page 1 When the festive season comes around, we all automatically think of the same things. For example, going back to our hometowns, big family meals, open houses, new outfits, and if we’re lucky… duit raya. But once we enter the “adulting” phase, duit raya becomes a lot rarer. That’s why I want to share a simple but useful perspective where tax relief can actually feel like the adult version of duit raya, as long as we claim early and claim it the right way. 11th Edition/ 2026 17th February 2026 Behind every story, there is a team that works with heart. The Pulsekeeper Dr. Diyana Hassim The Vision Whisperer Norazizul The Pixel Alchemist Sabrina The Buzz Architect Lidyawati The Buzzkeeper Nurfazlina The Light Catcher Syukran The Buzz Crew Duit Raya for Adults? Here’s the “Tax Relief” Many Malaysians Don’t Fully Maximise If you check the official HASiL list, you’ll see that individual tax reliefs are actually quite extensive and closely tied to everyday life. They include categories such as personal relief, health-related expenses, insurance, education, lifestyle, children and dependents. One that stood out to me is that self-education fees can also be claimed up to RM7,000 (limited), depending on the conditions set. Pretty good, right? The reality is, many people are actually eligible but they don’t realise it, don’t check, don’t keep receipts, or they file at the last minute and end up submitting “just to get it done”. When that happens, we don’t just lose money, we lose the opportunity to manage our finances more wisely. Tax relief refers to items allowed by LHDN to reduce the amount of income taken into account when calculating your tax. In other words, when you submit your e-Filing, you may not necessarily be taxed based on your full “gross” income. For example, if your income is RM50,000 and you are eligible for RM10,000 in tax relief, the amount of income considered for tax calculation will be lower (not the full RM50,000), depending on the type of income and the reliefs you qualify for. Simply put, the more valid and eligible reliefs you claim, the less tax you may need to pay and that really does feel like duit raya when you see the difference in your final tax calculation.
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