Short answer: two things are genuinely available to a first-time buyer in Malaysia in 2026.
- 100% stamp duty exemption on both the transfer and the financing agreement, for residential property with a market value not exceeding RM500,000, SPA executed by 31 December 2027.
- The SJKP government guarantee, for financing up to RM500,000 where household income is up to RM11,000 a month.
That is the list. Several widely-cited schemes have expired, and one of the most-discussed never applied the way people think it did.
1. The Stamp Duty Exemption
Delivered by two gazetted orders, because duty is charged instrument by instrument:
- P.U.(A) 53/2021 — the instrument of transfer (MOT)
- P.U.(A) 54/2021 — the financing agreement
Both were extended at the end of 2025 by P.U.(A) 448/2025 and P.U.(A) 449/2025, made 19 December 2025, gazetted 23 December 2025, in force 1 January 2026. Each substitutes "31 December 2025" with "31 December 2027".
Conditions:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Relief | 100% on both instruments, one unit only |
| Value ceiling | RM500,000, based on market value (para 2(2)), not the negotiated price |
| SPA window | 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027 |
| Ownership | Has never owned any residential property, including by inheritance or gift, individually or jointly |
| Nationality | Purchaser or co-purchaser must be a Malaysian citizen |
| Evidence | Statutory declaration under the Statutory Declarations Act 1960 |
The financing exemption covers licensed banks, licensed Islamic banks, development financial institutions, licensed insurers, licensed takaful operators, co-operative societies, employer housing schemes, Borneo Housing Mortgage Finance Berhad and Mutiara Mortgage & Credit Sdn Bhd.
There is no band above RM500,000. No 75%, no 50%, nothing. If the market value is RM520,000, you get zero.
It is not limited to new builds. The orders do not restrict the exemption to purchases from a developer, so a sub-sale purchase qualifies on the same terms. This is a real difference from i-Miliki, which required the SPA to be between an individual and a licensed housing developer and excluded sub-sales entirely.
The SPA-versus-MOT question
This comes up constantly, so here is the precise position. There are two separate limbs:
- You have never owned a residential property, as at the date the SPA was signed.
- You have never previously been approved for this exemption.
Limb 2 is what actually consumes the entitlement, and it is consumed at approval — not at SPA, not at MOT.
The genuinely unsettled part: the Order does not define "owned", and LHDN has published no ruling on whether a person named on an SPA for an uncompleted unit, with no MOT yet, already counts as an owner. If that describes you, get advice rather than assuming either way.
Joint purchases: both co-purchasers must satisfy the never-owned condition, and after completion both are owners, so both have used their entitlement for the future.
The service apartment / SOHO conflict
Worth flagging if that is what you are buying. The Finance Act 2025 added a Stamp Act definition of "residential property" that includes service apartments and SOHOs. But LHDN's statutory declaration template for this exemption requires you to declare the property is not a SOHO, SOFO, SOVO or service apartment.
The Malaysian Bar raised the contradiction in Circular 128/2026 dated 16 April 2026 and it was unresolved as at that date. Ask your solicitor to confirm the current position before relying on the exemption for one of these property types.
2. SJKP
Syarikat Jaminan Kredit Perumahan Berhad, a Ministry of Finance agency, guarantees financing for buyers who lack the documented income profile banks want.
| Eligibility | Malaysian citizen, aged 18+, first-time home purchase only (new, existing or auction) |
| Income cap | Primary applicant not exceeding RM11,000/month |
| Debt service ratio | Total repayments ≤ 65% of gross monthly income |
| Financing amount | Up to RM500,000, inclusive of principal, insurance, legal fees and assessment costs |
| Guarantee | 100% of the financing amount |
| Tenure | Up to 35 years, or the financing period, whichever is earlier |
| Credit history | No CCRIS arrears exceeding 2 months in the last 12; no negative record in 24 months |
Those parameters are as published by SJKP and the Ministry of Finance and were checked on 26 July 2026. Scheme parameters get revised at budget time, so confirm the current figures with SJKP before relying on them.
Fixed and variable income are both accepted, and two-generation financing is permitted — which is the point of the scheme, since it is aimed at buyers whose income is real but hard to document.
One caveat on timing: the Ministry of Finance's Budget 2026 page for SJKP is currently labelled "Akan Datang" (coming soon) and was last updated in October 2025, and describes SJKP as a Budget 2025 initiative. Confirm the current intake position with SJKP directly.
What Has Expired
i-Miliki
The most-cited scheme, and it is over. Delivered by P.U.(A) 176, 177, 179 and 180 of 2023:
| Property value | Relief |
|---|---|
| Up to RM500,000 | 100% exemption, transfer and financing |
| RM500,001 to RM1,000,000 | 75% remission |
| Above RM1,000,000 | None |
Deadlines, both passed: the SPA had to be executed on or after 1 June 2022 and not later than 31 December 2023, and the instrument stamped not later than 31 January 2024.
The i-Miliki price test, since it still causes arguments
If you are looking back at an i-Miliki purchase, the eligibility test used the harga asal — the original price declared by the developer, before discount — not the discounted SPA price. KPKT's own FAQ answers this in five places. Two of its worked scenarios:
- Original price RM1.03 million, SPA RM820,000 after a 20% discount: not eligible, because the original price exceeded RM1 million.
- SPA RM490,800, original price RM730,000: qualified for 75%, not 100%.
That original-price test does not carry into the current exemption, which uses market value.
One correction while we are here: TEDUH, the KPKT housing portal, has no i-Miliki module. It verifies developer licences and advertising permits. It was never the place to check i-Miliki eligibility, and eligibility was adjudicated by LHDN.
What Does Not Exist
Being direct, because these come up:
- No first-time-buyer legal fee exemption. Fees follow the Solicitors' Remuneration Order 2023. There is a permitted discount of up to 25% on the sale and transfer scale for a sub-sale, but it is available to any buyer. See our SRO 2023 guide.
- No higher margin of financing for first-timers by rule. The commonly quoted 90% is bank commercial practice, not a regulatory entitlement.
- No deposit-assistance scheme we can confirm is open. MyDeposit, MyHome and Skim Rumah Pertamaku are all widely reported as closed to new applications, and we could not find an official page showing any of them currently accepting applicants. Either way, do not budget around them without confirming directly with the administering agency.