Most Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members under the age of 55 have not made withdrawals from their Akaun Fleksibel as of October 2025, according to the latest research report by the pension fund.
The study, titled “Enduring Today, Shaping Tomorrow: Akaun Fleksibel as a Financial Lifeline for Wellbeing”, showed that 63% of the 13.3 million eligible members did not withdraw any funds, representing about 8.38 million individuals.
However, around 37% of members, or nearly five million people, had made at least one withdrawal between May 2024 and October 2025, collectively taking out RM16.6 billion.
Among those who did not withdraw, EPF noted that 44% had sufficient balances but chose not to access their funds, while 56% were unable to do so due to insufficient savings.
Introduced in May 2024 as part of a restructuring exercise, Akaun Fleksibel allows members to access a portion of their retirement savings at any time, subject to available balance. Contributions are divided into three accounts: 75% into Akaun Persaraan, 15% into Akaun Sejahtera and 10% into Akaun Fleksibel.
The fund also provided a one-time transfer option from Akaun Sejahtera between May and August 2024, which saw 4.1 million members shifting RM14.5 billion into Akaun Fleksibel. Of these, 88.1% had made withdrawals by October 2025.
Data further showed that 80.9% of those who withdrew were left with less than RM500 in their Akaun Fleksibel, while only a small proportion retained balances above RM2,000, highlighting its use as a short-term financial buffer.
Income trends revealed that lower-income earners below RM3,000 monthly made up the majority of withdrawers, while higher-income groups contributed a smaller share but accounted for a larger proportion of total withdrawal value.
A separate survey of over 14,000 members found that withdrawals were mainly used for essentials, with 93% citing daily needs such as groceries and basic household items, followed by emergencies, debt obligations and other necessary expenses.
