In order to ease the financial burden of Malaysians during the current Covid-19 outbreak, the prime minister had announced on 27 March 2020 that Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members will be allowed to withdraw up to RM500/month from their EPF account.
Available from today 1st April 2020 onwards, this withdrawal facility is known as i-Lestari. A monthly withdrawal that aims to relieve the financial burden of our members.
Who is eligible?
How to apply?
Should I withdraw?
How does it work?
- Members can only withdraw from their Account 2
- The withdrawal of savings will be recurring monthly, subject to the number of months members are eligible for. (maximum 12 months if approved in April 2020)
- Withdrawal amount from a minimum of RM50, up to a maximum of RM500 monthly
- The number of months members are eligible for withdrawal is calculated from the date that the approved application is received by the EPF, until the end of the effective period of the i-Lestari Withdrawal, which falls on 31 March 2021.
Any EPF member also eligible to apply?
NO. Only member who fulfills ALL the criteria below is eligible:
NO. Only member who fulfills ALL the criteria below is eligible:
- Malaysian or non-Malaysian citizens or Permanent Residents (PR);
- Aged 55 years old and below; &
- Balance is available in their Account 2 savings.
Members can submit their application in the month of April 2020 only?
Not necessary. You can submit the withdrawal facility at any time, between 1 April 2020 until 31 March 2021.
How do I submit my application?
You may submit your completed application form to the EPF beginning 1 April 2020, using these two easiest methods:
- Online via e-Pengeluaran in i-Akaun (Member), or
- Email to ilestarimohon@epf.gov.my
How do I know the status of my application?
- For i-Lestari applications done via e-Pengeluaran, members can check on their application status via their i-Akaun (Member).
- As for application via email, members will receive an SMS when the payment has been credited.
- For any inquiries, members can submit them via email to ilestari@epf.gov.my.
Can I change another bank account after successfully apply?
No. Please make sure that the bank account submitted during the application is ACTIVE throughout the period. By the way, please make sure the bank account is under YOUR NAME, not a third-party name bank account.
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First, evaluate your current financial situation. Then, ask yourself these questions: "Do I need the money (up to RM500 monthly) during this period?"
"If your answer is yes, then go ahead to apply for it. Otherwise, it's wiser to leave the money inside your EPF account for retirement purposes", advised by financial planner - Alex Yeoh.
Opportunity Cost |
By withdrawing the amount seem tempting, but there is an opportunity cost for this. Let's calculate how much would you sacrifice if you were to withdraw a total of RM6,000 from now until age 55 (for 12 months period). Kindly refer to the table above.
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