EPF i-Invest is the online channel of the Members Investment Scheme (Skim Pelaburan Ahli). It lets a member below 55 transfer up to 30% of the amount by which their Akaun Persaraan exceeds the age-based Basic Savings into unit trusts run by EPF-appointed fund managers, with a minimum of RM1,000 per application. The sales charge is capped at 0.5% per purchase through i-Invest against up to 3% through an agent. Members who have opted into Simpanan Shariah may only buy Shariah-compliant funds on EPF's list. Money moved out stops earning the EPF dividend and carries full market risk. The retirement hub sets the wider context.
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Who is eligible and how much you can move
EPF's i-Invest page lists the conditions: Malaysian citizens, permanent residents, or non-Malaysians who registered as members before 1 August 1998; below 55 at the time the application is received; and sufficient savings. Sufficient means your Akaun Persaraan balance exceeds the Basic Savings for your age by enough that 30% of the excess is at least RM1,000. The formula is (Akaun Persaraan minus Basic Savings) multiplied by 30%. Your eligibility amount is recalculated every three months, so a member who used their allowance in January may find a fresh amount in April after contributions and the annual dividend land.
EPF's own three examples make the arithmetic plain. A 22-year-old with RM2,000 against Basic Savings of RM4,000 is not eligible. A 22-year-old with RM6,000 has an excess of RM2,000, 30% of which is RM600, below the RM1,000 minimum, so is also not eligible. A 25-year-old with RM24,000 against Basic Savings of RM11,000 can invest 30% of RM13,000, which is RM3,900. Members aged 55 and above are outside the scheme but may invest through an Age 55 or Age 60 Withdrawal (Investment) from Akaun 55 or Akaun Emas, keeping at least RM1,000 in the account, with no Basic Savings test and only through i-Akaun.
The 2026 Basic Savings table
Basic Savings is the amount EPF wants you to hold at each age so that you reach RM390,000 at 60, which it equates to RM1,625 a month for 20 years. The table was raised from 1 January 2026 under the Retirement Income Adequacy framework and will keep rising by RM30,000 a year at age 60 until it reaches RM390,000 in 2030. EPF's December 2025 announcement said MIS eligibility would be aligned with the new levels in stages. The 2026 figures below are from EPF's i-Invest page on 26 September 2026.
| Age | Basic Savings 2026 (RM) | Age | Basic Savings 2026 (RM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 11,000 | 45 | 108,000 |
| 30 | 26,300 | 50 | 150,000 |
| 35 | 47,000 | 55 | 203,000 |
| 40 | 74,000 | 60 | 270,000 |
The effect of the annual increases is that your eligible amount can shrink even while your balance grows. A 40-year-old with RM120,000 in Akaun Persaraan has an excess of RM46,000 in 2026 and can invest RM13,800. If the schedule rises faster than their balance, that room narrows each January. Treat i-Invest eligibility as a window that moves, not a fixed entitlement.
Which funds you can buy, and the Shariah filter
EPF appoints Fund Management Institutions and publishes a qualified fund list each offering period. The FMI table on the i-Invest page on 26 September 2026 listed 19 institutions, including Public Mutual, Principal Asset Management, Kenanga Investors, AHAM Asset Management, RHB Islamic International Asset Management, Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad, PMB Investment, MIDF Amanah and KAF Investment Funds. BIMB Investment and Maybank Asset Management did not appear in the table we fetched; check the live list before assuming a manager is available.
EPF's April 2024 release described the 2024/2025 qualified list as 189 funds from 296 approved, of which 76, or 40.2%, were Shariah funds. Each FMI row on the i-Invest page links to its own fund list, and EPF's Lampiran format marks each fund as Islamic or conventional. Members who elected Simpanan Shariah may invest only in Shariah-compliant unit trusts on EPF's list; conventional-account members may choose Shariah funds too, and should, if halal investing is the aim. EPF says plainly that it neither endorses nor recommends any individual fund. For how to read a fund's own Shariah certificate, use our ten-minute verification checklist.
What it costs
EPF charges nothing. The FMI charges a sales charge on each purchase: up to 3% if you apply through an agent or counter, and up to 0.5% if you transact on i-Invest through the KWSP i-Akaun app or web portal. EPF notes both caps are subject to change. On a RM10,000 transfer the difference is RM250 at the point of purchase, which on a fund expected to return mid single digits is close to a year's gain. There is no good reason to use the agent route for a fund that is available online.
The fund's own annual management fee and trustee fee continue to apply inside the unit price, exactly as they would for a cash investor. Those vary by fund and are printed in each product highlights sheet; our Shariah unit trust comparison records the published fees for the main Islamic equity and sukuk funds. Switching between funds of the same FMI may carry its own fee under the FMI's rules; EPF does not set it.
What you give up when money leaves Akaun Persaraan
- The EPF dividend: EPF states that the amount invested under the scheme is not entitled to EPF's annual dividend for as long as it sits with the FMI.
- The implicit guarantee: all investment risk is assumed by the member, and EPF will not be liable for any loss.
- Nomination: amounts transferred to an FMI are not subject to your EPF nomination; before 55 they return to EPF on liquidation, and after EPF releases control the holding is a matter between you and the FMI.
- Flexibility: applications cannot be revoked once submitted, you cannot top up with your own cash, and only one FMI is allowed per application through an agent.
