All individuals and companies in Malaysia are subjected to several types of direct & indirect taxes, for some of which you must file a return and pay annually.
This guide outlines all types of taxes you will encounter in Malaysia, including who they apply to and at which rates the subjects are taxed.
1. Corporate income tax
Corporate income tax in Malaysia is a direct tax paid to the government imposed on both resident and non-resident companies that receive income from Malaysia. The corporate income tax rate varies based on the type of company.
Corporate tax rates in Malaysia
The standard corporate income tax rate in Malaysia is 24%. Other corporate tax rates include the following:
| Type of company | Tax rates |
| Resident company with a paid-up capital of RM 2.5 million or less, and gross income from the business of not more than RM 50 million | YA 2022 First RM 600,000 – 17% YA 2023 First RM 100,000 – 15% |
| Resident company that does not control, directly or indirectly, another company that has paid-up capital of more than RM 2.5 million | |
| Resident company that is not controlled, directly or indirectly, by another company that has paid-up capital of more than RM 2.5 million | |
| Non-resident company | 24% |
Never miss an important deadline with our detailed compliance calendar.
Get a clear picture of all the accounting, tax and HR deadlines
Keep your accountants or accounting firm accountable
Download now
Tax residency of a company and basis of taxation in Malaysia
A company is considered a tax resident in Malaysia if any time during the basis period of the assessment year, the management and control of its affairs or at least one meeting of the Board of Directors are exercised in Malaysia.
Malaysia has a territorial tax system in which both resident and non-resident companies are taxed on income derived from Malaysia.
Foreign-sourced income is exempted from taxation unless the company engages in business activities in the banking, insurance, air transport or shipping sectors.
2. Individual income tax
Individual income tax is tax imposed on salaries, dividends or other income a tax resident earns throughout the year.
An individual is a Malaysian tax resident if the individual stays in Malaysia for 182 days or more in a calendar year.
Taxable incomes
The types of taxable income in Malaysia include:
- Employment income
- Gains or profits from a business
- Dividends, interest or discounts
- Rent, royalties or premiums
- Pension or annuities
- Perquisites, including bill claims, company credit cards, loans from a company, sponsored child tuition fee or any benefits offered by the employer that can be converted into cash
Individual income tax rates
Individual income tax rates in Malaysia for YA 2023 are as follows:
| Taxable income (RM) | Tax | Tax on excess (%) |
| 5,000 | 0 | 1 |
| 20,000 | 150 | 3 |
| 35,000 | 600 | 8 |
| 50,000 | 1,800 | 13 |
| 70,000 | 4,400 | 21 |
| 100,000 | 10,700 | 24 |
| 250,000 | 46,700 | 24.5 |
| 400,000 | 83,450 | 25 |
| 600,000 | 133,450 | 26 |
| 1 million | 237,450 | 28 |
| Exceeding 2 million | 517,450 | 30 |
Non-residents are taxed at a flat rate of 30% of taxable income.
Available deductions for individual income tax
The following tax reliefs can be deducted for a resident individual:
| Reliefs | RM |
| Self | 9,000 |
| Spouse (under joint assessment) | 4,000 |
| Child under the age of 18 | 2,000 |
| Child over the age of 18 who is receiving full-time instruction at an establishment of higher education in Malaysia or outside Malaysia | 8,000 |
| Disabled:Self | 6,000 |
| Spouse | 5,000 |
| Child: Each physically or mentally handicapped child | 6,000 |
| Additional relief if that child is over 18 and receiving higher education | 8,000 |
Individual income tax return
Malaysia adopts a self-assessment system in which the taxpayer has to compute their own chargeable income and tax and make tax payments.
Tax returns must be submitted by 30 April for individuals gaining non-business income and 30 June for those with business income in the following calendar year.
3. Sales and service tax (SST)
The SST is a consumption tax that comprises of two elements:
- Sales tax: A single-stage tax imposed on products manufactured and produced locally and on taxable goods imported into Malaysia.
- Service tax: A consumption tax imposed on taxable services provided in Malaysia by a registered service provider carrying out their business.
