Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said that the existing Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) cash assistance programme will be further improved under Budget 2023, with the categories being made more inclusive. This is expected to better assist underprivileged and B40 households that are struggling to provide for their children.

Under this improved BKM programme, households that earn less than RM2,500 and are providing for five or more children will now be entitled to a cash assistance of RM2,500. Meanwhile, households earning a similar amount and are providing for up to four children will receive between RM1,000 to RM2,000 cash aid.

Households with income of between RM2,500 to RM5,000, on the other hand, will be given cash assistance ranging from RM500 to RM1,250 – depending on how many children they have. Aside from that, single individuals and single senior citizens will also continue to receive cash allowances of between RM350 to RM600, depending on their income.

Here’s a quick table to summarise the new categories under the BKM programme:

Households/Recipients	No. of children	Total BKM cash aid (RM)
Households with monthly income of <RM2,500	– 5+ – Up to 4	– RM2,500 – RM1,000 to RM2,000
Households with monthly income of RM2,500 to RM5,000	N/A	RM500 to RM1,250 (depending on number of children)
Single senior citizens/single individuals	N/A	RM350 to RM600 (depending on income)

Tengku Zafrul also noted that the existing RM500 additional cash aid for single parents will also be continued. As such, single parents can now technically receive a maximum BKM cash aid of RM3,000, as compared to RM2,500 previously.  

A total of RM7.8 billion will be allocated for the improved BKM programme, and is expected to benefit 8.7 million recipients.

• TAGS:
• B40
• B40 Households
• Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM)
• Budget 2023