KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 5): Government cash assistance programme payment for eligible Malaysians will start from Jan 9, with the one-off RM100 Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) for all Malaysians to be credited on Feb 9, 2026.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his 2026 New Year message said monthly Sara payments of between RM50 to RM200 will be credited to MyKad for 3.7 million households, and 1.3 million senior citizens without a partner on Jan 9, and 3.1 million single individuals on Jan 16.

Monthly Sara payments are an extra payment for recipients of Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR), a government aid programme for low- and middle-income groups to help them manage the rising cost of living. Eligibility for Sara is automatic, based on approved STR data for the poor and hardcore poor groups (eKasih).

Under this programme, eligible recipients can use their MyKad at registered supermarkets or retail stores to purchase selected essential goods, medicines, personal hygiene items, and school supplies. 

The target for small shops participating in the Sara programme will be increased to 10,000 by the end of 2026, compared with over 3,000 at the end of 2025, complementing existing supermarket branches.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the government will increase its expenditure for Sara monthly payments from RM5 billion in 2025 to RM8 billion in 2026, implying 8.1 million recipients this year, from 5.4 million in 2025. 

Monthly Sara for 2025 showed nearly 100% spending by recipients, including in rural areas, according to the Ministry of Finance in its statement following the New Year message on Monday.

The statement said the one-off RM100 Sara for every Malaysian aged 18 and above, irrespective of income, will be continued this year, as the programme benefited 21.2 million Malaysians in 2025.

It will be credited on Feb 9 to help with Ramadan and Chinese New Year preparation.

Last year, 96% of recipients used the one-off Sara payment, totalling nearly RM2.1 billion. 

Anwar said of the RM2.1 billion, there was RM150 million unspent, which the government did not keep.

The RM150 million will be distributed to support shelter residents, such as victims of domestic violence under Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, special-needs students under Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, and medical devices for poor patients under Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

STR Phase 1 2026 will be distributed on Jan 20, where recipients will receive between RM100 and RM500 depending on their eligibility. Some RM1.1 billion is allocated for 3.7 million households and 1.3 million senior citizens without partners.

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