SOCSO PERKESO Claim Process Malaysia 2026: How to File a Workplace Injury, Invalidity & Survivorship Claim Step by Step

A factory worker slips on a wet floor and fractures his wrist. An electrician is electrocuted on a job site and cannot work for three months. A delivery rider is hit by a car and hospitalised. Each is entitled to SOCSO benefits — medical treatment, income replacement during recovery, and possibly a permanent disablement benefit — but each case starts with the same question: what do I actually do? Who do I call? What forms do I need?

SOCSO (PERKESO) benefits are a statutory right for every covered employee in Malaysia, but the claims process is poorly understood. The forms are in Bahasa Malaysia. The deadlines are strict. The documentary requirements are specific. Missing a step can delay benefits by months or result in outright rejection.

This guide maps the four main SOCSO claim types — workplace injury, temporary disablement, invalidity, and survivorship — with step-by-step filing instructions, document checklists, and timelines. It is structured so that someone who has just been injured, or a family member assisting an injured worker, can follow the steps without prior knowledge of the system.

Verify your salary and SOCSO contribution level with the DuitTools salary calculator before filing a claim, as your benefit amount is calculated from your insured wages.

The Four Main SOCSO Claim Types

Each has a distinct claim procedure, though they share common documentary requirements.

Employment Injury Claim: The Most Common SOCSO Claim

An employment injury is any injury arising out of and in the course of employment. This includes:

• An accident at the workplace during working hours
• An accident while travelling between home and work, or between workplaces
• An accident during a work-related activity outside the office (client visit, site inspection, delivery)
• An accident during a break or meal period on the employer's premises

Step 1: Report the accident to your employer immediately

The employee must notify the employer orally or in writing as soon as practicable after the accident. Failure to notify the employer within 48 hours can — but does not automatically — result in a claim rejection. PERKESO has discretion to accept late notification if the delay was reasonable (e.g., the worker was unconscious or hospitalised and could not communicate).

Give your employer:

• The date, time, and location of the accident
• A description of what happened
• The nature of the injury
• Names of any witnesses

Step 2: Employer must report to PERKESO within 48 hours

The employer is required to submit Form 21 (Borang 21) — the accident report — to the nearest PERKESO office within 48 hours of being notified of the accident. This is the employer's statutory obligation, not the employee's. A copy of Form 21 should be given to the employee.

If the employer fails or refuses to submit Form 21, the employee can report the accident directly to PERKESO by visiting any PERKESO office with their NRIC and a written account of the accident. PERKESO will then demand the employer submit Form 21 — but the employee should not wait for the employer. File directly if the employer is uncooperative.

Step 3: Seek medical treatment from a PERKESO panel clinic or government hospital

For the first visit after the accident, go to:

• A PERKESO panel clinic (klinik panel PERKESO) — these are private clinics registered with PERKESO
• A government hospital or government health clinic (klinik kesihatan)

Private hospitals that are not PERKESO panel clinics will not provide SOCSO-covered treatment, and you may have to pay out of pocket. In an emergency, go to the nearest hospital and notify PERKESO afterward — PERKESO can reimburse emergency treatment costs, but only if the treatment was genuinely urgent and a panel clinic or government facility was not accessible.

Tell the doctor it is a workplace injury and that you are covered under SOCSO. The doctor will complete Form 10 (Borang 10) — the medical report — which is the key medical evidence in the claim.

Step 4: Employee submits the claim to PERKESO

The employee files the claim by submitting to the nearest PERKESO office:

• Form 10 (medical report, completed by the doctor)
• A copy of Form 21 (employer's accident report, if the employer has provided it)
• A copy of the employee's NRIC
• A copy of the employee's bank account statement (for direct credit of benefits)
• Any other medical records relevant to the injury (X-rays, specialist reports, discharge summaries)

There is no specific claim form for the employee beyond providing these documents — the combination of the employer's Form 21 and the doctor's Form 10 initiates the claim.

Step 5: PERKESO investigates and issues a decision

PERKESO will:

1. Review Form 21 and Form 10
2. Possibly arrange an independent medical examination at a PERKESO panel specialist
3. Issue a decision letter stating whether the accident is confirmed as an employment injury and, if so, what benefits are payable

The processing timeline varies by case complexity:

• Simple fracture with clear workplace cause: 2 to 4 weeks
• Complex case with dispute over cause or pre-existing condition: 2 to 6 months

Temporary Disablement Benefit: Income Replacement While Recovering

If the employee is certified by a doctor as temporarily unfit for work due to the employment injury, PERKESO pays a temporary disablement benefit.

How much is payable

The benefit is 80% of the worker's average assumed monthly wages (subject to the insured wage ceiling of RM5,000 per month), paid for each day of certified sick leave.

