SARA MyKasih Guide 2026

SARA (Sumbangan Asas Rahmah) is Malaysia's cashless food and basic-necessities assistance. Instead of cash, the aid is credited to your MyKad chip and can only be spent on approved essentials at registered MyKasih stores — so it can't be withdrawn or spent on non-essentials.

For 2026 the program reaches about 8.1 million recipients, disbursed in two waves:

• 5 million low-income households and senior citizens — from 9 January 2026
• 3.1 million single individuals (bujang) — from 16 January 2026

SARA runs alongside STR (Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah), which is the cash transfer. Many households receive both — see our STR guide for the cash side, amounts, cohorts and payment dates.

SARA is credited monthly for 12 months (January–December 2026). How much you get depends on your STR category and whether you're registered in the e-Kasih poverty database.

Being registered in e-Kasih roughly doubles your monthly SARA, so it's worth registering at your State Development Office (Pejabat Pembangunan Negeri) or district office if you qualify. Eligibility tracks your STR record — you don't apply for SARA separately; if you qualify for STR and meet the criteria, SARA is credited automatically.

Separate from the monthly aid, SARA Untuk Semua is a one-off RM100 credit to every Malaysian citizen aged 18 and above — roughly 22 million people. It is not means-tested: every adult citizen receives it, credited on 9 February 2026 to the MyKad chip.

Like monthly SARA, this RM100 is spent the same way — present your MyKad at a participating store. It does not expire monthly the way some credits do, but spend it within the program period to be safe.

Check your eligibility/status at the official MyKasih checker: checkstatus.mykasih.net/sara2/checkstatus — enter your MyKad number.

Check your remaining balance any of these ways:

1. MyKasih app (Android/iOS) — shows balance, eligible items and nearby stores
2. Online at app.mykasih.net
3. At the till — the cashier terminal shows your balance when you tap your MyKad; keep the receipt, which prints the remaining balance

If your status shows you should be receiving SARA but the balance is RM0, confirm the disbursement date for your cohort (households from 9 Jan, singles from 16 Jan 2026) before raising it with MyKasih support.

SARA is accepted at over 13,000 selected stores and supermarkets nationwide — from large chains down to neighbourhood kedai runcit that have joined the MyKasih network.

Look for the MyKasih / SARA decal at the entrance or till. To find the nearest participating store, use the store locator in the MyKasih app. Because acceptance is per-store (not every outlet of a chain participates), it's worth checking before you do a big shop.

SARA covers 140,000+ basic necessities across 15 approved categories, including:

• Rice, flour, sugar, cooking oil, eggs and bread
• Biscuits, instant noodles, canned food and seasoning
• Beverages (basic)
• Personal hygiene products
• Medicines / pharmacy basics
• School supplies
• Household cleaning products
• Frozen food (local) — added for 2026

What SARA won't pay for: non-essentials and restricted goods (e.g. cigarettes/tobacco, alcohol, and other non-approved items) are blocked at the till. Only items flagged as eligible in the MyKasih system can be charged to your SARA credit; anything else must be paid for normally.

1. Shop only for eligible items (the app lists them; ineligible items simply won't deduct).
2. At the cashier, the items are scanned as usual.
3. Present your MyKad to the MyKasih terminal.
4. If prompted for a PIN, the default is the first 6 digits of your MyKad number (change it if you haven't).
5. The eligible amount is deducted from your SARA balance; pay any remainder (ineligible items) by cash/card.
6. Keep the receipt — it shows what was deducted and your remaining balance.

Lost or damaged MyKad? You'll need to replace it (JPN) before you can spend SARA again, since the credit is tied to the chip.

People mix these up constantly:

Most eligible households get both. For the cash side — amounts by category, payment phases/cohorts, semakan status and rayuan (appeals) — see the dedicated STR Guide.