Sick Leave in Malaysia: How Many Days You Get and How MC Pay Is Calculated (2026)

In Malaysia, you get 14, 18 or 22 days of paid sick leave (cuti sakit) a year, depending on whether you've worked for your employer for under 2 years, 2 to under 5 years, or 5 years or more. On top of that, you get up to 60 days of paid hospitalisation leave a year, so the total is 74 to 82 days. Both need a medical certificate (MC), and you must tell your employer within 48 hours.

This guide covers the entitlement, the MC and notice rules, how sick leave pay is worked out in RM, and what happens to your gaji when the leave runs out. It follows section 60F of the Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), which covers Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan. Sabah and Sarawak have their own Labour Ordinances.

How many days of sick leave you get (section 60F)

Since the Employment Act amendments took effect on 1 January 2023, ordinary sick leave and hospitalisation leave are two separate buckets. JTKSM's FAQ on the amendments gives the totals:

• Less than 2 years of service: 14 days sick leave + 60 days hospitalisation = 74 days
• 2 years to under 5 years: 18 days + 60 days = 78 days
• 5 years or more: 22 days + 60 days = 82 days

Before 2023, the 14 to 22 days sat inside the 60-day hospitalisation limit. That's why older articles say "60 days in total". That reading is out of date.

A few details that matter:

• The year is a calendar year. The entitlement resets on 1 January, not on your work anniversary.
• "Hospitalisation" includes being certified for it. If a doctor certifies that you're ill enough to need hospitalisation but you aren't admitted for any reason (for example, no bed), you're treated as hospitalised (the proviso to s.60F(1)).
• Dental MCs count. An MC from a dental surgeon is valid sick leave, but those days come out of the same 14 to 22 and 60-day buckets, not on top of them (s.60F(1A)).
• It applies whatever your salary. The RM4,000 limit in the First Schedule only removes certain overtime, rest-day and holiday-pay provisions. Section 60F applies to everyone under a contract of service except domestic employees.
• Probation isn't an exception. The Act ties sick leave to length of service, not confirmation. A new hire on probation is in the "less than 2 years" band and gets 14 days.

The MC and the 48-hour rule

To be paid, sick leave must be certified by:

1. A registered medical practitioner appointed by your employer (the panel clinic), at the employer's expense, or
2. If there's no panel doctor, or one can't be reached within a reasonable time or distance, any other registered medical practitioner or a government medical officer, or
3. A dental surgeon, for dental illness.

You must also inform or try to inform your employer within 48 hours of the sick leave starting. A WhatsApp or email to your supervisor with a photo of the MC is usually enough, but follow your company's stated channel.

If either step is missed, section 60F(2) treats those days as absence without permission and without reasonable excuse. That has two consequences:

• The employer doesn't have to pay you for those days.
• If you're absent for more than 2 consecutive working days without leave and without informing your employer of a reasonable excuse, section 15(2) deems you to have broken your contract. That can lead to dismissal.

How sick leave pay is calculated

Section 60F(3) says the employer pays your ordinary rate of pay (ORP) for each day of sick leave.

Monthly-paid employees: nothing should change

If you're on a monthly salary, you're treated as having received your sick leave pay when your full monthly gaji is paid without any deduction for the sick days. In practice, your payslip should look exactly the same as in a month with no MC.

Example 1: 3 days of MC on a monthly salary

Siti earns RM3,250 a month and has 1 year of service. She takes 3 days of MC from a panel clinic in March and WhatsApps her manager the same morning.

• Sick leave used: 3 of 14 days (11 left this year)
• Gaji for March: RM3,250, the same as any other month
• Her ORP, for reference: RM3,250 ÷ 26 = RM125.00 a day. That's the value of each sick day, but it's already inside her monthly salary.

EPF, SOCSO and EIS are calculated on the full RM3,250 as usual, because sick leave pay is ordinary wages. You can check the take-home figure in the salary calculator.

Daily, hourly or piece-rated employees

For workers paid by the day, hour or piece, the ORP is normally the previous wage period's earnings ÷ days actually worked (s.60I(1C)). For sick leave, though, section 60I(1D) says the rate is based only on basic pay (or the piece rate for a day's work). Overtime, rest-day and public holiday pay are left out.