A worker with insured wages of RM3,000:

• Daily rate: RM3,000 / 30 = RM100
• Temporary disablement benefit: RM100 × 80% = RM80 per day
• For 30 days of certified sick leave: RM80 × 30 = RM2,400

The benefit is paid directly to the employee's bank account, typically within 14 days of PERKESO approving the claim.

How to claim temporary disablement benefit

The doctor must complete a medical certificate (sijil cuti sakit) specifying the period of unfitness for work. Submit this to PERKESO together with the initial claim documents. For extended recovery periods requiring multiple medical certificates, each new certificate should be submitted to PERKESO as soon as it is issued.

The employer's obligation during sick leave

The employer must continue to pay the employee's full wages for the period of medical leave — the same as any other sick leave under the Employment Act 1955. SOCSO does not reimburse the employer for the Employment Act sick leave obligation. The PERKESO temporary disablement benefit is paid to the employee directly, in addition to whatever the employer is required to pay.

In practice, this means the employee receives both the employer's sick-leave wages and the PERKESO benefit during the same period — though some employers offset the PERKESO benefit against wages (i.e., the employer pays the difference between the PERKESO benefit and the full wage). Whether offset is permitted depends on the employment contract and collective agreement.

Permanent Disablement Benefit

If the injury results in permanent impairment — loss of a limb, loss of sight or hearing, significant scarring with loss of function — PERKESO assesses the percentage of permanent disablement and pays either:

• Lump sum if the disability is assessed at less than 100%
• Monthly pension if the disability is assessed at 100% (total permanent disablement)

The assessment follows a statutory schedule that assigns a percentage to each type of injury. For example, loss of both hands is 100%, loss of one thumb is 17%, and loss of a little finger is 5%.

The claim process

PERKESO arranges a medical board assessment. The board consists of at least two medical professionals, one of whom is a PERKESO medical assessor. The board examines the worker, reviews medical records, and issues a finding on:

1. Whether the condition is attributable to the workplace injury
2. The percentage of permanent disablement
3. Whether the disablement is total (100%) or partial (less than 100%)
4. The effective date of permanent disablement

The employee has the right to be present at the assessment. A companion or family member may accompany the employee. The board's decision is appealable within 90 days to the Social Security Appellate Board.

Invalidity Pension: For Non-Workplace Disability

Invalidity pension is SOCSO coverage for serious illness or disability that is not caused by a workplace accident — cancer, kidney failure, severe heart disease, or any other condition that leaves the worker unable to work.

Eligibility

• The worker must have contributed to SOCSO for at least 24 months (not necessarily consecutive, but within a relevant period)
• The worker must be certified by a PERKESO medical board as suffering from a serious condition that makes the worker incapable of earning at least one-third of what a person of similar qualifications would normally earn
• The condition must be permanent or expected to last for an extended period

The claim process

1. The worker visits a PERKESO office and requests an invalidity pension application
2. PERKESO arranges a medical board assessment
3. The medical board examines the worker's condition, reviews medical records (including reports from the worker's treating doctors), and issues a finding
4. If the board finds the condition meets the invalidity threshold, PERKESO pays a monthly invalidity pension

The invalidity pension amount is calculated from the worker's average monthly wages and length of contribution. There is a minimum pension floor set by regulation.

The key challenge with invalidity claims

The medical board's assessment is often the bottleneck. The board requires comprehensive medical documentation from the worker's specialist — a letter from a general practitioner is insufficient. Workers filing invalidity claims should obtain a detailed specialist report that states:

• The diagnosis (with ICD-10 code, if available)
• The prognosis
• Whether the condition prevents the patient from working
• What treatment has been undertaken and its outcome
• Any functional limitations

This report should be obtained before the PERKESO medical board assessment, as it forms the baseline against which the board evaluates the condition.

Dependants' Benefit (Survivorship Claim)

If a covered worker dies from a workplace injury or from a condition for which they were receiving invalidity pension, the worker's dependants are entitled to a survivorship pension.

Who qualifies as a dependant

• The widow or widower (legal spouse at the time of death)
• Children under 21 years old (or up to the completion of a first degree if in full-time tertiary education)
• Parents (if there is no spouse or child, and the parents were substantially dependent on the deceased)
• No unmarried partner, no sibling, no adult child over 21 — the categories are strict and non-negotiable

The claim process

The dependant must submit to PERKESO:

1. The deceased worker's death certificate (sijil kematian)
2. The dependant's identity documents (NRIC for spouse and children, birth certificates for children)
3. Marriage certificate (for a spouse claiming)
4. Police report, if the death was due to a workplace accident or if police were involved
5. The employer's Form 21 (accident report), if the death was from a workplace accident
6. The deceased's bank account statement and any records of SOCSO contributions

The survivorship pension is a monthly payment to the dependants. It continues until:

• The widow/widower remarries (pension terminates on remarriage)
• Each child reaches 21 years old (or completes a first degree)
• A parent beneficiary dies

If the deceased worker had no qualifying dependants, the employer must pay funeral expenses and PERKESO reimburses the employer for the funeral benefit (capped at RM2,000).

