Social security can, provident fund can't. Individuals can't apply for housing provident fund without formal work. Housing provident fund contains the following five meanings: first, housing provident fund is only established in cities and towns, and there is no housing provident fund system in rural areas; Two, only the establishment of housing provident fund system for employees, urban unemployed residents, retired workers do not implement the housing provident fund system; Three, the housing provident fund consists of two parts, one part is paid by the employee's unit, and the other part is paid by the employee. After the individual contributions of employees are withheld by the unit, they will be paid into the individual account of housing provident fund together with the unit contributions; Four, long-term housing provident fund deposit. Once the housing provident fund system is established, employees must pay it continuously during their tenure. Except for the retirement of employees or other circumstances stipulated in the Regulations on the Management of Housing Provident Fund, it shall not be suspended or interrupted, which embodies the stability, unity, standardization and compulsion of housing provident fund. Five, the housing provident fund is a personal housing savings fund for housing consumption expenses stored by employees according to regulations.

Legal objectivity:

"Regulations on the Management of Housing Provident Fund" Article 26 When employees who pay housing provident fund purchase, build, renovate or overhaul their own houses, they can apply for housing provident fund loans from the housing provident fund management center. The housing provident fund management center shall, within 05 days from the date of accepting the application, make a decision on whether to grant the loan or not, and notify the applicant; If the loan is granted, the entrusted bank shall handle the loan formalities. The risk of housing provident fund loans shall be borne by the housing provident fund management center. Legal basis: "Regulations on the Management of Housing Provident Fund" Employees can withdraw the storage balance in the housing provident fund account under any of the following circumstances: 1, and purchase, build, decorate or overhaul their own houses; 2. Retired; 3, completely lose the ability to work, and terminate the labor relationship with the unit; 4. Leave the country to settle down; 5. Repay the principal and interest of the owner-occupied housing loan; 6. renting a house for self-occupation; (Employees and their spouses who have no own houses in Beijing and rent public rental houses or commercial houses can withdraw housing provident fund to pay the rent. ) 7, life is difficult, is receiving the city minimum living allowance; 8. Encountering unexpected events, causing serious difficulties in family life; 9, migrant workers, and the unit to terminate the labor relationship; 10, who is sentenced to death, life imprisonment or fixed-term imprisonment at the expiration of the statutory retirement age; 1 1, dead or declared dead; If the employee withdraws the housing provident fund in accordance with Article 4 (1, 5, 6, 7 and 8) of these Measures, the spouse may withdraw the housing provident fund from his account at the same time.