KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 28): The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has collected a total of RM14.13 billion in top-up savings from members from January to August this year, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said.

These additional, voluntary contributions came from 1.12 million members, according to the MOF in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday.

Under a scheme introduced on June 1, 2023, EPF members are allowed to top up their retirement savings with as much as RM100,000 annually as part of the government’s efforts to encourage Malaysians to boost their retirement savings. EPF members were previously allowed to add up to RM60,000 only.

The MOF was responding to questions from Bukit Gantang MP Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal, who had asked about the government’s plans to encourage more Malaysians to open EPF accounts and benefit from its high dividends.

The ministry said it had implemented several initiatives and enhancements under Budget 2025 to strengthen retirement savings, including expanding voluntary contribution schemes and increasing matching incentives.

Among the measures introduced was an improvement to the i-Saraan programme, with the government’s matching incentive raised from 15% to 20%, capped at RM500 a year and RM5,000 lifetime per individual.

“In the first half of 2025, i-Saraan recorded total contributions of RM2.8 billion from 487,375 members, up 74% from RM1.6 billion and a 48% increase in membership compared with the same period last year,” the MOF said.

The ministry added that the i-Suri programme, which offers a 50% government matching incentive capped at RM300 a year and RM3,000 lifetime, will continue in 2025 for housewives under 55 years old registered in the e-Kasih database.

Meanwhile, under the i-Sayang programme, husbands can voluntarily contribute 2% of their monthly EPF (employee share) savings into their wives’ accounts. As of August 2025, a total of 158,000 husbands had participated, involving RM309.4 million in contributions.

Additionally, 227,000 EPF members who are employed have opted to contribute more than the statutory employee contribution rate of 11%, further strengthening their retirement savings, the MOF said.

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