COVID-19: RM500 for civil servants, government pensioners - Muhyiddin

A one-off aid of RM500 will be paid to 1.5 million civil servants and 850,000 government pensioners to help them cope with the economic impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

In presenting the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (PRIHATIN) today, he said it was proof that the government would not neglect the welfare of all civil servants who continued to be loyal in carrying out their tasks for the country.

“In recognition of their contributions, the government will provide a one-off RM500 cash aid to over 1.5 million civil servants in grades 56 and below including contract workers. Payment will be made in April 2020.

“The contribution of government pensioners are also not forgotten. With this in mind, the government will be distributing a one-off aid of RM500 to over 850,000 government pensioners in April 2020,” he added.

As for those in the Private Retirement Scheme (PRS), the prime minister said the group would be allowed to make a maximum withdrawal of RM1,500 a month, starting from April to the end of the year.

“In these difficult times, of course all of you would need cash from any form of savings to cover daily expenses.

"Accordingly, the government has allowed pre-retirement withdrawals from Account B of the Private Retirement Scheme of up to RM1,500 per member without any tax penalties for the period of April to December 2020," he added.