Topic
#guide
18 articles
KTM ETS Train Guide 2026: Routes, Fares, Concessions and How to Book
KTM's ETS now runs the full West Coast line from Padang Besar to JB Sentral. We searched KTMB's own booking system on 25 October 2026: KL Sentral to Butterworth costs RM82 to RM107 on a mid-November Wednesday, KL to Ipoh from RM48 and KL to JB Sentral from RM78. Here is how the three train types differ, how flexible fares and the 50% senior and OKU concessions work, and what you get back if you cancel.
How to Check If You Are Bankrupt in Malaysia, and the Four Ways Out (2026)
You can be made bankrupt in Malaysia without knowing it, if court papers go to an old address. A search on the Insolvency Department's e-Insolvensi portal costs RM10 and gives an official result. Here is how the check works, what bankruptcy restricts, the RM100,000 threshold, and the four routes out, including automatic discharge after three years and the 2026 Fast Track scheme.
Year-End Bonus in Malaysia 2026: How Much Goes to Tax, EPF and SOCSO, With Worked Examples
A year-end bonus in Malaysia is taxed in the year you receive it, not the year it rewards, so a bonus paid in December 2026 falls under the 2026 tax rules and one paid in January 2027 under Budget 2027's new rates and RM12,000 personal relief. EPF takes 11% of it, SOCSO and EIS take nothing, and the monthly tax deduction in the bonus month is only an estimate. Here is how each deduction works, with two worked examples.
Donating Blood in Malaysia 2026: Who Can Give, Common Waiting Periods, Where to Go and the Free-Treatment Perks
First-time donors in Malaysia can give blood from age 17 to 60 if they weigh at least 45kg, slept five hours and ate within four hours. A tattoo, piercing or dengue means waiting six months; a cold, seven days. Donors also earn free outpatient, dental and second-class ward treatment at Health Ministry facilities, rising to first-class wards for regular donors. Here are the National Blood Centre's rules, the four Klang Valley donation suites and the perk table.
Selling Property in Malaysia 2026: How RPGT Is Worked Out, the 3% Buyer Retention and the 60-Day Filing
Real Property Gains Tax is charged on the profit when you sell a house, shop or land in Malaysia. A Malaysian who sells within three years of buying pays 30% of the taxable gain, falling to 0% from the sixth year. Since 2025 the seller works out the tax and files online within 60 days, while the buyer must hold back 3% of the price and pay it to LHDN. Here is the rate table, a worked example and the deadlines.
JPJ Runners Must Register From 1 November: What Changes at the Counter in January 2027, and What You Can Do Yourself
From 1 January 2027, only intermediaries registered with and approved by JPJ may transact on a customer's behalf at any JPJ office. Registration opens online on 1 November 2026 and, according to the director-general, is free. Approved runners get a two-year digital ID. Here is what was announced, what has not been published yet, and how to check a runner before you hand over your documents.
Switching Telco and Keeping Your Number in Malaysia 2026: The RM25 Cap, the SMS That Kills Most Requests, and What a Contract Costs to Leave
Moving your number to another telco (MNP, or port-in) is governed by MCMC rules dating from 2008: only the new telco may charge, never more than RM25, and a consumer port must finish within 5 business days. Most telcos now say it is free and takes about 48 hours. What actually blocks people is an unpaid or unbilled amount, a device contract, a mismatched IC, or missing the port-out SMS reply. Here is the checklist, the exit-fee formulas and the port-in rebates still running.
Driving Your Malaysian Car Into Thailand 2026: The New 30-Day Limit, TDAC and the Customs Form for Your Car
Planning a year-end drive to Hat Yai, Betong or Sungai Golok? Two things changed in 2026. Since 15 September Malaysians get 30 days visa-free in Thailand, not 60, and your car's customs permit can never outlast your own stay. Since 11 July the Bukit Kayu Hitam crossing runs through the new Sadao complex. Here is the paperwork, in order: TDAC for every passenger, Thai compulsory insurance, the free customs declaration, and the border hours.
LINDUNG 24 Jam in 2026: What the 0.75% Buys, Who Still Pays It, and How to Opt Back In After 31 August
PERKESO's LINDUNG 24 Jam scheme covers employees for accidents outside work, anywhere in Malaysia, for 0.75% of salary (RM22.15 a month on RM3,000). It began as compulsory on 1 June 2026, became voluntary for Malaysians after the Cabinet's 8 July decision, and the opt-out window closed on 31 August. Here is where that leaves you: who is still covered, what June money cannot be refunded, and how to opt back in from 2 September.
