How much HRDC training budget is your company leaving unclaimed?
Every Malaysian employer with 10+ staff pays a 1% levy on payroll to HRD Corp. Most companies recover less than half their entitlement. Run the numbers below - your levy, your claimable balance, and the RM you're walking away from this year.
The math you need before the next training budget conversation.
Your HRDC levy is a fixed annual cost. The only variable is how much of it you actually get back. The levy = 1% of monthly payroll, paid automatically every month. The claim = up to 100% of approved training expenses through an HRD Corp-registered provider, subject to scheme rules (SBL Khas, HRDC Plus). The gap between the two is the budget you're paying for and not using. The calculator below shows you the gap, in RM, for your firm specifically.
Run your firm's numbers. Live.
Three inputs. Live calculation. Calculations run in your browser - your inputs are not sent to Maslow. The output is yours to copy, screenshot, or take into your next board meeting.
Five questions employers actually ask about HRDC claims.
Written for the question typed into Google at 7:45am, and marked up as FAQPage for AI overviews on every other day.
Q · 01
Who is required to pay the HRDC levy in Malaysia?
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Every Malaysian employer with 10 or more employees in a covered industry must register with HRD Corp and pay a levy of 1% of monthly payroll. Smaller employers (5-9 employees) can register voluntarily at 0.5%. The covered industries under the HRD Corp Act 2001 (Act 612) were expanded significantly in 2021 - most service-sector employers are now liable, not just manufacturing.
Q · 02
How is the levy actually calculated?
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Levy = 1% of monthly payroll, paid monthly. Payroll includes basic wages and fixed allowances. Excludes overtime, bonuses, and statutory contributions (EPF, SOCSO, EIS). The annualised total is what determines your training budget ceiling - i.e. the maximum you can claim back through approved training.
Q · 03
What is the difference between SBL Khas and HRDC Plus?
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SBL Khas (Skim Bantuan Latihan Khas) is the default scheme - reimburses up to 100% of approved training fees against the levy balance. HRDC Plus is a recent scheme allowing for broader categories (including non-traditional training). Most claims run through SBL Khas; HRDC Plus is used for specific exemptions and emerging-tech training. An HRD Corp-registered training provider handles the eTRiS submission paperwork end-to-end - typically lifting claim recovery rates from ~30% (self-managed) to ~80%+ (provider-managed).
Q · 04
Does the unclaimed levy expire?
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Yes. Unclaimed balances are forfeited at year-end. The levy you pay this year must be claimed against approved training within the same financial year - there is no rolling forward of unclaimed budget. This is why most Malaysian companies recover less than half their entitlement: budget pressure delays training decisions, and by the time decisions are made, the claim window is too short.
Q · 05
Are Maslow's training programmes HRDC claimable?
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Yes - all 60+ programmes across the four L&D Pathways (Foundational, Leadership, Future-Ready, HR Capability) are HRDC claimable. Maslow has been an HRD Corp-registered training provider since 2008. The L&D team handles the full eTRiS submission, from grant application through claim payout. Standard recovery rate against the levy: 80%+. See the L&D practice page for the full catalogue.
Got the number. Now ask the follow-up.
Every tool produces a calculation. The follow-up question - "why is that number what it is", "what should I do with it", "what would change it" - is what Maia is for. Ask her about any tool, before or after you run it.
"How much HRDC are we leaving unclaimed?"
Maia walks through the levy formula, claimable rate vs entitlement, and the deadline math. Then runs the calculation with you.
"What's our retrenchment exposure?"
Per-employee severance, notice, ETLBR benefits - plus the worst-case Industrial Court exposure of getting any of it wrong.
"Are we paying our senior managers correctly?"
Maslow Databank cuts by industry × function × level. Median, range, top quartile. Where you sit relative to retention risk.
"Where is our HR function exposed?"
The 6-dimension HR Maturity Assessment, with the partner read on what to prioritise based on your score.
Four questions about the tools.
Written for the question typed into Google at 7:45am, and marked up as FAQPage for AI overviews on every other day.
Q · 01
Are the tools really free? What's the catch?
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Yes - fully free. No login, no signup, no email-gate, no PDF download required. The tools are an honest commercial play: if they answer your question well, we earn the right to be the next call when the question is bigger than a calculator can answer. That's the whole catch. Your inputs run in your browser and are never sent to Maslow.
Q · 02
How are the calculations validated?
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Every tool's calculation is anchored to statute or the Maslow Databank. The HRDC Calculator runs against the HRD Corp Act 2001 (Act 612) and the SBL Khas / HRDC Plus scheme rules. The Retrenchment Calculator runs against EA 1955, ETLBR 1980, and s.20 IRA 1967. The Salary Benchmark runs against the proprietary Maslow Salary & Benefits Databank, refreshed annually across 20+ Malaysian sectors. The HR Maturity Assessment is Maslow's own proprietary methodology, refined since 1998.
Q · 03
Will my inputs be stored or sent to Maslow?
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No. All calculations run client-side in your browser. Your inputs are not transmitted to Maslow servers, not stored in any database, not used to populate a CRM. The only data Maslow receives is what you choose to share - by clicking a "Discuss with a partner" CTA after a calculation, by emailing customer care, or by asking Maia a follow-up question.
Q · 04
How accurate is the Salary Benchmark for Malaysian roles specifically?
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The benchmark is built specifically for Malaysian pay markets - 20+ MY sectors cut by industry × function × experience level × location. Malaysian pay markets do not map cleanly to ASEAN or APAC averages, so generic global reports often misprice mid-management bands. The Maslow Databank is refreshed annually from the firm's active engagement portfolio (anonymised). For a deeper conversation about a specific role, the full Salary Benchmarking sub-practice under SHRC Strategic Talent runs custom pay-band design and pay-equity reviews.
Four tools. Free. The conversation is optional.
Run the calculation that matters. Save the screenshot. Take it to your next board meeting. If the number raises a follow-up the calculator can't answer, the conversation is one click away - always free, always with a senior consultant.
