Recently, the Shanghai Housing Provident Fund Management Committee issued the "Implementation Measures for Voluntary Contribution, Retrieval and Use of Housing Provident Funds by Flexible Employees in Shanghai" (Shanghai Provident Fund Management Committee [2025] No. 1), which will come into effect on June 1, 2025.

In recent years, the scale of flexible employment personnel in Shanghai has been expanding. In order to allow flexible employment personnel to enjoy the dividends of the housing provident fund system and live and work in Shanghai, the "Implementation Measures" clearly state that after Shanghai's flexible employment personnel voluntarily pay housing provident fund, they enjoy the right to apply for provident fund loans when purchasing a house according to regulations.

The main contents of the "Implementation Measures" are:

1. Voluntary participation. Persons who are over 16 years old and have not reached the legal retirement age and who are flexibly employed in this city through self-employed, part-time, new employment forms, etc. can pay the housing reserve metal they deposit in their personal capacity in accordance with the principle of voluntary responsibility. There are no restrictions on household registration conditions. People with flexible employment in this city, household registration in other provinces and cities, residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and foreigners who are flexibly employed can participate.
2. Flexible deposit. Flexible employment personnel sign an agreement with the Municipal Provident Fund Center, which stipulates the amount of deposit, the method of deposit, the rights and obligations of both parties, etc. Flexible employment personnel can determine the contribution base within the prescribed scope based on their own income and choose the contribution ratio. The monthly contribution amount is equal to the contribution base multiplied by the contribution ratio. According to the 2024 annual contribution standards, the minimum monthly contribution amount for flexible employment personnel is 270 yuan and the maximum is 8,860 yuan . Flexible employment personnel can choose to pay monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual. Payment is subject to regular deductions from personal bank cards. If flexible employment personnel cannot pay normally due to changes in their income, they can apply for suspension of payment. If you meet the payment conditions again after the payment is suspended, you can resume payment at any time.
3. Convenient account transfer. If flexible employment personnel are transferred to employees of the unit, they can transfer their personal housing provident fund accounts to the unit; if they are employed in other provinces and cities, they can handle the transfer and continuation of other places in other provinces and cities according to regulations and transfer the personal housing provident fund of the city to other provinces and cities.
4. Free extraction. In addition to applying for housing provident fund due to buying, renting a house, repaying housing loans, retirement, etc., flexible employment personnel can also withdraw housing provident fund deposited during flexible employment based on their personal living needs.
5. Enjoy provident fund loans. If flexible employment personnel currently pay housing provident fund in full for 12 months or more, and have not withdrawn housing provident fund during the flexible employment contribution period in the city for 6 months before applying for a loan, and meet the general conditions for provident fund loans in this city, they can apply for provident fund loans. If flexible employment personnel belong to families with many children and purchase their first home, they can also enjoy policy support for the maximum provident fund loan amount to increase.
6. Protection of rights and interests. The housing provident fund paid by flexible employment personnel can be deducted according to law when calculating and paying personal income tax. The housing provident fund deposited by flexible employment personnel shall be calculated at the national interest rate from the date of deposit in the personal housing provident fund account (the current interest rate is 1.5%).

【Business Q&A】

1. What is the background of Shanghai's formulation of policy for flexible employment personnel to deposit, withdraw and use housing provident fund?

In recent years, the scale of flexible employment personnel has been expanding, but many of this employment group have not yet been included in the coverage of Shanghai's housing provident fund system. In order to allow them to enjoy the dividends of the housing provident fund system and live and work in Shanghai, the Shanghai Housing Provident Fund Management Committee has issued the "Implementation Measures for the Voluntary Contribution, Retrieval and Use of Housing Provident Funds in Shanghai" (Shanghai Provident Fund Management Committee [2025] No. 1), which clearly stipulates that Shanghai's flexible employment personnel can voluntarily pay housing provident fund and enjoy the right to apply for provident fund loans when purchasing a house according to regulations.

2. Which flexible employment personnel can apply for housing provident fund payment?

Persons who are over 16 years old and have not reached the legal retirement age and are flexibly employed in Shanghai through self-employed, part-time, new employment forms, etc., such as individual business households and employees, freelancers, couriers, takeaway delivery workers, online ride-hailing drivers, online anchors, housekeeping personnel, gig workers, etc., can voluntarily pay housing provident fund.

