Hong Kong Budget 2025-26: For the Working Professional and Business Owner

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Good news! The Hong Kong Budget 2025-26 has dropped, and it’s packed with some pretty sweet perks for businesses and working professionals. Whether you’re running your own company, juggling HR responsibilities, or just trying to make smart career moves, there’s stuff in here you’ll definitely want to know about.

Let’s face it – budget announcements can be a total snooze-fest with all that financial jargon. That’s why we’ve done the heavy lifting and pulled out only the bits that actually matter to you. Consider this your no-nonsense, friendly guide to what Hong Kong’s Budget 2025-26 really means for employers, HR teams, and everyday workers like you and me. 

P.S. We’ve also included an infographic below. Feel free to share it with your colleagues/friends!

1. Tax Relief for Businesses and Employees

It’s nice to know we’re all getting a little tax break this year.

• For businesses, you may enjoy 100% profits tax deduction (up to HK$1,500).

• For working individuals, you’ll also get a nice 100% salaries tax rebate (also capped at HK$1,500).

Okay, it might not buy you that dream vacation, but hey--every dollar counts, especially when you’re keeping an eye on your budget!

👉 Our quick tip: Give your accounting or payroll folks a heads-up about this so they can handle your tax filings correctly. And if you’re collecting a pay-check, keep this in mind when you look at your next tax bill.

2. Enhanced SME Support Schemes

The Hong Kong Budget is showing some serious love to SMEs--and for good reason! They’re the backbone of Hong Kong’s economy.

BUD Fund and Export Marketing Fund (EMF)

The government is pumping HK$1.5 billion into these funds to help businesses:

• Build their brand
• Level up their operations
• Branch out beyond Hong Kong (think Mainland China, ASEAN, and beyond)

You could get up to HK$7 million in support--that’s a game-changer if you’re dreaming of going regional!

👉 Our quick tip: For Marketing teams, if expanding your reach or refreshing your brand is on your to-do list, now’s the perfect time to jump on these opportunities. 

“E-Commerce Express” Programme

Want to take your business digital? This cool initiative connects local companies with major online platforms to help you make that leap.

👉 Our quick tip: For HR teams, send your employees to these workshops! Even a crash course in e-commerce can seriously upgrade your customer-facing and marketing talent.

SME Financing Guarantee Scheme

Still bouncing back from those pandemic challenges? Good news--you can now defer principal repayments until June 2025.

Translation: If you’ve got a loan under this scheme, you might be able to stick with interest-only payments for now, giving your cash flow some breathing room.

👉 Our quick tip: Give your Finance team a heads-up. For businesses, if you have these loans, ask your Finance team to chat with your bank about the extended moratorium options. 

3. Talent and Manpower Development

People are the engine of every business. This year’s Hong Kong Budget makes finding, training, and keeping awesome talent so much easier.

Immigration & Talent Attraction

If you’re facing a skills shortage, here are some reliefs that may help:

• Easier immigration pathways for overseas professionals
• More ways to bring in technical and trade specialists

There’s also a newly introduced HK$600 application fee for certain visa programs--a small price to pay for bringing in the talent your team needs.

👉 Our quick tip: Keep tabs on the Talent List and available visa options. You might discover amazing candidates you wouldn’t have considered before!

Research & Academic Collaboration

A cool HK$1.5 billion is heading toward business-university R&D partnerships. Plus, the PhD Fellowship Scheme is expanding, bringing fresh research talent into our workforce.

👉 Our quick tip: This is the perfect time to reach out to universities, especially if you’re in cutting-edge fields like AI, healthcare, or fintech.

Youth Employment Schemes

The Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme now welcomes sub-degree holders too! Plus, there are 4,000 new short-term internships up for grabs.

What’s in it for you? You can hire young local talent with the government picking up part of the tab. These fresh faces bring energy, digital smarts, and new perspectives.

👉 Our quick tip: Fill junior positions or test-drive potential hires before committing them to full-time roles. The best part? The government helps pay their salaries!

4. Innovation and Technology (I&T) Incentives

This year’s Hong Kong Budget is truly doubling-down on innovation, and companies of all sizes can jump on this train.

AI and Automation Support

A new AI R&D Institute is on the way with HK$1 billion in funding, connecting researchers and businesses to create real-world AI solutions.

Just imagine: Smart payroll systems, predictive analytics, or AI-powered recruiting tools. This isn’t sci-fi anymore--and soon these cool innovations might be within reach for local businesses like yours.

“Manufacturing+” Smart Upgrade Scheme

Got a production line or fulfilment process that could use a tech boost? You might qualify for up to HK$250,000 (with the government covering two-thirds) to upgrade your systems.

👉 Our quick tip: For Operations teams, look into this if you’re running a warehouse, packaging facility, or small manufacturing setup. They’ve designed the process with SMEs in mind!

Cross-Border Payment Integration

Real-time payments between Hong Kong and Mainland China are just around the corner. Think smoother transactions, faster payroll for remote teams, and happier vendors all around.

Tech IPO Fast-Track

Running a tech startup? Look out for the upcoming “TECH” listing channel that makes the IPO journey way simpler for innovation-focused businesses (more details to be released in official channels when confirmed).

Even if you’re not IPO-ready: This move shows Hong Kong is serious about being an innovation powerhouse. Expect more funding opportunities, events, and ecosystem support coming your way.

Action Points for Employers/HR:

• Spot areas in your business that could benefit from a tech upgrade
• Get your tech teams exploring new AI tools and training options
• Check out SME-friendly grants at HKSTP or Cyberport
• Use digital transformation as a chance to up-skill your team

Final Thoughts

If there’s one takeaway from the Hong Kong Budget 2025-2026, it’s this: the government is trying to create an environment for businesses to recover and grow.

Whether you’re managing a team, getting your startup off the ground, or just trying to figure out what help is available to you -- now’s the time to get clued in and make your move.

Most of these programs and incentives are either live now or launching any minute. The sooner you check out what’s on offer, the more you can squeeze out of these opportunities.

Have a chat with your HR, finance, or ops teams. Put someone in charge of tracking these funding opportunities, putting together applications, or just showing up at the right events.

While you’re busy taking advantage of these Budget perks, Talenox is here to handle your payroll and people management headaches. This lets you focus on what really matters--growing your business. Give Talenox a minute and save hours of your time. 😉