2nd November 2026 - 6 min read
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced the Penang Budget 2027 at the state assembly. E-hailing drivers will get a one-off RM600, and couples who marry in Penang will get RM500. The yearly i-Sejahtera payments for seniors, person with disability (PWD), single mothers and housewives will also go on, with RM58 million for 2027.
The state hasn’t shared the full rules for the two new payments yet. But Penang’s other aid schemes show what you’ll probably need, and there are a few things you can do now to get ready.
| Group | Amount | Status |
| E-hailing drivers | RM600 one-off | New in 2027, rules not out yet |
| Newly married couples | RM500 one-off | New in 2027, rules not out yet |
| Senior citizens and PWD | RM200 a year | Continues in 2027 |
| Single mothers and housewives | RM100 a year | Continues in 2027 |
| Taxi drivers and school bus operators | RM600 in 2026 | Continues in 2027 |
Penang will give a one-off RM600 to e-hailing drivers who qualify in 2027. It has put aside up to RM9 million for this, which is enough for 15,000 drivers.
Penang already gives a similar payment to taxi drivers and school bus operators. That scheme continues in 2027 with RM1.2 million. In 2026, it paid RM600 to each driver who was registered to vote in Penang, registered with APAD and drove only in Penang. Drivers also had to be registered with PERKESO’s scheme for self-employed workers (SKSPS, now called Lindung Kendiri). The e-hailing payment may use similar rules, so get your voter registration and SKSPS done before applications open.
This RM600 is on top of the help for gig workers in the national Budget 2027. A typical e-hailing driver could take home up to RM227 more a month. If you’re under 60, you can also get up to RM600 a year from EPF under i-Saraan Plus. For every RM100 you save in EPF through your e-hailing app, EPF adds RM20. To get the full RM600, you need to save RM3,000 in the year. This only works if no employer is paying into your EPF. So if you drive part-time on top of a salaried job, you can’t get it.
Together, the Penang payment and i-Saraan Plus could give you RM1,200 in 2027. That’s RM600 in cash from Penang, plus RM600 from the federal government in your EPF if you save RM3,000 there.
Mempelai Emas is a new programme that gives a one-off RM500 to couples who marry in Penang and meet its rules. It’s part of i-Sejahtera and paid from the same RM58 million. So you’ll most likely apply on the i-Sejahtera website.
Penang hasn’t said yet who qualifies. For example, it hasn’t said if you must marry in 2027, or if both of you must be Penang voters. But all other i-Sejahtera programmes, except help for PWD, need you to be registered to vote in Penang. So it’s safest to expect the same rule for Mempelai Emas.
After you have a baby, the Anak Emas programme pays another one-off RM200. You need to register your child before they turn two, and one parent must be registered to vote in Penang.
The state hasn’t said how much each programme will pay in 2027, so the table below shows the 2026 amounts. For all of them, you must be a Malaysian citizen.
| Programme | 2026 Payment | Who Can Apply |
| Senior citizens (Warga Emas) | RM200 a year | Aged 60 or older and registered to vote in Penang |
| PWD | RM200 a year | Lives in Penang and has an OKU card from JKM in any state, no need to be a Penang voter |
| Single mothers (Ibu Tunggal) | RM100 a year | Divorced or widowed, under 60 when applying, hasn’t remarried, has at least one child and is registered to vote in Penang |
| Housewives (Suri Emas) | RM100 a year | Married, has no regular income, under 60 when applying and is registered to vote in Penang |
| Babies (Anak Emas) | RM200 one-off | Registered before age two, with at least one parent registered to vote in Penang |
When a registered senior dies, the family member they named in the i-Sejahtera system (their waris) can claim a one-off RM1,000. They must claim it within a year of the death.
You can apply for all i-Sejahtera programmes on the i-Sejahtera website. You’ll need your IC number, and you’ll have to fill in a form and upload your documents. You can also apply in person at your district office or your ADUN’s service centre. For PWD help, you can go to your district JKM office too.
Apply early in the year. In 2026, the first round of payments started on 7 February, and anyone who applied after 10 January was paid in the second round. The money goes straight into your bank account. If you don’t have a bank account, seniors, single mothers and PWD applicants have been allowed to use a family member’s account. That family member must be the waris you named in the i-Sejahtera system.
Getting these state payments won’t affect any help you get from the federal government. Penang seniors who don’t get STR will still get RM200 in SARA MADANI next year, on top of RM200 from i-Sejahtera. If you get STR, you can also get up to RM1,800 a year in SARA.
Whether you’re a driver, getting married or applying for a parent, do two things before January. Make sure you’re registered to vote in Penang, and check that your bank details on the i-Sejahtera website are correct.
Most of the payments in this article need you to be registered to vote in Penang. Where you vote depends on the address SPR has for you, and this may not be where you live now. If you moved to Penang for work, you may still be registered to vote in your hometown.
First, check where you vote using your IC number. If it isn’t in Penang, change the address on your MyKad at JPN. Changing your MyKad address doesn’t change where you vote, so you then need to apply to SPR through MySPR. You can also do this in person at any State Election Office (Pejabat Pilihan Raya Negeri) or at a post office. Bring your new address and tell the counter staff you want to change where you vote. SPR takes some time to update its list of voters, so start early, especially if you’re getting married next year.
Penang state civil servants will get extra money equal to one month’s salary in December 2026. The state calls this Special Financial Aid (BKK). Some teachers and staff in religious and private schools will also get a one-off RM300 each. This includes KAFA teachers and supervisors, tahfiz and pondok teachers, and TADIS teachers. It also includes teachers and staff at SRAR, SMAR, SABK and Chinese independent schools.
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Christina writes about personal finance with an eye for making the complicated feel straightforward. She is drawn to the everyday money decisions people face and genuinely enjoys finding the clearest way to explain them. Between articles, she is probably napping, on a hiking trail, or terrorising her sister’s cats.
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