KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — The federal government will be banking in the last batch of financial aid this year to lower-income households and individuals by November 18 (next Friday) which is earlier than scheduled, as the monsoon season is expected to start mid-November, caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced today.

Ismail Sabri said the fourth phase of the Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) cash aid will be credited into the recipients’ bank account in stages from November 15 (next Tuesday) onwards and is expected to be completed by November 18 (next Friday).

"This payment worth RM2.1 billion will benefit 5.2 million recipients composed of existing recipients under the categories of households and senior citizens who are single/without partner,” he said.

Under this fourth phase, he said each recipient is expected to receive up to RM900 in cash aid according to their eligibility categories, noting that this will be the last payment for the cash aid that they are supposed to receive this year.

"The decision to expedite the payment of BKM Phase 4 from December 2022 to November 2022 is to help recipients to face the north-east monsoon which is expected to start in mid-November 2022,” he explained.

He said checks on the payment status can be made starting from November 15, adding that further information on this cash aid can be found at the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on BKM’s official portal https://bkm.hasil.gov.my

Ismail Sabri said that a total of RM8 billion had been allocated for BKM to benefit 8.7 million recipients in the year 2022.

Based on documents posted in the BKM website’s FAQ section, the first phase of BKM payouts was done in stages from March 28, the second stage from June 27, and the third stage from September 20, while the fourth stage’s payout was as of September tentatively listed as December 2022 but stated as subject to changes.

Campaigning for the 15th general election (GE15) is currently ongoing nationwide, with November 15 scheduled for early voting and November 19 scheduled for polling day.

The election campaigning has been affected by heavy rain and warnings of flash floods, with Pakatan Harapan candidates on November 8 cancelling their activities for example.

In the latest update this afternoon by the Malaysian Meteorological Department, a yellow alert indicating expected continuous rain until tomorrow has been issued for Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang (Kuantan and Pekan), Johor (Segamat, Kluang, Kulai, Kota Tinggi and Johor Baru).

The department also issued an amber warning — which is a more serious warning — indicating expected continuous heavy rain until tomorrow for Rompin in Pahang and Mersing in Johor.

How much will BKM recipients get next week?

Based on the FAQ document for payouts under BKM Phase 4 next week, a household with less than RM2,500 monthly income and without children will get a one-off RM300 by next Friday, while such households with up to two children will get RM600, and such households with three children or more will get RM900.

The amount received for the entire year for such households would range from RM1,100 to RM2,100 if the applicant is aged 59 and below, or RM1,400 to RM2,400 if the applicant is aged 60 and above.

Next week, for households earning between RM2,501 and RM5,000 monthly, the payout they will get is RM100 (no children), RM200 (one to two children), RM300 (three children or more).

The amount received for the entire year for such households would range from RM500 to RM900 if the applicant is aged 59 and below, or RM800 to RM1,200 if the applicant is aged 60 and above.

As for single parent households, those with monthly household income of below RM2,500 will receive RM600 next week if they have one to two children, or RM900 if they have three children or more. This will translate to RM2,100 and RM2,600 respectively received for the entire year.

Single parent households with monthly household income of RM2,501 to RM5,000 will receive next week a BKM payout of RM200 (one or two children), or RM300 (three children or more). This would come up to a sum of RM1,200 and RM1,400 for the entire year.

Those who are single or single parents without children and aged 59 and below will not be getting any payouts next week under the fourth phase, but should have already received RM400 for the entire year under earlier BKM phases.

Those who are single or single parents without children and aged 60 and above will be receiving RM150 next week, which would mean they would have received RM650 for the entire year.