Sales & service tax rates
The rates for sales tax are:
- 5% – goods including basic foodstuffs, building materials, fruit juices, personal computers, mobile phones and watches
- 10% – for other goods except for petroleum subject to specific rates and goods that are not exempted
The rate for service tax is 6% for all taxable services. Services that are imported or exported are exempted from service tax.
Which businesses must apply for SST registration in Malaysia?
Businesses that provide taxable goods and services must register for SST if they meet the following conditions:
Sales tax
- Manufacturing taxable goods
- Total sales value within the last 12 months exceed RM 500,000
Service tax
- Providing taxable services
- Total value of taxable series within 12 months exceeds the prescribed threshold, which is usually RM 500,000, but certain services may have a different threshold.
| Additional thresholds | |
| Taxable service provider | Threshold |
| Operators of restaurants, bars, snack-bars, canteen, coffee house or any place providing food and drinks whether eat-in or take-away | RM 1.5 million |
| Persons who are regulated by Bank Negara Malaysia and provide credit card or charge card services | No threshold |
| Approved customs agents | No threshold |
4. Withholding tax
According to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, withholding tax is an amount withheld by the party making payment (payer) on income earned by a non-resident (payee) and paid to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia.
The payer is an individual or body carrying on business in Malaysia and is required to withhold tax on payments for services rendered or other payments made under any agreement for the use of moveable property and paid to the non-resident .
Payee is a non-resident individual or body who receive the payments.
Withholding tax rates
When a payer is liable to make payments to a non-resident person, the payer must withhold tax at the following rates:
| Payment type | Withholding tax rates |
| Contract payment | 3%, 10% |
| Interest | 15% |
| Royalties | 10% |
| Technical fees, payment for services, rent/payment for the use of moveable property | 10% |
| Interest paid by approved financial institutions | 5% |
| Income of non-resident public entertainers | 15% |
| Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Other than a resident company Non-resident company Foreign investment institution | 10% 25% 10% |
5. Real property gains tax
Real property gains tax is a tax on chargeable gains that homeowners and businesses have to pay when selling their property in Malaysia. If property is sold with a loss, you are not required to pay real property gains tax.
Real property gains tax rates
The rates for real property gains tax are as follows:
| Disposal | Citizens/permanent residents | Foreigners | Companies |
| Year 1 – 3 | 30% | 30% | 30% |
| Fourth year | 20% | 30% | 20% |
| Fifth year | 15% | 30% | 15% |
| Sixth year and onwards | N/A | 10% | 10% |
Real property gains tax exemption
Exemptions that apply to real property gains tax are:
| Exemption | Exemption amount | Eligible persons |
| Once-in-a-lifetime exemption on any chargeable gain from the disposal of a private residence. | RM 10,000 or 10% of the chargeable gain, whichever is higher | Malaysian citizens and permanent residents |
| Exemption on gains when a property is transferred within the family (between wife and husband, parent and child or grandparent and grandchild). Transfer between siblings is excluded. | 100% exemption on the chargeable gain | Malaysian citizens and permanent citizens |
| Exemption on the disposal of low-cost residential homes of RM 200,000 and below in the 6th and subsequent years. | 100% exemption on the chargeable gain | Malaysian citizens only |
When to pay real property gains tax?
Once you have disposed your property, you must submit the real property gains tax return within 60 days of the disposal date.
Failure to meet the deadline, you will be subjected to an additional 10% penalty.
6. Stamp duty
Stamp duty is a tax imposed on legal documents and is divided into two categories.
Types of stamp duty
The two categories of stamp duty in Malaysia are:
- Fixed duties – charged at a set price and includes stamps for individual policies or copies
- Ad valorem duties – variable costs based on the value of the transaction that the legal document represents
Documents subjected to stamp duty
The documents that are subjected to stamp duty include:
- Real properties transfer
- Share transfer
- Business transfer
- Rental or lease
- Security
- Selling of annuity
- General stamping
- Company duty payment
- Repayment
- Appeal
Conclusion
Companies and individuals liable to taxation in Malaysia must ensure that they satisfy their tax obligations.
To ensure you keep up with your taxes, we recommend engaging with Acclime’s tax services.
