Sarawak's state civil servants will be paid a sum equal to two months of their basic salary before the end of 2026, the Premier, Abang Johari Tun Openg, told the State Legislative Assembly in Kuching on 21 October, Bernama reported. Federal civil servants working in Sarawak get a one-off RM700, paid in the first quarter of 2027.

He set out the payments while winding up the debate on the 2027 State Budget, on the last day of an assembly sitting that ran from 12 to 21 October and carried the Supply Bill (2027), 2026.

Who gets what under the 2027 package

According to the Bernama report of the speech, the Special Financial Assistance, known by its Malay initials BKK, is made up of four parts:

  • State civil servants: two months' pay, worked out on the basic salary last drawn as of November 2026. About 19,851 officers are expected to receive it, at an estimated cost of RM144 million.
  • Federal civil servants serving in Sarawak: RM700 each, once. The Premier put the number of recipients at 132,347 and the cost at about RM93 million.
  • Retirees of the Sarawak State Civil Service: RM500 each, once, for roughly 10,141 people, costing an estimated RM5.1 million.
  • Private media practitioners: RM700 each for those registered with six media associations in Sarawak.

Added together, the three costed items come to about RM242 million. That total is our arithmetic; the speech as reported did not give one, and no cost was reported for the media incentive.

Spread across the 19,851 state officers, the RM144 million works out at an average of roughly RM7,250 a head for the two months. Actual payments will differ from person to person because each is tied to the individual's own basic salary.

When the money is paid

The timings differ by group, as reported:

  • State civil servants: before the end of this year, 2026.
  • Federal civil servants in Sarawak: in the first quarter of 2027.

The report did not give payment dates for the retirees' RM500 or the media incentive.

How this year compares with the last two

The two-month payment has now been announced in the same way, at the close of the state budget debate, for three years running.

  • Announced November 2024: two months' pay on the November 2024 basic salary, paid the following month, alongside RM700 for federal staff in the first quarter of 2025. Bernama reported the two together at about RM190 million.
  • Announced December 2025: two months' pay on the November 2025 basic salary, paid that December, costing RM131 million, with RM700 for federal staff in the first quarter of 2026 at about RM98 million, according to Bernama.
  • Announced October 2026: RM144 million for state staff and RM93 million for federal staff, as above.

The 2024 announcement also introduced a special monthly allowance for state civil servants from January 2025, set by grade: RM400 for implementing grades 1 to 4, RM500 for grades 5 to 8, RM600 for management and professional grades 9 to 15, and RM700 for top management. The 2025 speech added the second phase of the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA) increase, 7 per cent from 1 January 2026, costing RM56 million.

A figure that does not line up

The retiree payment was RM500 a head in both years, but the reported costs differ by a factor of ten. Bernama's December 2025 report put that year's retiree payment at RM50 million, which at RM500 each would mean about 100,000 recipients. This year's report gives about 10,141 recipients and RM5.1 million, which is consistent with RM500 each. Neither report explains the difference, and we have not been able to confirm which figure for 2025 is correct.

How it sits beside the federal Budget 2027 payment

The state package is separate from the federal one. When he tabled Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat on 9 October, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced RM1,500 in Special Financial Aid for 1.3 million civil servants on Gred Utama B and below, including contract staff, and RM750 for more than a million government pensioners, paid in two instalments: before Aidilfitri and around the 70th National Day.

The federal RM1,500 is a national payment set by Putrajaya. The RM700 announced in Kuching is a Sarawak government payment to federal officers serving in the state. Neither report says whether one affects eligibility for the other.

For more on the state capital, where the assembly sits, see our Kuching division coverage.

Sources