Flexible employment personnel will voluntarily pay without restrictions on household registration conditions. As long as there is no personal housing provident fund account that is normally paid nationwide, both people with household registration in this city, people with household registration in other provinces and cities, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and foreigners can participate.

3. How can flexible employment personnel apply for housing provident fund account opening and payment?

After flexible employment personnel open a Class I bank settlement account at designated banks (currently, they can be opened at CCB, ICBC, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, Bank of Communications), they sign a housing provident fund agreement with the Municipal Provident Fund Center, and agree on the amount of deposit, payment method, rights and obligations of both parties, etc.

After signing the contract, the Municipal Provident Fund Center will set up a personal housing provident fund account for flexible employment personnel. If they already have a personal housing provident fund account in the city, they will continue to use the existing personal housing provident fund account.

When signing a contract, flexible employment personnel can choose to pay provident fund monthly, quarterly and semi-annual based on their personal circumstances. The Municipal Provident Fund Center regularly deducts corresponding funds from the contracted deduction account according to its selected contribution method and pays it to the personal housing provident fund account.

4. How to determine and adjust the contribution base and proportion of flexible employment personnel?

The contribution base and contribution ratio of flexible employment personnel are determined independently by individuals. Among them, the contribution base shall not be lower than the lower limit of the contribution base for each housing provident fund year (July 1 of the year to June 30 of the following year), and shall not be higher than the upper limit of the contribution base. The contribution rate shall not be less than 10% and shall not be more than 24%. The monthly contribution amount is equal to the contribution base multiplied by the contribution ratio. Taking 2024 as an example, the minimum monthly contribution is 270 yuan and the maximum is 8,860 yuan.

Flexible employment personnel can adjust the contribution base and contribution ratio within a housing provident fund year according to their own income changes. During the annual base adjustment period, if flexible employment personnel fail to actively adjust, if the original contribution base meets the upper and lower limits of the housing provident fund contribution base for the current year, they can continue to use it; if it is below the lower limit or higher, the Municipal Provident Fund Center will automatically adjust according to the upper and lower limits of the contribution base, and flexible employment personnel will pay according to the adjusted contribution base.

5. How to calculate interest on housing provident fund deposited by flexible employment personnel?

The housing provident fund deposited by flexible employment personnel shall be calculated at the interest rate prescribed by the state from the date of deposit in the personal housing provident fund account. The current deposit interest rate for provident fund account is 1.5%.

6. Can flexible employment personnel deduct personal income tax when paying housing provident fund?

According to national regulations, the housing provident fund paid by flexible employment personnel can be deducted according to law when calculating and paying personal income tax.

7. How to deal with flexible employment personnel if they cannot pay normally after signing the contract?

If flexible employment personnel cannot pay normally, they can apply for suspension of payment. After the payment is suspended and if the payment is met again, you can apply for resumption of payment.

8. Under what circumstances can flexible employment personnel withdraw housing provident fund?

Flexible employment personnel meet the withdrawal conditions stipulated in the "Shanghai Housing Provident Fund Withdrawal Management Measures" and other aspects, and can apply to withdraw the storage balance in the personal housing provident fund account, which is used to purchase, rent a house, repay a house purchase loan, etc., and enjoy the same withdrawal rights as those of the in-service employees of the unit. In addition, you can also withdraw the housing provident fund during your flexible employment contribution period based on your personal living needs.

9. What conditions do flexible employment personnel need to meet to apply for provident fund loans?

Flexible employment personnel must meet the following conditions for applying for provident fund personal housing loans in Shanghai:

1. If the current person who has been paid in full and continuously for 12 months or more and the person who has been transferred to a flexible employment person by the unit withholding and payment method, the payment time can be calculated in combination;
2. No housing provident fund withdrawal occurred during the city’s flexible employment contribution period 6 months before applying for a loan;
3. Comply with the general loan conditions stipulated in the "Shanghai Housing Provident Fund Personal Housing Loan Management Measures" and other conditions stipulated in the agreement.
4. How to determine the provident fund loan amount for flexible employment personnel?

