KUALA LUMPUR: Total contributions to the i-Saraan programme, a voluntary scheme under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), amounted to RM2.6bil in 2024, says Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan (pic).
He said of the amount, the government’s incentive allocation was RM114.8mil, benefiting 529,667 members.
“This marks a significant increase compared with the government’s incentive of RM54.7mil for 383,082 members in 2023 and RM33.2mil for 291,743 members in 2022.
“As a result, total contributions received for i-Saraan in 2023 amounted to RM1.44bil compared with RM888mil in 2022,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Negara here yesterday, Bernama reported.
He was responding to Senator Hasbie Muda’s query on the allocations for the i-Saraan and i-Suri programmes under EPF.
Amir Hamzah said the government had announced enhancements to the i-Saraan programme, including an increase in the matching incentive from 15% to 20%, subject to a maximum of RM500 per year and a lifetime limit of RM5,000 per individual under Budget 2025.
Eligibility for the incentive applies to individuals under the age of 60, he said.
Meanwhile, Amir Hamzah said that 75,196 members had received government incentives totalling RM11.4mil under the i-Suri scheme.
The number of recipients increased by 77% compared with 42,759 members in 2023, he said.
The incentive rate for i-Suri in 2024 is a matching contribution of 50% for every ringgit contributed to the EPF, with a maximum incentive of RM300 per year.
“This incentive is subject to a lifetime limit of RM3,000 per individual under the age of 55,” he added.
