EPF Simpanan Shariah dividend history 2017–2025, and how it works

Simpanan Shariah is the Shariah-compliant savings option of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF, or KWSP in Malay). It has paid a dividend every year since 2017. The latest rate, 6.15% for 2025, was announced on 28 February 2026 (Sinar Harian, 28 Feb 2026). This page lists every rate since the first one, with the date it was announced and where we found it. It then explains how the scheme works.

Simpanan Shariah dividend rates, 2017–2025

The EPF announces each year’s dividend in late February or early March of the following year.

Financial year	Dividend rate	Shariah payout	Announced	Source
2017	6.40%	RM3.98 bn	10 Feb 2018	The Star
2018	5.90%	RM4.32 bn	16 Feb 2019	New Straits Times
2019	5.00%	RM4.14 bn	22 Feb 2020	RinggitPlus
2020	4.90%	RM4.76 bn	27 Feb 2021	Malaysiakini
2021	5.65%	RM6.27 bn	2 Mar 2022	The Vibes
2022	4.75%	RM5.70 bn	4 Mar 2023	Bernama, via Ministry of Finance
2023	5.40%	RM7.48 bn	3 Mar 2024	The Star
2024	6.30%	RM10.19 bn	1 Mar 2025	Bernama
2025	6.15%	RM12.5 bn	28 Feb 2026	Sinar Harian

Notes on the table:

• Sources. The EPF’s own dividend page on kwsp.gov.my refused our automated checks on 28–29 October 2026, so every figure above comes from press reports of the EPF’s announcement, published on or just after the day.
• 2021. Most reports from the day give 5.65%. A later Utusan article rounds it to 5.6%. We use 5.65%.
• What the payout tells you. The 2025 rate was lower than 2024’s, yet the ringgit amount paid out was larger, because more savings sit in Simpanan Shariah.
• No guarantee. Simpanan Shariah has no minimum dividend: each year’s rate reflects what the Shariah-compliant portfolio actually earned. A past rate says nothing about the next one.

What Simpanan Shariah is

• Start date. Registration opened on 8 August 2016, with an initial allocation of RM100 billion for 2017 (Borneo Post, 21 Jun 2016). Its first dividend was for 2017.
• What it invests in. Only Shariah-compliant assets. When it was launched, the EPF said the portfolio would have no conventional banking exposure. Its existing rules already excluded gambling, weapons, alcohol and adult entertainment (Free Malaysia Today / Bernama, 25 Jul 2016).
• Who checks it. A Shariah Advisory Committee oversees how the scheme is run, how it invests and how it is governed. The EPF also has a Shariah compliance function (same FMT report).
• A separate fund since 2024. The EPF announced on 4 March 2023 that its Shariah and conventional funds would be fully separated from 1 January 2024 (Utusan, 24 Nov 2023).
• Who can join. The press describes it as open to all EPF members, whatever their religion. We have not been able to confirm this on kwsp.gov.my.

How to opt in, and whether you can go back

• Where. You can register online through i-Akaun, in the “Simpanan Syariah” tab. Members without i-Akaun can register at a KWSP branch (iSaham, 5 Mar 2020). New members can choose Simpanan Shariah when they first register (RinggitPlus, 10 Jan 2025).
• When it takes effect. Until 2024, a conversion took effect on 1 January of the following year. Since 1 April 2025 it takes effect on the first day of the month after you opt in, subject to a seven-day grace period. An opt-in on 15 April 2025 took effect on 1 May; one on 25 April took effect on 1 June (RinggitPlus, 10 Jan 2025; New Straits Times, 10 Jan 2025). The articles do not say what the grace period allows.
• Going back. Once the conversion takes effect, it cannot be reversed. Before that date, a registration could be cancelled once (iSaham, 5 Mar 2020). The source is a 2020 guide, not the EPF itself. Check the current rule in i-Akaun before you register.

