

Employees other than casual employees who are at least 18 but under 65 years of age and employed for 60 days or more under a continuous contract of employment.

The Occupational Retirement Schemes Ordinance (ORSO) scheme is a voluntary retirement scheme established by employers as part of their employee benefit programme.

Offer price is the transaction price for acquiring units in a Constituent Fund inclusive of fees and charges marked up on the net asset value per unit of the Constituent Fund (if applicable).

A mechanism for grouping employees who share the same common characteristics, such as member type, payroll frequency, payment arrangement, working location or contact person.

A member departs from Hong Kong permanently if the member resides elsewhere with no intention of returning for employment or to resettle in Hong Kong as a permanent resident. A member is entitled to be paid accrued benefits on the grounds of permanent departure from Hong Kong only once in a lifetime, except as permitted by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes (General) Regulation.

For non-casual employees - 60 days
For casual employees under master trust schemes - 10 days
For self-employed persons - 60 days

An individual account held in a member's name to preserve his/her accrued benefits accumulated from any previous employment or self-employment.

To change the investment allocation of your existing investments and new contributions, including accrued benefits transferred from another registered scheme. Necessary units will be redeemed to rebalance the portfolio of your existing investments.

A rate prescribed by Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority on a monthly basis as the interest rate payable in respect of a Hong Kong dollar savings account or the average of the interest rates payable by different authorised financial institutions on Hong Kong dollar savings accounts. If the investment return of an MPF Conservative Fund does not exceed the prescribed savings rate in a month, no administrative expense is allowed to be deducted from the MPF Conservative Fund for that month.

This includes wages, salaries, leave pay, housing allowances, housing benefits, fees, commissions, bonuses, gratuities, perquisites, or allowances expressed in monetary terms, paid or payable by an employer (directly or indirectly) to you, and in consideration of your employment contract, but excluding long service payments or severance payments.

A statement detailing employees' relevant income, mandatory and, if any, voluntary contributions for each contribution period. It must be submitted to the trustee with each contribution payment.

Only available if employer's voluntary contributions are made and/or employer's ORSO* balances were transferred to the MPF scheme and they are subject to a vesting scale. Any benefits not entitled to employees upon employment termination will be treated as unvested benefits and transferred to this account. The funds in this account belong to employers.

*Occupational Retirement Schemes Ordinance

The risk class is introduced with the objectives to promote understanding of the relative risks between Constituent Funds and to facilitate comparison of Constituent Funds within and across Registered Schemes by scheme members. It is defined using a 7-point risk classification with risk class “1” representing the lowest price volatility and risk class “7” representing the highest price volatility in terms of each Constituent Fund’s risk indicator which shows the annualised standard deviation based on its monthly rates of return over the past three years.

The risk rating is defined using a 5-point risk scale with risk rating “1” representing the lowest risk and risk rating “5” representing the highest risk. The risk rating is derived based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative risk factors including price volatility, asset allocation and liquidity. The risk ratings for the Age 65 Plus Fund and the Core Accumulation Fund are derived based on the available historical data of the funds and the respective underlying indices of the industry recognised reference portfolio of the funds, while the same risking rating mechanism as all other constituent funds has been applied.

1 = Low Risk – Minimal chance of losing a significant portion of your capital over the term of the investment (although this is not guaranteed). Expected to demonstrate minimal price fluctuations over short periods of time.

2 = Low to Medium Risk – Low chance of losing a significant portion of your capital over the term of the investment (although this is not guaranteed). Expected to demonstrate moderately low level of price fluctuations over short periods of time.

3 = Medium Risk – Moderate chance of losing a significant portion of your capital over the term of the investment (although this is not guaranteed). Expected to demonstrate moderate level of price fluctuations over short periods of time.

4 = Medium to High Risk – Moderately high chance of losing a significant portion of your capital over the term of the investment. Expected to demonstrate moderately high level of price fluctuations over short periods of time.

5 = High Risk – High chance of losing a significant portion of your capital over the term of the investment. Expected to demonstrate high level of price fluctuations over short periods of time.

Self-employed person is a sole proprietor or a partner in a business, or someone who works for himself/herself and is not employed as an employee.

To make a claim for this reason the member's accrued benefits must not exceed HKD5,000, and he/she is required to make a statutory declaration that:

• As at the date of the claim, at least 12 months have elapsed since the contribution day in respect of the latest contribution period for which a mandatory contribution is required to be made to any registered scheme,
• There are no accrued benefits in any other registered scheme, and
• He/she has no intention to be employed or self-employed.

In Hong Kong, the statutory declaration must be made before and signed by a Commissioner for Oath at either the Public Enquiry Service Centre of the Home Affairs Department, a Notary Public or a Justice of the Peace. A statutory declaration made in a place other than Hong Kong is also acceptable provided that it is made before and signed by a Notary Public or a person authorised under the law of that place to administer an oath or take a statutory declaration.

A late charge imposed on employers or self-employed persons who fail to pay mandatory contributions by the contribution day. This surcharge is calculated at 5% of the contribution amount in arrears, and monies received are credited to the MPF accounts of the employees/self-employed persons concerned.

An individual account set up for any person who fulfils the eligibility requirements to make tax deductible voluntary contributions (TVC). TVC contribute into the account will enjoy tax concession in accordance with the Inland Revenue Ordinance.

An illness that is likely to reduce the life expectancy of a member to 12 months or less.

A member who is permanently unfit to perform the kind of work that he/she was performing before becoming totally incapacitated.

Benefits employees are not entitled to upon termination of employment.

Contributions outside of mandatory contributions.