- Speed: redemption proceeds can take up to seven business days to reach EPF and up to seven more to be credited to Akaun Persaraan, so the money is not available for a housing or education withdrawal in the meantime.
The nomination point deserves a second look for Muslims. EPF nomination makes the nominee a wasi, an administrator who distributes under faraid, as our EPF nomination guide explains. Money sitting with an FMI falls outside that nomination entirely and will be dealt with under the FMI's own process and the estate rules. If you invest a meaningful sum, update your wasiat to mention it.
Does i-Invest beat leaving money in Simpanan Shariah?
Not automatically, and often not. Simpanan Shariah already invests your whole balance in a Shariah-compliant portfolio managed by EPF, with a smoothed dividend declared annually. Our comparison of Simpanan Shariah against the conventional account sets out the dividend record year by year. Moving 30% of your excess into an Islamic equity fund swaps a diversified, professionally smoothed return for a single fund's volatility, minus a sales charge and the fund's annual fees. In a strong year for Bursa the fund can win; in a weak one the EPF dividend keeps paying while your units fall.
The case for i-Invest is narrower than the marketing suggests but real. It suits a member with a long horizon who wants deliberate exposure to a specific sector or geography that EPF's portfolio underweights, who will use the 0.5% online channel, and who understands that the sum involved is the excess over Basic Savings, not the retirement floor. It does not suit anyone who would be upset by a 20% drawdown in a year, anyone planning a housing withdrawal soon, or anyone picking a fund because an agent recommended it. The investing hub covers the broader halal fund routes for cash outside EPF.
Step by step on KWSP i-Akaun
- Register for KWSP i-Akaun (app or web portal) and make sure EPF holds your current mobile number, because every transaction needs a TAC code.
- Open i-Invest from the i-Akaun menu and read the eligible amount shown; it is the 30% of excess figure recalculated every three months.
- Choose an FMI and a fund from EPF's qualified list, filtering for Islamic funds if you hold Simpanan Shariah or simply want halal exposure.
- Download the fund's product highlights sheet and prospectus from the FMI and read the Shariah adviser section and the fee table before you confirm.
- Confirm the purchase; the 0.5% maximum sales charge applies on this channel and the application cannot be reversed.
- Monitor the holding inside i-Invest, where sales are reflected the next business day, and allow up to 14 business days for redemption money to return to Akaun Persaraan.
- If you prefer the counter, obtain Form KWSP 9N (AHL) and the checklist from the FMI and accept that the sales charge cap rises to 3%.
Who should use i-Invest
If you are under 45, your Akaun Persaraan is comfortably above the 2026 Basic Savings for your age, you already hold Simpanan Shariah, and you want a specific Islamic equity or sukuk fund you have researched yourself, i-Invest at 0.5% is a reasonable way to add it without touching household cash. Keep it to the excess, keep it online, and keep records for your wasiat.
If your balance is only just above Basic Savings, if you may need a housing or education withdrawal in the next few years, or if you cannot name the fund's Shariah adviser and annual management fee, leave the money where it is. The EPF dividend is the benchmark the fund must beat after fees, and most members are better served by topping up EPF voluntarily than by trading its returns for a unit trust's. Facts checked against kwsp.gov.my on 26 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much of my EPF can I invest through i-Invest?
Up to 30% of the amount by which your Akaun Persaraan exceeds the Basic Savings for your age, with a minimum of RM1,000 per application. EPF's example: a 25-year-old with RM24,000 and Basic Savings of RM11,000 can invest RM3,900. The eligible amount is recalculated every three months. Members aged 55 and above invest through an Akaun 55 or Akaun Emas withdrawal instead, retaining RM1,000.
What is the EPF Basic Savings amount in 2026?
It depends on age. EPF's 2026 table shows RM11,000 at 25, RM26,300 at 30, RM47,000 at 35, RM74,000 at 40, RM108,000 at 45, RM150,000 at 50, RM203,000 at 55 and RM270,000 at 60. The age-60 figure rises by RM30,000 each January until it reaches RM390,000 in 2030 under the Retirement Income Adequacy framework.
Can Simpanan Shariah members use i-Invest?
Yes, with a restriction. EPF states that members who opted for Simpanan Shariah are only allowed to invest in Shariah-compliant unit trust products on EPF's qualified list. The i-Invest fund lists mark each fund as Islamic or conventional. Conventional-account members may choose Shariah funds as well; the restriction runs one way only.
What is the sales charge on EPF i-Invest?
Up to 0.5% per buy transaction when you apply through the KWSP i-Akaun app or web portal, against up to 3% when you apply through an FMI's agent or counter. EPF says both caps are subject to change and that it imposes no charge of its own. The fund's annual management and trustee fees still apply inside the unit price.
Does money in i-Invest still earn the EPF dividend?
No. EPF states that amounts invested under the Members Investment Scheme are not entitled to its annual dividend while they are held by the fund manager. Your return is whatever the unit trust delivers after fees, and all investment risk is yours. The money regains the EPF dividend only once you redeem and the proceeds are credited back to Akaun Persaraan.
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See side-by-side comparisons of Shariah-compliant products, or let our matcher recommend the best options for your situation.
What happens to i-Invest holdings if I die?
Amounts transferred to an FMI are not covered by your EPF nomination. Before age 55, if the investment is liquidated the FMI must return the money, with any profit, to EPF; after EPF releases control at 55 or on a full withdrawal, the holding is between you and the FMI and passes under your estate. Mention any i-Invest holding in your wasiat.
