Yalinie Mathan
STR phase four is paying RM1.1 billion to over 5 million recipients. New recipients are paid from 16 November. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the payout on 4 November, Bernama reported. It adds to the cost-of-living help in Budget 2027, such as the Form Six allowance of RM2,500.
Existing recipients were paid from 4 to 6 November. Meanwhile, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, made the announcement at the Deepavali Mega Bazaar 2026 in Brickfields. He tied the payout to Deepavali.
Overall, here is who gets what, when the payments land and how to check. The Ministry of Finance (MOF) statement gave the details. However, it did not cover the SARA payout.
Who gets STR phase four and how much
More than 5 million people will receive the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) cash aid in this phase. Of these, 4.0 million are households with income of RM5,000 or less. In addition, 1.4 million are senior citizens without a spouse.
Households receive up to RM500. In contrast, senior citizens without a spouse receive RM150. The two groups add up to 5.4 million.
In total, the Indian community accounts for over 630,000 recipients. That is 7.4% of all STR recipients. Furthermore, Anwar tied the timing of the payout to Deepavali.
The MOF statement does not say how the RM500 is worked out for each household. It also does not list the income bands below RM5,000. Therefore, households should check their own status on the official portal.
STR phase four payment dates and how to check
Existing recipients are paid from 4 to 6 November. That window has now passed. As a result, they should already see the money.
New recipients are paid from 16 November. The same date applies to those whose appeals were approved. However, the report does not say if every new-recipient group is covered.
Read more: Form Six allowance of RM2,500 starts in first semester 2027
Read more: Penang Budget 2027 gives RM500 to newlyweds and RM600 to drivers
Read more: 50% toll discount for Deepavali on 6 and 7 November
Recipients with a bank account are paid by direct credit. Those without one can collect cash at any Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) branch.
Status checks and FAQs are on bantuantunai.hasil.gov.my. Moreover, SARA details are on sara.gov.my. The report gives no hotline number. Therefore, recipients with a problem should start with the portal’s FAQ page.
STR phase four and the cost of cash aid
Anwar gave the scale of federal cash aid over the years. It was RM6 billion under Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) in 2018 and RM8 billion under Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia in 2022. For 2026, STR and SARA come to RM15 billion, and Budget 2027 sets RM16 billion.
States add help of their own. For example, Penang gives newlyweds RM500 and e-hailing drivers RM600 in 2027. Equally, the federal payout is separate from those state schemes.
The report gives no SARA amounts or payment dates. It also does not give the exact time the payments began on 4 November. Furthermore, it does not say how recipients are told of their payment. Equally, it gives no figure for how many have been paid so far. Likewise, it does not say how many new recipients will be paid on 16 November.
In short, STR phase four pays RM1.1 billion, and new recipients are paid from 16 November. Households get up to RM500, and senior citizens without a spouse get RM150.
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