Key takeaways
- These are two different things: the public service computer financing scheme is money from your employer, repaid out of your salary; an instalment plan from a seller is credit from that seller.
- The government scheme is not interest-free. Treasury circular WP 9.1 sets a profit rate of 2% a year, cut from 4% in the Budget 2022 speech of 29 October 2021.
- The ceiling is RM5,000 for one application, over at most 48 months; at that ceiling and term the circular's own schedule gives a deduction of RM108.48 a month.
- A quotation is part of the paperwork: the circular requires one listing what you intend to buy, and the Accountant General's Department asks for three supplier quotations.
- Citzen publishes no price and sells through its WhatsApp hotline, so a teacher who needs a quotation has to ask for one. Citzen's own published deal for educators is on its schools & educators page.
On this page8
What is the public service computer financing scheme (skim pembiayaan komputer)?
The public service computer financing scheme, which teachers often call the pinjaman komputer, lets a serving public officer borrow against salary to buy a computer. It is set out in Pekeliling Perbendaharaan Malaysia WP 9.1, in force since 1 January 2022. The money comes from the officer's own ministry or department, not from a bank or a shop.
Each employer administers the scheme itself: WP 9.1 gives the power to approve an application to the Controlling Officer of the ministry or department, who may delegate it in writing to a senior officer. Questions about eligibility belong to your own finance division, not to a supplier.
The only thing the application needs from a seller is a quotation. Citzen takes questions and orders on WhatsApp at +60 12-565 2091, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 1pm; the same line is on Citzen's contact page.
Is the government computer financing scheme interest-free?
No. WP 9.1 states that repayment includes a profit rate of 2% a year, paid by monthly salary deduction on the terms agreed in the financing agreement. The circular's background section records that this rate was reduced from 4% to 2%, announced by the Minister of Finance in the Budget 2022 speech on 29 October 2021. A 2% charge is small, but it is not zero.
"Pembayaran balik pembiayaan termasuk kadar keuntungan setahun sebanyak 2% hendaklah dibayar oleh pegawai secara ansuran melalui potongan gaji pada tiap-tiap bulan sebagaimana yang dipersetujui di dalam Perjanjian."
Repayment of the financing, including a profit rate of 2% a year, is to be paid by the officer in instalments through a monthly salary deduction as agreed in the Agreement. — Pekeliling Perbendaharaan Malaysia WP 9.1, paragraph 7.6.1
The 2% is not a flat charge on the amount borrowed: WP 9.1 prints its own repayment schedule at Lampiran E, and those are the figures to budget from.
Who can apply, how much, and what is the monthly deduction?
WP 9.1 is written for public officers who are serving, appointed permanently and confirmed in service; its definition of an officer covers both the federal and the state public services. The job title is not what decides it — a teacher's standing in the service is. The ceiling is RM5,000 for one application, and the circular's own schedule puts RM5,000 over 48 months at RM108.48 a month, inside two salary limits.
Both limits are set in the circular: the monthly repayment deduction must not exceed one third of basic salary, and all salary deductions together must not exceed 60% of basic salary plus allowances. WP 9.1 tests the second on a basic salary of RM2,500 plus RM640 of allowances, a total of RM3,140, where RM1,500 of deductions is 47% and passes and RM2,000 is 63% and does not.
| Requirement | The figure | Where in WP 9.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum for one application | RM5,000, for a computer, a smartphone or both | 5.2.1 |
| How the amount is worked out | From the quotation total, capped at RM5,000, rounded down to the nearest hundred ringgit | 7.1.1 |
| Maximum repayment period | 48 months | 7.6.2.1 |
| Profit rate | 2% a year | 7.6.1 |
| Monthly repayment deduction | Not more than 1/3 of basic salary | 5.2.2, 7.1.4 |
| All salary deductions together | Not more than 60% of basic salary plus allowances | 5.2.2, 7.1.4 |
| How often | Every three years, once the earlier financing is settled | 5.1.2, 7.3.1 |
| RM5,000 over 48 months | RM108.48 a month; total profit RM206.83 | Lampiran E |
| RM3,500 over 48 months | RM75.93 a month; total profit RM144.80 | Lampiran E |
Rounding down is worth planning around, because the shortfall is yours: the circular's example approves RM3,500 on a quotation of RM3,550, leaving RM50 to the borrower.
How does a teacher apply, and what does the seller provide?
