SARA 2027 up to RM150 a month, SARA MADANI RM100 twice: SARA 2026 balances lapse on 31 Dec

Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) is basic needs aid credited to your MyKad for buying essential goods at participating merchant shops; it is not cash. Budget 2027, tabled on 9 Oct 2026, raises SARA rates for some recipients of the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) cash aid. It also extends SARA to adults who are not STR recipients through SARA MADANI.

SARA 2027 for STR recipients: up to RM150 a month

The Budget 2027 speech states that all STR recipients will receive SARA of up to RM150 a month or RM1,800 a year, covering up to 9 million recipients. The rates by category in Appendix 1 of Budget 2027 are as follows:

The 2027 monthly rate is the annual amount divided by 12. The 2026 rate is the standard rate in the SARA 2026 FAQ, excluding the eKasih top-up.

Poor and hardcore poor recipients registered in eKasih qualify for an extra RM1,200 or RM600 a year. According to Appendix 1, poor and hardcore poor households can receive up to RM250 a month (RM3,000 a year). The breakdown of the top-up for other categories has not been detailed yet.

The government also agreed to allow SARA to be used for wet and fresh produce at 216 Farmers' Markets (Pasar Tani) or Tamu under the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA). The implementation date has not been announced.

The date of the first SARA 2027 credit has not been announced, and the SARA 2027 FAQ has not been published. For reference, SARA 2026 was paid for the period January to December 2026.

SARA MADANI 2027: RM100 twice for non-STR recipients

According to the Budget 2027 speech, citizens aged 18 and above other than STR recipients will receive SARA MADANI of RM100 twice. The first payment will be made before Aidilfitri, and the second ahead of the 70th Merdeka. It will benefit up to 13 million people, including the M40 group.

Appendix 1, however, uses the phrase "non-recipients of STR as Head of Household". So it is still unclear whether spouses or adult children in an STR recipient's household also qualify.

This is different from SARA for All 2026, a one-off RM100 credit for more than 22 million adult MyKad holders, including STR recipients. SARA for All was credited automatically based on National Registration Department (JPN) MyKad data, with no application.

The full conditions, exact dates, distribution method and validity period of SARA MADANI have not been announced. As of 20 Oct 2026, there is no official announcement about SARA MADANI registration on the Ministry of Finance (MOF) website or sara.gov.my.

SARA 2026 and SARA for All balances lapse on 31 Dec 2026

The SARA 2026 FAQ issued by the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) on 9 Feb 2026 states that the monthly SARA balance carries over to the following month. However, any balance not used by the end of the programme, which is 31 Dec 2026, lapses automatically.

The RM100 SARA for All credit received on 9 Feb 2026 is also valid until 31 Dec 2026. The SARA for All FAQ (MOF, 5 Feb 2026) also explains what happens to unused balances. After that date, those balances will be used for other social protection programmes the following year.

You can check your balance at sara.gov.my, the MyKasih app or your last purchase receipt. The credit can only be used with your own MyKad at SARA participating merchant shops. It covers 15 categories of essential goods, including rice, eggs, cooking oil, medicines, frozen food and school supplies.

What it means for you

• Check your SARA 2026 and SARA for All balances now, and spend them before 31 Dec 2026.
• SARA 2027 follows STR approval. If you have not applied or need to update your details, do so on the official portal bantuantunai.hasil.gov.my. A guide is available on the STR 2027 hub.
• If you are 18 or above and not an STR recipient, wait for MOF's official announcement on SARA MADANI. Do not fill in SARA registration forms from WhatsApp links; MOF never asks for personal information by SMS or WhatsApp.
• If you are an STR recipient yourself, your aid in 2027 is the monthly SARA, not SARA MADANI. The position of other members of your household has not been clarified.
• SARA 2027 and SARA MADANI dates will be added to the Aid Payment Calendar as soon as they are announced.

To see other aid you may qualify for, try Check All My Aid. The results are estimates only.