When this first came up, there were already some discussions (maybe here, or in the other EPF thread).
Unfortunately, even in this forum, many seemed to cheer EPF’s move to raise the threshold, with reasons like:
a) “good to cater for inflation”
b) “to thwart scammers targeting the elderly”
c) “to stop the rich from treating EPF as a liquid CASA account”

But let’s be real. Most who support it are already much older, so the new rule hardly affects them. Easy for them to clap when it’s someone else who takes the hit.

What annoys me most is how EPF (tainted by the current gov) thinks it has the moral obligation to dictate even how much the top 5% must hold their wealth inside EPF. Ridiculous. These guys don’t need baby sitting by gov.

Back to reality: regardless of what you or I think, the new threshold is coming in 2026. Best to rework your plans with this baked in… and pretty sure 2029 will see the threshold raised above 1.3M.

On my side, I should thank EPF ( and the FM who is also the PMX... a clear no no as stated by a certain someone ). Else, I wouldn't have been so decisive about slashing my Malaysia portfolio weightage. lol

yes why should there be any problem at all
it is for your retirement lah....
not your piggy bank you can dip your hand in anytime
at 55 you take what you like

the problem is those at 40 or 45
and they said they are the victims...
when they want EPF as their piggy bank

why then go put in so much?
must keep some spare lah at home
for expenses mah..

big isue comes from those
who go put all in.........
including their market or grocery monies in EPF !

why go do that ?
becos EPF pays 6.5% interest mah,
elsewhere where can get so high rate?

but just how much extra can you get with small RM10k ?
over short weeks... RM5 extra or so in 1 week...

take home message
dont rely on EPF money when you are not yet 55
make sure you have enough spares outside

others put in max RM100k every year
we dont have enough we must not go follow blindly!

Meaning they were trying to game the system, and now complaining bcoz the game got a little bit harder?

now they kena game
unker dah 52 so no impact even it increase to 2.0M
the only thing that scare me is account 55 jadi account 60 then really GG
this gov introduce RIA Framework to help rakyat better manage retirement
next gov maybe introduce something else to help rakyat save till 60

I doubt they will do that... The consequences are massive ie street reaction ..but you never know... If they are to do it, it's likely a staggered on age group. Say those 50 and above will not be affected, those 45 onward maybe have some transition ie can touch up to certain % but not full access like acct 55. But those below 45 or 40, it's immaterial. They will announce that maybe 2-3 years ahead etc... again policy are never fair, it's biggest effect to be achieved..some bound to be unhappy

some ppl will find reason to shit on the gov for sure... even the free rm 100 get dissed... lol

but change is inevitable... how subtle or drastic will depend on the situation... account 3 was quick, pencen plan will be longer...

anyways this year mark my last 100k contribution... next year onwards will start divided withdrawal...

Many presumptions and assumptions.
Let me state my own.

I as a member of this ad hoc club I want my own control. Dividends notwithstanding. Why does EPF feel so obligated to help the 0.13% or supposing easier to count, the 1% who are there because they are able to manage their own finances well anyway.
You think they will not increase anymore, but also state that the 1mil limit was there for a long time. I would interpret this as they used to be consistent and now they aren't. Fact is, anyone who reaches 1mil with the 50-60k dividend a year would've been able to withdraw this dividend without restriction immediately. However, if you set it to 1.3 the same person will have to wait 2-3 years just to withdraw the same 50-60k of dividend. At the same time, a principal amounting 300k has been additionally locked in for 2-3 years. If you can count the opportunity cost it is not a trivial amount, especially to the financially savvy. I am talking about those who just recently attained the 7 figures. Not the 8 figures people who won't care about the 6 figure sums.

Congrats bro!. I will probably continue to contribute somemore before end of next year. Then 2027 maybe start withdraw some dividend, while still letting it grow without topping up.

Thanks to all who have replied and shared. I must've missed (or ignored) the initial announcement so the recently released news article was an eye-opener for me, at least.

Personally, it's going to force me to relook at my financial planning. If given a choice, I don't see myself working to retirement age and would like to retire as a family at a certain age and live off the dividends from our investments (of which a big part is EPF). Given that now the withdrawal threshold has increased, it'll be harder to access the dividends. I feel they should increase the self contribution threshold to even things out.

At the end of the day, I realise that my grumblings are pretty selfish and not in the spirit of what EPF is trying to achieve. There's also the worry that if they can do this, then what's stopping them from shifting the goalposts again and increasing the threshold to say RM2.0m all of a sudden. I firmly believe that people who have RM1.0m in their EPF (obtained in the right manner, of course), have the knowledge and maturity to manage their own funds without needing an invisible hand to tell them what they can and cannot do.

Ultimately, while I understand the rationale behind EPF’s move and the need to safeguard retirement adequacy, I can’t help but feel uneasy about the shifting rules and their long-term implications. Policy certainty is just as important as financial security, and members who have diligently built up their savings deserve the trust and flexibility to decide what works best for their own circumstances. Striking the right balance between protection and autonomy will be key to maintaining confidence in the system.