A quotation. WP 9.1 requires the application to be accompanied by a quotation listing the items to be bought, and accepts one from a supplier registered under Malaysian law, obtained either directly or online. The Accountant General's Department, which publishes the scheme's FAQ for borrowers, lists three supplier quotations among the documents needed, alongside a recent payslip, a copy of the identity card and a copy of a bank account.
The circular asks for one quotation and the FAQ lists three, so collect three unless your finance division says otherwise. From there the sequence is fixed:
- Application form Kew. 317, in three copies, to your ministry or department's finance division.
- The supplier quotations, listing what is to be bought.
- The letter of offer and memorandum of acceptance, once approved.
- The financing agreement, Kew. 318, signed in three copies and stamped at the Inland Revenue Board.
- Payment of the approved amount by electronic funds transfer or cheque.
Citzen publishes no price and has no online checkout, so the figure for a Kew. 317 application comes from asking on its hotline; our guide to buying a laptop safely on WhatsApp covers what to get in writing first.
Is a seller's instalment plan the same thing?
No. An instalment plan from a seller is credit from that seller, not money from your employer. It involves no Kew. 317 and no approval by a Controlling Officer, and it is not bound by the circular's RM5,000 ceiling, the 48-month limit or the one-third and 60% salary rules. It is also the route open to a teacher who is not a permanent public officer.
That matters, because WP 9.1 covers the public service only: a teacher in a private or international school, or one not yet confirmed in service, arranges instalments with a seller instead. Before signing, ask for the total payable against the cash price, the number and size of the instalments, any processing or late charge, and who holds the agreement. Citzen's published wording for educators is that "Government educators qualify for an interest-free installment plan" and to "talk to us for the details and eligibility" — the terms and who qualifies are ask on WhatsApp.
Which laptop should a teacher ask to be quoted for?
One the scheme will pay for. WP 9.1 allows the purchase of a new computer including its hardware and software, classes computers as desktop, laptop or tablet, and requires the purchase transaction to take place in Malaysia. Because software counts, an operating system or licence belongs inside the quotation rather than bought separately afterwards, where the financing cannot reach it.
Settle the configuration before asking for the quotation, since the approved amount is derived from it and then rounded down. One comparison is worth making early: the CZ-4 carries a one-year local warranty from the date of purchase, registered automatically on order, while the salary deduction can run up to 48 months — so for much of the time you are still paying, the machine is out of warranty. That makes service coverage, not a specification sheet, the thing to ask about.
Our checklist for teachers choosing a laptop covers the classroom questions, and what to prepare before a warranty claim has its own guide.
What else do teachers ask about the computer financing scheme?
Three things are worth knowing once the application is in. The balance can be settled early, and the Treasury may give a rebate at a rate set by the Accountant General's Department. The balance must be cleared in full before you leave the service. And a salary deduction that keeps running after the loan has ended is stopped by telling your ministry's accounts division.
Can the financing be settled early?
Yes. WP 9.1 states at paragraph 7.6.2.3 that the balance may be settled earlier than the agreed period, and that the Treasury may give a rebate at a rate set by the Accountant General's Department from time to time. That rate is not fixed in the circular, so the amount is a question for your paying office.
What happens if a teacher leaves the service before the financing is repaid?
It has to be cleared first. WP 9.1 states that the financing period cannot exceed the officer's period of service, and that the balance must be settled in full before the officer retires or leaves. The circular also lets the Head of Department deduct all outstanding instalments in one lump sum.
What if the salary deduction continues after the financing is fully repaid?
Tell your ministry's accounts division. The Accountant General's Department states that the deduction stops automatically at the end of the agreed period, and that if it is still running after the loan has ended you should inform the ministry's accounts division (Bahagian Akaun Kementerian) so it can be stopped. Keep your own count; an overrunning deduction shows up on your payslip.
Sources
- Pekeliling Perbendaharaan Malaysia WP 9.1, Peraturan-Peraturan Dan Syarat-Syarat Mengenai Skim Pembiayaan Komputer dan Telefon Pintar (Smartphones) Bagi Anggota Perkhidmatan Awam, in force 1 January 2022, including the monthly instalment schedule at Lampiran E (copy published by the Ministry of Works): kkr.gov.my.
- Soalan Lazim: Pinjaman Komputer dan Telefon Pintar (Smartphones), Jabatan Akauntan Negara Malaysia (the Accountant General's Department of Malaysia): anm.gov.my.
- Citzen's own published terms on ordering, delivery, warranty, service and educators: support, service centres, schools & educators and FAQ.