Example 2: daily-rated worker

Ravi is a daily-rated production worker on RM90 basic a day. Last month he also earned overtime. He takes 2 days of certified MC.

• Sick leave pay: 2 × RM90 = RM180
• His overtime doesn't raise the sick-day rate, because s.60I(1D) counts basic pay only.

When your sick leave runs out

Once you've used all your ordinary sick days for the calendar year, more outpatient MCs aren't paid under the Act. Your employer can still treat them as excused absence, since you have an MC and informed them, so it isn't misconduct. But it can be unpaid, unless your contract or handbook gives extra days or lets you use annual leave instead.

The Act doesn't set one formula for deducting an unpaid day from a monthly salary. Two methods are common, so check which one your contract or handbook uses:

Example 3: unpaid MC days after the 14 days are used

Amir earns RM2,600 a month, has 1 year of service and has already used all 14 sick days. In November he takes 2 more days of outpatient MC, with no hospitalisation.

• Using the ORP (÷ 26): RM2,600 ÷ 26 = RM100 a day, so the deduction is 2 × RM100 = RM200, and his gaji is RM2,400
• Using calendar days in a 30-day month: RM2,600 ÷ 30 = RM86.67 a day, so the deduction is RM173.33 and his gaji is RM2,426.67

His 60 hospitalisation days are untouched. They can't be used for ordinary outpatient MCs, only where hospitalisation is needed or certified.

Example 4: hospitalisation in the same year

Mei Ling has 3 years of service, so she gets 18 sick days + 60 hospitalisation days. She's admitted to hospital for 9 days after surgery, with a hospital certificate. Later in the year she takes 4 days of MC for flu.

• Hospitalisation: 9 of 60 days used (51 left)
• Ordinary sick leave: 4 of 18 days used (14 left)
• Gaji in both months: her full monthly salary, with no deduction

Sick leave, SOCSO, maternity and public holidays

• SOCSO (PERKESO) temporary disablement: if you're injured at work or while commuting and PERKESO pays you Temporary Disablement Benefit, you can't also claim paid sick leave for the same period (s.60F(4)). See how that benefit is worked out in our SOCSO benefits guide.
• Maternity leave: you can't claim paid sick leave for days you're receiving maternity allowance (s.60F(4)). More in the maternity and paternity leave guide.
• Sick during annual leave: if you fall sick while on annual leave, the sick leave is granted instead, and those days don't come off your annual leave balance (s.60E(1B)). See the annual leave guide.
• Public holiday during sick leave: if a public holiday falls while you're on sick leave, your employer must give you another paid day off in its place (s.60D(1B)).
• EPF: sick leave pay is part of your normal wages, so the usual EPF, SOCSO and EIS deductions apply. KWSP also lists "payment for unutilised annual or medical leaves" as a payment liable for EPF, if your employer chooses to pay out unused MC days.

Common mistakes

• Saying hospitalisation leave is "60 days including" the 14 to 22 days. Since 1 January 2023, it's a separate 60 days, giving 74 to 82 days in total.
• Deducting pay for certified sick days within the entitlement. For a monthly-paid employee, a valid MC within the 14, 18 or 22 days means no deduction at all.
• Including overtime in a daily-rated worker's sick-day rate. For sick leave, only basic pay counts (s.60I(1D)).
• Forgetting the 48-hour notice. Even with a valid MC, not informing (or trying to inform) your employer within 48 hours lets the days be treated as unauthorised absence.
• Assuming staff earning over RM4,000 aren't covered. Section 60F applies at every salary level. Only domestic employees are excluded.
• Expecting unused sick leave to be paid out. The Act doesn't require it, and unused days don't carry forward to next year. Some employers pay them out by policy, but that's a contract benefit.

Quick checklist

1. Count your full years of service with your current employer: under 2, 2 to under 5, or 5 or more.
2. Note your ordinary sick days (14, 18 or 22) and your separate 60 hospitalisation days for this calendar year.
3. Get the MC from the panel clinic if your employer has one.
4. Inform your employer within 48 hours, in writing if possible.
5. Check your payslip: for certified days within your entitlement, your monthly gaji should be unchanged.

For a full walk-through of every deduction on your payslip, see the guide on how to calculate take-home salary in Malaysia.