Overview
Public holidays calendar
Taxes
Employer Payroll Tax
Employee Payroll Taxes
Employee Income Tax














Minimum Wage
RM1,200 per month in urban areas, RM1,100 per month in rural areas.






Payroll
Salaries are usually paid monthly. Salaries must be paid within 7 days of the following month.
It is only common practice in the manufacturing industry to pay salaries in 13 installments.
Working Hours
Working hours are limited to 48 hours per week. The most common office practice is 45 hours per week (9 am-6 pm, Mon-Fri)
The minimum guideline for overtime pay in the Employment Act is:
- Extra hours worked on a normal working day – 150%
- Rest days – 200%
- Public holidays – 300%
The Employment Act only covers manual workers and non-manual workers with a monthly salary that does not exceed RM 2,000. However, these guidelines are often used as guidance in Common Law cases for other employees.
Leave
- Up to two years of employment: 8 days per year
- Between 2 to 5 years: 12 days per year
- 5 plus years: 16 days per year







There are 6 compulsory public holidays and 10 optional public holidays (employer should choose at least 5 of these but it is common for offices to close on all). State day is a compulsory public holiday and the day varies from state to state. All other holidays are national.
- Up to two years of employment: 14 days per year
- Between 2 to 5 years: 18 days per year
- 5 plus years: 22 days per year
Female employees are covered in full by the employer for a least 60 days if they have been employed in the last four months and have worked for the same employer for at least 90 days in the 9 months prior to childbirth.
Leave will soon be increased to 90 days.







No specific law requires paternity but some compaabies do provide it.
No specific laws.
Termination
Employees can be dismissed for misconduct or poor work performance. Termination is subject to employee challenge for unfair dismissal. It is recommended that proper procedure is followed (warning, time and guidance to improve performance) in order to reduce the likelihood of an unfair dismissal claim.
No set amount but should be equitable between employee and employer
Minimum termination benefits for employees who are fired for reasons not connected to their conduct are as follows:
- Up to two years of employment: 10 days per year
- Between 2 to 5 years: 15 days per year
- 5 plus years: 20 days per year
Probation is optional. The common practice is to have 1-3 months probations. The Employment Act does not distinguish between employees on probation and permanent employees.
VAT
The VAT is 6% standard rate.



Who is covered by the employee act or are all employees covered?
Hi Nor, thank you for your question. Not all employees are covered by the Employment Act. People who earn less than 2,000 Ringitt per month, manual laborers (regardless of income level), and foreign workers who are legally in Malaysia are covered. Hope this helps!