This post has been edited by wira1979: Sep 30 2025, 09:09 AM

when you pump extra for EPF 6.5% you happily take that dividends for years
after so many years of benefits.....
suddenly it becomes your opportunity cost now...?


kicking away the boat after reaching shore only proves you have mistaken arrival for independence

dont forget early withdrawal is a privilege not a right...
it's like wanting to eat the cake before the party starts.

Just read some quote this morning supposely from Warren Buffet. One of the statement:
- How NOT to be stupid instead of worry how to being Brilliant.

Strike a chord with me. Being NOT Stupid can really saves you a lot of money, when being brilliant is too difficult for most people (including me).

When you pump extra you don't happily take dividend?
When they take away withdrawal it does not take your opportunity cost to invest or save or do something else elsewhere?
Why do you say it is a privilege not a right?
https://www.kwsp.gov.my/en/member/life-stag...million-savings

I read and re-read, and many times EPF themselves state it is a right. Of course they also have a right to re-write the rules but doesn't it count as misleading people to deposit?

Aiya... these "high flyers" in their 30s/40s already sitting on near 1M in EPF, still kena accused of "gaming the system" just to get 5–6% dividend?
Outside got plenty of investments flying double-digit returns, but somehow EPF is treated like magic goose. Collecting pennies when got durians out there. Sure, got some folks who waste lotsa time and energy suka pinch that extra 0.5 to 1% and shift small money around, but let’s be real... that’s a tiny minority.

Calling it "gaming" is misleading. EPF publishes its rules and dividend structure openly. If people optimise within those rules, that’s not gaming. It is prudent financial planning.

Imagine this:
EPF says: "Please save here, we give you fair dividend"
Members reply: "Ok"
Then suddenly… "Eh, you’re gaming the system! Quick, raise the threshold!"
… followed by "B40, please withdraw from the new Account 3 and deplete your funds further." lol.


So those impacted (mostly not the 50yo above crowd) maybe not so "high flyers" after all… more like low gliders. No wonder EPF thinks they must "protect" their balances -- like parents keeping the kid's angpow safe.

And the consequence? Many, like me, already cabut a chunk overseas. I’ve harvested more than 20 years' worth of EPF dividends this way. So actually… thank you EPF, for changing rules on an ad-hoc basis. Gave me the push I needed.

As for those who couldn't move yet (because their balances haven’t crossed the threshold), well... too bad, just “take the hit” lah and not make any noise, like some of the older than 50 crowd here said. We can all see how well-intentioned that advice is. 😉

it also depends on how old you are... if you are near 50 to 55, then sure... not much impact. above 55, no impact on old funds. above 60, either completely ignore or be very worried in case EPF pulls another smart move. lol

if too young like below 50, basically some degree of flexibility has been removed...

This post has been edited by Wedchar2912: Sep 30 2025, 11:26 AM

Good quote for your thoughts

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

This post has been edited by Ayambetul: Sep 30 2025, 12:14 PM

english too powderful i catch no balls

By now, everyone should know EPF is a retirement fund. It's not a savings account where you can put in and take out money as you like. There are other avenues for it, it's not EPF.

Yes, EPF allows you to put extra into it, but it's for you to have a better post retirement planning and benefits out of it.

people who complained only want the high dividends
but not the EPF restrictions

i want FD rate but not the FD tenure boleh?

and they refused to acknowledge it a retirement fund
they dont want to be tied down..cant wait till 55

this is not even a tie down..
you still can withdraw
but only if you have enough in there
by current day standards lah
so its increasing in thresholds

You are not 'denied 'your money
if you have problem it is becos
you are just not old enough to be trusted with it yet.

Epf stands for employee provident fund not employee retirement fund.
Even in Malay it is Kumpulan wang Simpanan pekerja not kumpulan wang Persaraan pekerja.

Somehow someone’s liberties have been taken away and those who are not affected have decided it is the victims fault.

I suppose this is the effect of our education system where you are drilled into repeating how great your country is, how wonderful hydroelectric dams are (they aren’t, they only generate less than a small fraction of energy), how our roads are the second best in ASEAN (no, we have worse than Indonesia and Thailand and Singapore roads), how our leaders are the best (well even our ideal choice PM is a mess when comes to terrorists) and on and on it goes. At some point even our EPF will be espoused to the heavens. Then they make systems to encourage you to save with them with the expectation of flexible withdrawal (I showed the proof). Sometimes they allow mass withdrawal, and then at other times it is for YOUR DAMN RETIREMENT!!!

If you don’t debate this and don’t think carefully about this but just ayam catch no ball then just continue with blue pill lo.

Perhaps it was my age and exposures,
I don’t debate this EPF things and don’t think carefully about this EPF things also bcos what can a kopitiam debates here and there in this forum do or can seek to accomplish except just for the satisfaction of having posted our thoughts here when we damn know that the real results of this debate cannot be changed by debating here. The people in power in KWSP does not care much of what we debated here.
Thus I prefer to concentrate my time and my brain energy to many of my other interest. Just continue with the thinking of blue pill use maybe next in the lists of my others yet to complete things to do .

This post has been edited by MUM: Oct 1 2025, 08:00 AM