How the dividend is calculated and credited

• When. The dividend is for a calendar year. It is announced in late February or early March and credited within days. The 2025 dividend was announced on 28 February 2026 and credited on 1 March 2026 (RinggitPlus, 28 Feb 2026). You see it in your i-Akaun statement.
• On what balance. EPF dividends are calculated on a daily-rest basis: each day’s dividend is based on the previous day’s closing balance (iMoney). A simple example from RinggitPlus: RM100,000 kept in the account all year at 6.15% earns RM6,150. Because the dividend is added to the balance, the next year’s dividend is calculated on a larger amount (RinggitPlus, 28 Feb 2026).
• What changes the result. Because the calculation runs day by day, money withdrawn during the year stops earning from the day it leaves, and new contributions earn only for the part of the year they are in the account. Secondary sources describe differently the exact day from which a monthly contribution starts earning, and we could not check the official rule on kwsp.gov.my.

The three accounts since May 2024

On 11 May 2024, the EPF restructured the accounts of members under 55 into three (Malay Mail, 25 Apr 2024; iMoney, 29 Aug 2024):

Account	Share of new contributions	What it is for
Akaun Persaraan (formerly Account 1)	75%	Retirement. Kept until 55.
Akaun Sejahtera (formerly Account 2)	15%	Life-stage needs during working life
Akaun Fleksibel (new)	10%	Withdrawals at any time, minimum RM50 per withdrawal

What this means for Simpanan Shariah members:

• Same rules, same rate. The split applies to every member under 55. The EPF said the dividend rate would be the same across all three accounts (iMoney, 29 Aug 2024).
• Money withdrawn stops earning. Under the daily-rest method above, money taken out of Akaun Fleksibel earns no dividend after the day it is withdrawn.
• Existing balances. Balances from Account 1 and Account 2 moved into Akaun Persaraan and Akaun Sejahtera. Akaun Fleksibel started at zero. Between 11 May and 31 August 2024, members could make a one-time transfer from Akaun Sejahtera into it (Malay Mail, 25 Apr 2024).

Withdrawals: the main rules

• Any time: Akaun Fleksibel, minimum RM50 per withdrawal (The Star, 25 Apr 2024).
• At 55: the savings in the three accounts are merged and become available to withdraw. Contributions made after 55 go into a separate account, Akaun Emas (iMoney, 29 Aug 2024). Reports differ on what that merged account is called (Akaun 55 or Akaun Emas) and on when post-55 contributions can be withdrawn (secondary sources say 60). We could not confirm either point on kwsp.gov.my.
• Akaun Sejahtera: used for specific purposes such as housing, education and health. The EPF updates this list from time to time, so check it in i-Akaun or on kwsp.gov.my.

FAQ

What is the EPF Simpanan Shariah dividend for 2025? 6.15%, announced on 28 February 2026 and credited on 1 March 2026. The Shariah payout totalled RM12.5 billion (Sinar Harian; RinggitPlus).

When is the EPF dividend announced? In late February or early March, for the year that ended on 31 December. Since 2018 the announcement has fallen between 10 February and 4 March (see the table). The rate for 2026 is expected around February–March 2027. No date had been announced when we checked.

How do I change my EPF to Simpanan Shariah? Register in i-Akaun, in the “Simpanan Syariah” tab, or at a KWSP branch. Since April 2025 the conversion takes effect on the first day of the following month (RinggitPlus, 10 Jan 2025).

Can I switch back from Simpanan Shariah? Not once it has taken effect, according to the guidance published so far (iSaham). Check the current terms in i-Akaun before you opt in.

Is the Simpanan Shariah dividend guaranteed? No. There is no minimum rate. Each year’s dividend depends on what the Shariah-compliant portfolio earned. The lowest rate so far was 4.75% (2022) and the highest 6.40% (2017).

What we do not cover

• No advice. We do not say whether you should opt in, how much to keep in the EPF or when to withdraw. That depends on your situation, and on your own religious obligations if they apply.
• No comparison with interest-based products. We do not compare Simpanan Shariah with conventional savings, fixed deposits or other interest-bearing products. This page covers the Shariah option only.
• Zakat and purification. Whether and how zakat applies to EPF savings is a matter for your state religious authority, not for this page.
• Future rates. We do not forecast dividends.

Sources checked on 28–29 October 2026. The official KWSP website could not be read by our automated checks on those dates. Before acting, confirm any rule in i-Akaun or with the EPF.