Documents Checklist: What to Bring to the PERKESO Office

For any SOCSO claim, bring:

Keep photocopies of everything submitted to PERKESO. Write down the name of the PERKESO officer who accepts your documents and the date of submission. In the event of a lost file or processing delay — not uncommon — having a record of what was submitted and when is the difference between a quick resolution and months of dispute.

Appealing a Rejected Claim

If PERKESO rejects a claim — either by finding the injury is not work-related, by assessing a lower disablement percentage than expected, or by denying that a condition qualifies as invalidity — the worker has the right to appeal.

The appeal timeline

• Employment injury and disablement decisions: Appeal to the Social Security Appellate Board within 90 days of receiving PERKESO's decision
• Invalidity pension decisions: Appeal to the Social Security Appellate Board within 90 days
• Medical board findings: Appeal to the Appellate Medical Board (a fresh examination by a new set of medical assessors)

The Social Security Appellate Board is a quasi-judicial tribunal that reviews PERKESO decisions. The worker can be represented by a lawyer, union representative, or in person. Board hearings are less formal than court proceedings and the board is required to take an investigative, rather than adversarial, approach.

Grounds for successful appeal

• New medical evidence that was not available at the time of the initial assessment
• Procedural error by PERKESO (e.g., failure to consider evidence that was submitted)
• Error of law in the application of the Employees' Social Security Act
• Disagreement with the disablement percentage assessment (common — an independent medical evaluation may support a higher percentage than the PERKESO board assessed)

FAQ

How long after a workplace accident can I file a SOCSO claim?

You should report the accident to your employer immediately. The employer must report to PERKESO within 48 hours. If you did not report immediately (e.g., symptoms only appeared days later), file the claim as soon as you become aware that the condition is work-related. PERKESO has discretion to accept late claims if the delay is reasonable — but the longer the gap between the accident and the claim, the harder it becomes to establish causation. Claims filed more than 12 months after the accident face an elevated risk of rejection.

What if my employer refuses to report the accident to PERKESO?

Go to the nearest PERKESO office yourself. Bring your NRIC, a written account of the accident (date, time, place, description, witnesses), and any medical reports. PERKESO will contact the employer and can compel submission of Form 21. The employer's refusal does not extinguish your right to claim — PERKESO can investigate and process the claim based on your direct report and medical evidence.

Can I claim SOCSO if the accident was my fault?

Yes. SOCSO is no-fault insurance. The Employment Injury Scheme pays benefits regardless of whose negligence caused the accident — the worker's fault, the employer's fault, or a third party's fault. The only exception is deliberate self-injury, where a worker intentionally causes their own injury to claim benefits. An accident caused by the worker's carelessness, inattention, or minor mistake is fully covered.

Is SOCSO coverage automatic for all employees?

Employers are required to register all eligible employees with SOCSO and pay the monthly contributions. If your employer has not registered you — or has registered you but pays no contributions — you are still eligible for SOCSO benefits. PERKESO will pay the claim and pursue the employer separately for unpaid contributions with penalties. The employer's non-compliance does not invalidate your coverage. Use the salary calculator to check whether your payslip shows SOCSO deductions — if it does not, ask your employer and, if unresolved, visit a PERKESO office.

How is the SOCSO benefit amount calculated?

For temporary disablement, the benefit is 80% of your daily wage (calculated from your insured monthly wages), paid for each day the doctor certifies you unfit for work. For permanent disablement, the benefit is a percentage of your insured wages corresponding to the assessed disablement percentage, paid as a lump sum or monthly pension. The insured wage cap is RM5,000 per month — if your actual salary is RM6,000, your SOCSO benefit is calculated on RM5,000.

What is the difference between SOCSO and EIS?

SOCSO covers workplace injury, occupational disease, invalidity, and survivorship. EIS (Employment Insurance System) covers loss of employment — retrenchment, company closure, or other involuntary job loss. They are separate schemes under PERKESO with separate contribution rates and qualifying conditions. An employee who is retrenched claims EIS, not SOCSO. An employee who is injured at work claims SOCSO, not EIS. Both are administered by PERKESO but neither overlaps with the other.

SOCSO benefits are a right, not a favour. If you are a covered employee and you have suffered a workplace injury, file the claim. Use the DuitTools salary calculator to confirm your monthly insured wages and estimate the benefit amount you are entitled to receive.