The coverage of the housing provident fund payment has been expanded, allowing flexible employees to voluntarily contribute.

In order to deepen the reform of the housing provident fund system and better meet the diversified housing needs of contributors, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development recently initiated the revision of the "Regulations on Housing Provident Fund Management" and publicly solicited opinions on the regulations from society. Compared to the related provisions of the old regulations, the draft for public consultation has multiple changes worth noting. The draft mainly highlights three major points. First, the coverage for contributions has expanded, clarifying that individual business owners, part-time workers, and other flexible employment personnel can voluntarily participate in the housing provident fund system. This means that delivery workers, couriers, and ride-hailing drivers will also be able to contribute in the future. Second, the scope of usage has been broadened, explicitly including home renovations and property management fees as eligible conditions for withdrawing housing provident funds. This means that the purpose of the funds has extended from "buying a house" and "renting a house" to "renovating a house" and "maintaining a house," making the use of funds more diverse. In addition, it is clear that there will be a focus on enhancing the digital capabilities of the housing provident fund, strengthening business collaboration across regions, departments, and levels, and promoting mutual recognition and lending of housing provident funds. Experts indicate that the core orientation of this revision is to better meet the diverse rental consumption needs of residents, particularly new citizens and young people, and to strengthen the role of the housing provident fund in expanding domestic demand and promoting housing consumption.