The first payment of the 1Malaysia People's Aid 4.0 (BR1M) will be implemented from January-end, said Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.

He urged new applicants for the aid to apply quickly while existing recipients must update their personal details before the closing date on Dec 31.

"New applicants must submit their applications before the closing date on Dec 31. We will process them to determine who qualifies before payment is made at the end of January.

"Existing recipients must update their particulars because it is difficult for us to hand over compensation to the next-of-kin of recipients who have died because they do not provide the name of the next-of-kin in the forms," he said.

Ahmad Husni was speaking to reporters after officiating a ground-breaking ceremony and handing over of an approval letter to build a new surau for the Jalan Padang Tembak Public Housing here Sunday.

He said recipients must open a bank account to enable payment to be made, as payment for BR1M was thrice a year.

By taking into account the increase in Goods and Service Tax and physical capability, the government announced a hike for all categories of recipients.

The BR1M rate was raised to RM950 from RM650 for households with an income under RM3,000.

The rate for a household income of between RM3,000 and RM4,000 has been raised to RM750 from RM450. A payment of RM200 will be made in January and May while the balance of RM350 will be paid in September.