The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is strongly urging its members to nominate a beneficiary for their EPF savings to ensure their loved ones are financially protected in the event of their demise.

General Manager for Public Relations Nik Affendi Jaafar said a survey conducted by them showed that members were aware of the importance of nominating a beneficiary, but the take-up rate was not encouraging.

"The reason could be that they take nomination lightly. Therefore, it is vital that we continue to remind our members to do the nomination soonest possible," he said in a statement.

As at Sept 30, 2013, the number of nominations stood at 3.57 million, an increase of 4.55 percent compared with the corresponding period in 2012, Affendi said.

"Members only need to spend few minutes to complete the nomination form so that their families' well-being will be taken care of when they pass on.

"The nomination form (KWSP 4) needs to be submitted by members themselves to the nearest EPF branch," he said.

By making a nomination, Affendi said members' savings would be disbursed to the beneficiaries without any hassle.

"For Muslim members, the nominee will act as an administrator (wasi) who is responsible in distributing the savings to deserving family members in accordance with the Faraid Law," he added.

In addition, the EPF encouraged all members to update their nomination when there are changes to their lives such as marriage, divorce or the birth of a child.

A KWSP 4 Form can be obtained from the nearest EPF branch or downloaded from the myEPF website at www.kwsp.gov.my or contact the EPF Call Centre at 03-8922 6000 (8.00am to 6.00pm from Monday to Friday) or submit their query online via http://enquiry.kwsp.gov.my.