MPF contributions start at HK$6,500 a month: the 5%+5% rule, and how to check your boss got it right

Part-time cleaner Kwan, earning HK$5,500 a month, had HK$275 deducted for MPF each month — from 1 November 2011, that line would vanish from her payslip. An MPFA advice column used one small office story to unpack what the higher minimum income floor really meant for workers.

Who pays, who is exempt?

The MPF rule is 5% from the employer plus 5% from the employee on relevant income — but from 1 November 2011, employees earning below HK$6,500 a month no longer paid the employee half, while employers still paid their 5%; self-employed persons earning HK$5,000 to below HK$6,500 a month were likewise exempt, with trustees updating arrangements automatically.

The new dividing line

Kwan’s case: at HK$5,500 a month she used to contribute HK$275; under the revised floor, for contribution periods starting 1 November 2011 or later, her employer should no longer have deducted 5% from her wages — though the employer’s portion continued.

How to check your boss followed the new rule

The MPFA column advised checking through several channels: the employer’s payslip or contribution records, the trustee’s online banking and other service platforms, and the MPF “contribution hotline” 183 3030 connecting to trustees’ phone services. The MPFA hotline 2918 0102 was another avenue.

What workers can do

November’s pay period was the dividing line: if you earned below HK$6,500 yet still saw a 5% MPF deduction, you asked your employer why. The MPF education hub sets out the full contribution rules.