MotoGP Sepang 2026 Tickets: RM49.90 Hillstand for MyKad Holders, a Free Friday, and the Four-Ticket Bundle That Saves 15%
The PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia runs 30 October to 1 November 2026 at Sepang. Every ticket covers all three days, Friday is free for everyone, the K2 Hillstand costs RM49.90 with a MyKad, and most grandstands sell a bundle of four at 15% off. Prices, what each zone sees, and what sold out, read on 27 September 2026.
Flying to Sabah or Sarawak From the Peninsula in 2026: The Free Entry Slip, the 3-Month Limit, and When You Need a Permit
Malaysians from the Peninsula still clear immigration when they land in Kota Kinabalu or Kuching. For a holiday that means a free slip and a stay of up to three months; for anything longer, a RM5 travel document; and for a job, a work pass your employer has to arrange. Here is what applies to you, from the Immigration Department's own pages.
MediAsas, Malaysia's Government-Designed Medical Plan: What RM500 per Illness Buys, Who Is in the Pilot, and Why January 2027 Matters
MediAsas is the base medical insurance and takaful plan built by Bank Negara, the Finance Ministry and the Health Ministry. Its pilot runs in the Klang Valley until October 2026 for staff of selected employers only, and the national launch is set for January 2027, the month BNM's cap on medical premium increases is due to lapse. We read BNM's pilot FAQ and White Paper line by line: RM100,000 a year, RM500 per illness, shared rooms, and a seven-year moratorium.
Baucar Buku MADANI 2026 in October: School Students Have Until 31 October, MySiswaPlace Closed 28 September
As of 9 October 2026 only one of the two RM100 Baucar Buku MADANI vouchers is still open. School, matriculation and IPG students redeem through DELIMa on Book Capital until 31 October (the date sellers print; Book Capital's own FAQ gives none), in one transaction with at least one Special Titles book. The university side on MySiswaPlace closed on 28 September. Here is how to use the last three weeks, and what Budget 2027 means for next year.
Condo Service Charges in Malaysia 2026: Who Sets Them, the 10% Interest Cap, and the RM250,000 Tribunal That Hears the Fight
Your management fee is not set by the developer or the management office. Under the Strata Management Act 2013, it is fixed at a general meeting and split by allocated share units, late interest is capped at 10% a year, and a fight over it goes to a tribunal that can award up to RM250,000. Here is how the whole chain works, section by section.
Driving School Fees in Malaysia 2026: RM1,477 or RM2,068 for the Same Class D Licence, and the Automatic That Costs More
JPJ publishes the register of licensed driving institutes but not their prices, and institutes set their own. We read seven published fee schedules across six states on 16 September 2026 and re-checked every one on 24 October 2026. A new Class D licence runs from RM1,477 in Melaka to RM2,068 in Johor Bahru, three of the seven charge more for an automatic than a manual, and only two say whether 8% SST is inside the number.
Your First Driving Licence in Malaysia 2026: JPJ Fixes the Price of Exactly One Class, and It Is Not the Car
JPJ publishes a fee for almost everything it touches. A learner licence for a car is RM30 for three months, a probationary licence is RM60 for two years, the theory test is RM27 plus 8% SST and a retake is RM17 plus 8%. Add every government fee a first-time car driver pays and it comes to well under RM200. The bill people actually pay is RM1,477 for a manual and RM1,577 for an automatic at one Melaka institute, because JPJ states plainly that it does not set driving institute prices. There is one exception, and one way to pay nothing at all.
Renewing Your Road Tax and Driving Licence Online in 2026 — and Why an Expired Licence Now Costs You at the Pump
An expired driving licence used to be a problem only if you were stopped. Since BUDI95 started paying RM1.99 a litre for RON95, it is a problem every time you fill up: the subsidy requires a valid licence, and the system checks it against your MyKad. Here is what JPJ actually charges to renew a licence, what road tax renewal requires before you can even start, and which channels still work now that JPJ has suspended MyEG as a collection agent from 5 October 2026.
Every Malaysian Public Holiday Left in 2026 — Official Dates State by State, Selangor's Extra 25–26 October Holiday, the Deepavali Monday Question and the 2027 Schedule
From 28 September, ten holiday dates remain in 2026 — and only two of them, Deepavali and Christmas, are federal. We re-read the Prime Minister's Department schedule, Selangor's own state holiday notice and the 2026 school calendar on 27 September. Selangor has a Silver Jubilee holiday on Sunday 25 October with Monday 26 October in lieu, which most calendars still miss. The school calendar already closes schools on 9 or 10 November around Deepavali. Here is every remaining date, the leave maths for each, and the 2027 window worth booking now.