Points to Note When Changing Jobs

If you change your job, no matter it is out of your own aspiration or arising from termination of employment contract because of other reasons, including closure of business of your employer or redundancy, there are a few things you should take note of before ending your current employment and taking on a new one.

Ending an Employment Contract

In general circumstances, if you are the one who initiates the termination of the employment contract, you shall give your employer the required length of notice for the termination of your employment contract or payment in lieu of notice. Likewise, your employer needs to do the same if he/she initiates the termination of contract. Moreover, you should check whether you are eligible for any termination payments, such as end of year payment, severance payment or long service payment, etc.

Managing Your Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Benefits

As you move on to a new job, please remember to manage your MPF benefits in the original MPF account. You can handle the MPF benefits by:

• transferring the MPF benefits to your “contribution account” opened under your new employment; or
• transferring the MPF benefits to your existing “personal account” and any other MPF scheme.

If you do not already hold a “personal account” under an MPF scheme, and you are satisfied with the MPF scheme chosen by your former employer, you can choose to retain and keep your MPF benefits invested in a “personal account” under the scheme of your previous employment. You should contact your trustee* to give an investment instruction for this account.

Moreover, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) keeps a database of scheme members' personal accounts, containing information on the number of personal accounts under a member's name and the relevant MPF scheme(s). However, account details such as account number, fund invested and account balance are not available. You may register for the e-Enquiry of Personal Account service via mobile application (MPFA ePA) or website (https://epa.mpfa.org.hk) to access your personal account information anytime, anywhere. You can also make a one-off enquiry by filling in a request form.

* MPF trustees and their schemes will get the eMPF Platform onboard in sequence. eMPF Company will then utilize the eMPF Platform to provide scheme administrative services and handle the service instructions for employers, scheme members and self-employed persons. From then on, employers, scheme members and self-employed persons can manage MPF on the eMPF Platform directly without submitting the service instructions to MPF trustees. The eMPF Platform will provide relevant information and/or documents to you directly. Please visit eMPF website (https://www.empf.org.hk/) for obtaining the MPF scheme(s) onboarding timeline and relevant information.

Filing Tax Returns

Before the termination of your employment, your employer has to submit a notification (Form I.R. 56F) to inform the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) about the cessation of your employment and your income from the company within the year of assessment. After submitting the notification, your employer should give you a copy to assist you to complete your tax return. You should ensure that the termination payments, if any, has been correctly computed and reported in the notification. You should clarify any details with your employer in case of doubt and rectify the information if necessary.

In addition, if you have used your previous office address as the correspondence address with IRD, you should notify IRD your new correspondence address as soon as possible so that tax returns, notices of assessment and other correspondences can reach you in time.

Terminating Sponsorship for Overseas Employees

If you have been issued a visa to work in Hong Kong and later quit your job, you or your company should inform the Immigration Department of the termination of sponsorship. You are not allowed to change employment or take up part time job without the permission of the Immigration Department.