SARA 2027: Monthly SARA vs SARA Madani and who gets what

SARA 2027 covers two different payments. STR recipients get up to RM150 a month. Adults not on STR get RM100 twice, the Budget 2027 speech says.

Readers often mix the two up. The first follows your STR result, while the second is called SARA Madani and has no claim method yet.

Here is who gets which, where SARA can be used and what is still unknown.

Monthly SARA for STR recipients

Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim tabled Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat on 9 October. He said every STR recipient will get SARA of up to RM150 a month, or up to RM1,800 a year. The speech says this reaches up to 9 million people.

STR and SARA funding rises to RM16 billion from RM15 billion, The Star reported. The speech said the government moved savings from oil subsidies into aid. It said funding rose from RM8 billion in 2022 to RM15 billion this year.

The STR portal has a page on SARA 2027. It says eligibility is limited to Malaysian citizens who pass STR 2027. This covers the household, single and elderly-without-partner groups, it states.

The page describes no separate SARA application. We read this to mean the aid follows your STR approval. The speech does not spell it out. The Finance Ministry has not said so either.

The portal also lists four data dates for the eKasih lists. They are 31 January, 30 April, 31 July and 31 October 2027. SARA starts from that month. The page gives no amounts. To apply for STR, read our STR 2027 application guide.

SARA Madani: RM100 twice for adults not on STR

SARA Madani is the second payment. The speech said people aged 18 and above who do not receive STR will get RM100, paid twice.

The first comes before Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The second comes ahead of the 70th National Day. That makes RM200 a person. A monthly SARA at the maximum would reach RM1,800 a year, nine times as much.

The government says up to 13 million Malaysians should benefit, including the M40 group. Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong repeated this on 19 October, Utusan Malaysia reported.

The speech sets no income limit. It does not say if non-citizens are excluded. The portal’s SARA page does not mention SARA Madani.

Do you need to apply? Nobody has said. The government has not said if the RM100 is automatic or needs a claim. Malay Mail reported to expect it before Hari Raya and again before Merdeka. Some sites give months. No official source does.

Where to use SARA and what is still unknown

SARA 2027 is for basic necessities and food. Fresh goods can now be bought at 216 FAMA farmers’ markets across the country, the speech said.

SARA has 15,000 partner premises so far. They include 6,800 small grocery shops and cooperatives. The government aims to raise the grocery number to 10,000 before the end of this year.

For STR recipients, Bernama reported that SARA goes onto the MyKad. No official source says how SARA Madani will be paid. The speech does not say if the RM100 can be used at the same shops. It does not say if the credit expires.

Until the Finance Ministry explains, treat any claim form, link or message about SARA Madani as unverified. The STR portal has already warned about impersonation. See our STR guide for its warning.

We will update this article when the Finance Ministry gives dates and a claim method.