KUALA LUMPUR: The Employees Provident Fund's (EPF) i-Sinar facility is now accessible to all members who have lost their jobs, given unpaid leave, or have no source of income.
Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz told the Dewan Rakyat today that the decision to widen eligibility for withdrawals was made after a meeting with EPF this morning.
"Whether you have lost your job or experienced pay cuts; whether your do formal work or are self-employed; whether you are an active member or not, you can apply for the i-Sinar facility.
"From the two million eligible members before this, now more than eight million members will be eligible," he said during his winding-up speech on the 2021 Budget in Parliament today.
Zafrul said the maximum eligible withdrawal amount has also been increased from RM9,000 to RM10,000.
"Members can apply for this online, or go to an EPF office. Just show proof of job loss or pay cuts."
During the tabling of the 2021 Budget, Zafrul had announced that the government would allow those who had lost their jobs or had their incomes reduced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic to withdraw from their EPF Account 1.
Generally, eligible members would have access to 10 per cent of their savings in Account 1, subject to always having a minimum balance of RM100.