First-salary simulation: the numbers to use

What this is for

On Day 3, each student takes a starting salary for the route they are thinking about and runs one month: EPF and other deductions, rent, transport, food, a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) temptation and an emergency. This page gives you the sourced numbers. The attached CSV lists every input with its source and status.

Step 1: pick a starting salary

Use one salary per route. These are values we chose from the sourced ranges below, not official starting salaries.

For context: in 2025 the median monthly pay of employees aged 15 to 19 was RM1,776, and RM1,931 for ages 20 to 24.^[3] Graduates aged 24 and under had a median of RM2,031 in 2024.^[4] Medians across all ages are much higher (RM2,203 for SPM and below, RM2,775 for STPM or certificate, RM3,779 for diploma and RM5,276 for degree in 2025)^[3], because they include people with years of experience. Use them in the debrief to talk about growth, not as a first salary.

Pay also differs by field and place, so a student on any of the eight career paths keeps the route salary and notes that their field may pay more or less. Budget 2027 plans a RM2,000 minimum wage from June 2027 and a RM2,500 floor for semi-skilled workers and graduates, not yet in force.^[5]

Step 2: take off the deductions

For a Malaysian under 60: EPF is 11% of wages.^[6][7] SOCSO and EIS come from PERKESO wage-band tables.^[8][9] At these salaries, income tax (PCB) is usually zero once reliefs are counted (see Your first payslip).

EPF amounts are the EPF Third Schedule figures for each wage band, which at these round salaries equal 11%; net pay is the salary minus the three deductions.^[10] LINDUNG 24 Jam is voluntary for Malaysians since July 2026, so leave it out unless a student opts in.^[11]

Step 3: the monthly costs

• Benchmark. EPF's Belanjawanku 2024/2025 guide estimates the minimum monthly spending needed for a decent standard of living in the Klang Valley and other major cities, and is free to download from kwsp.gov.my.^[12] Before Day 3, look up the figure for a single person in your pilot city and compare each student's total with it.
• Rent. One rental platform's 2026 bands for a single room in a terrace house: RM700 to RM1,000 in inner KL and PJ, RM550 to RM900 in outer Klang Valley, and RM500 to RM800 in Penang or Johor Bahru.^[13] These are market listings, not official data.
• Transport. The My50 pass gives Malaysians 30 days of unlimited Rapid KL rail and bus rides for RM50.^[14] Budget 2027 says it continues.^[5] Outside the Klang Valley, check the local operator's pass.
• Food. In 2022, households spent 16.3% of their budget on food and drink at home and 15.3% on food away from home.^[15] Ask students to price their own week of meals.
• Phone. Ask students to use what they really pay now. We found no official single figure.
• PTPTN. For 2027, borrowers earning up to RM2,500 a month can defer repayments, and those earning RM2,500 to RM3,000 pay a minimum of RM50.^[5]

Step 4: the BNPL temptation

BNPL lets you buy now and pay later in one payment or instalments, sometimes with fees or interest.^[16] The Consumer Credit Act 2025 came into force on 1 March 2026, except its licensing part (Part V), and BNPL providers now need a licence from the Consumer Credit Commission, with licensing in force from 1 June 2026 and six months to apply.^[17][18] The Commission warns that late payment charges apply and that your BNPL record may count when you apply for loans later.^[16] Its BNPL page lists no cap on late fees. Its own test question is a good one: if all your BNPL payments fell due on the same date, could you pay?^[16]

Step 5: the emergency

In Bank Negara's 2024 survey, 61% of Malaysians said it was hard to raise RM1,000 in emergency cash, and only 37% could cover their living costs for more than three months if they lost their income.^[19] Use those as two targets: RM1,000 first, then three months of costs.

A sample month (Fictional: for a classroom exercise)

Danial is fictional: a diploma holder on RM2,000, net RM1,766.35. Room in outer Klang Valley RM650, My50 RM50, food RM600, phone RM40: RM1,340 in total, leaving RM426.35. He buys RM600 earbuds on BNPL over three months: RM200 this month, leaving RM226.35. Then his laptop screen cracks: RM300. He ends the month RM73.65 short, with two BNPL instalments still to pay.

Running it (about 45 minutes)

1. Hand out a salary card per route (10 minutes for deductions).
2. Students build their month from the cost list (15 minutes).
3. Reveal the BNPL offer, then the emergency card (10 minutes).
4. Debrief (10 minutes): who ended short, what would change it, and how the all-age medians show pay growing.

What to do next

1. Print the CSV and make one salary card per route before Day 3.
2. Check current room listings for your two pilot cities the week before, and update the rent band.
3. Re-check the minimum wage and PERKESO tables at the start of each cohort.