PETALING JAYA: The government will bring forward the Phase 4 payments for the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) 2025 to Oct 18, ahead of Deepavali.
In a statement on Friday (Oct 17), the Finance Ministry announced that approximately 8.8 million recipients would benefit from early disbursement, involving a total allocation of RM2bil, with payment amounts of up to RM700 depending on category.
"For this phase, we want to ensure that the assistance, which represents the nation's shared prosperity, reaches every layer of society
"It is hoped that the early disbursement will provide some financial relief as Deepavali approaches," said the ministry.
According to the ministry, Phase 4 payout includes 200,000 newly approved applicants whose payments would be made from Nov 13 onwards.
Compared to Phase 1 in January this year, the number of recipients has increased by 500,000 individuals and households, from 8.3 million previously, following the government’s decision to keep STR and SARA applications open throughout the year.
In this phase, households earning below RM2,500 would receive between RM200 and RM700, while those earning RM2,501 to RM5,000 would receive between RM100 and RM350.
Senior citizens without spouses and single individuals would each receive RM150.
The ministry added that for existing recipients, payments would be credited directly to their bank accounts between Oct 18 and 24, while those without bank accounts, including recipients in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, may collect their cash payments at Bank Simpanan Nasional branches starting Oct 21.
Meanwhile, the government would continue to open registrations for STR and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) 2026 throughout the year.
As announced in the 2026 Budget, total allocations for STR and Sara next year could reach up to RM15bil.
Recipients are advised to check payment and approval status at the official STR portal https://bantuantunai.hasil.gov.my