The determination of provident fund loan amount for flexible employment personnel must also meet the following limit standards:

1. Not higher than the loan limit determined according to multiples of the storage balance of the housing provident fund account;
2. The total price of the remaining house after deducting the specified proportion of down payment funds;
3. Not higher than the loan limit determined by repayment ability;
4. It is not higher than the maximum loan limit determined based on the cumulative contribution time of flexible employment personnel and the maximum loan amount of individual or family provident fund in the city.

Among them, the provident fund account storage balance multiple, the specified ratio of down payment funds, the calculation formula for repayment ability, and the maximum loan amount of individual and family provident fund is consistent with the depositors and payment methods of units in this city.

11. How to calculate the maximum provident fund loan limit for flexible employment personnel?

If flexible employment personnel apply for provident fund loans separately, the maximum loan limit is calculated as: the maximum loan amount of individual provident fund in this city × the cumulative contribution time coefficient (see the table below); if two people apply for provident fund loans in units of families, the maximum loan limit is the maximum loan limit of two people.

For example, if the contribution rate of flexible employment personnel is 24%. If the payment ratio of the first home in Shanghai and the accumulated contribution of 2 years or less than 3 years within 60 months before applying for a loan, the maximum loan limit for applying for a provident fund loan alone is 640,000 yuan (80×0.8); if the contribution ratioee is jointly applied for a provident fund loan with a unit, and the contribution ratio person is paid normally in the city by the unit. The maximum loan limit for his family is 1.44 million yuan (640,000 + 800,000).

12. What are the differences in the guarantee methods for provident fund loans for flexible employment personnel?

Provident fund loans for flexible employment personnel are guaranteed and guaranteed. Shanghai Housing Real Estate Financing Guarantee Co., Ltd. provides joint and several liability guarantees for provident fund loans for flexible employment personnel, and serves as the first priority mortgage holder of the housing purchased on the loan. The guarantee fee is borne by the Municipal Provident Fund Center and does not require the borrower to pay.

13. Can flexible employment personnel use the housing provident fund deposited in Shanghai when they return to their registered residence to buy a house?

If flexible employment personnel who pay housing provident fund in Shanghai return to their registered residence to purchase a house, they can withdraw funds from their personal provident fund account according to regulations.

Since flexible employment personnel are still in the pilot stage of participating in the housing provident fund system, there are differences in loan policies in each city. If you need to apply for provident fund loans at your registered place, it is recommended to consult the local provident fund management department.

14. How to deal with the housing provident fund deposited in Shanghai if flexible employment personnel leave Shanghai?

If flexible employment personnel go to other provinces and cities to find employment, they can handle the transfer and connection of housing provident fund in other places according to regulations, and transfer the housing provident fund deposited in Shanghai to other provinces and cities.

15. After the implementation of the housing provident fund policy for flexible employment personnel, do those who voluntarily contribute provident fund according to the original "Implementation Measures for Contribution, Retrieval and Use of Housing Provident Fund in Shanghai" stipulated in the Implementation Measures for Contribution, Retrieval and Use of Housing Provident Fund in Shanghai" need to re-sign the contract?

After the implementation of the housing provident fund policy for flexible employment personnel, the person who originally voluntarily paid the provident fund does not need to re-sign the contract, and the original payment method will continue to be valid. When applying for a provident fund loan, the loan conditions and loan amount will still be implemented in accordance with the original agreement. The original voluntary contribution personnel can withdraw the housing provident fund policy according to the flexible employment personnel.

16. What are the channels for flexible employment personnel to handle housing provident fund business?

The deposit and withdrawal services can be handled online through "Suisongban", or offline at the management departments of each district of the Municipal Provident Fund Center or the Construction Bank's housing provident fund business outlets.

Provident fund loan business can be applied to the Shanghai Provident Fund Loan Trusteeship Institutional outlets. Among them, pure provident fund loans are applied to the business outlets established by Shanghai Housing Real Estate Financing Guarantee Co., Ltd. in each district, and combination loans are applied to the outlets that entrusted banks to handle provident fund loan business.

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[Editor in charge: Ma Yidong PF171]