SHAH ALAM: Voluntary contributions into the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) gained momentum in 2025 rising to RM19.2bil, while withdrawals declined by about 6%.
The fund’s i-Saraan programme was a key driver for voluntary contributions, with incentive recipients increasing 35.9% to 720,056 and total contributions rising 50.8% to RM4bil.
The number of Malaysian formal sector members contributing above statutory rates through i-Topup increased 26% to 229,901.
Overall contributions grew 12.3% to RM121.5 billion, supported by higher membership, wage growth and sustained confidence in the EPF.
EPF chief executive officer Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn said 16% of total gross contributions are voluntary.
"We saw very strong voluntary contributions, both in value and, most importantly, in the number of contributors," he said during the EPF’s 2025 Dividend Briefing here on Saturday (Feb 28).
He added that there was growth in the number of members who voluntarily increased their rate of contributions above the statutory rate.
"A total of 364,000 members took advantage of i-Topup, growing 19% year-on-year. However, i-Topup is where you yourself increase your rate of contribution, either as the employee or via your employer," he said.
EPF membership grew to 18.1 million with active members increasing to 10.6 million, improving the active-to-inactive ratio to 59:41.
New registrations remained robust, with 2.8 million new members and 89,649 new employers, bringing total active employers to 640,391.
Ahmad Zulqarnain attributed the increase in membership to the inclusion of 1.5 million foreign national employees as contributors.
"We saw withdrawals decline 6.6%. This is a bit of an aberration as withdrawals in the previous year were elevated from the introduction of the Akaun Fleksibel," he added.
