Customs officer salary in Malaysia
What the job is: Customs and border inspectors check persons and vehicles crossing national borders to administer and enforce relevant government rules and regulations. ILO ISCO-08, 3351 Customs and Border Inspectors
- Customs superintendent (Penguasa Kastam WK9): RM2,250 basic a month with a bachelor's degree, RM2,470 with honours, up to RM3,240 for a full member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.
- With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,150 to RM4,140 a month at WK9.
- With a diploma (WK5): RM1,893 basic, RM2,703 with allowances. With SPM (WK1): RM1,500 basic, RM2,265 with allowances.
- Pay scale: grade 9 runs from RM2,250 to RM11,110, rising RM225 a year.
What a new customs superintendent earns
A customs superintendent with a bachelor's degree starts on RM2,250 basic, plus RM900 in fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,150 a month. Honours, law and accounting qualifications start higher.
Grade WK9, from the SPA service scheme and the JPA allowance circular. The starting point depends on the qualification.
| Qualification or pay item | Grade WK9 | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | Starting basic | 2,250 |
| Bachelor's degree with honours | Starting basic | 2,470 |
| Law degree | Starting basic | 2,580 |
| Accounting degree, or full member of a recognised accounting body | Starting basic | 3,020 |
| Accounting degree and full member of a recognised accounting body | Starting basic | 3,130 |
| Full member, Malaysian Institute of Accountants | Starting basic | 3,240 |
| Fixed allowances, Kawasan A | Housing (ITP) RM300, public service (ITKA) RM300, cost of living (BISH) RM300 | 900 |
| Total fixed pay at the start, bachelor's degree | Basic plus fixed allowances, Kawasan A | 3,150 |
Sources: SPA, Penguasa Kastam Gred WK9; JPA Pekeliling Perkhidmatan 1/2024, Lampiran E. BISH is RM250 in Kawasan B and RM150 elsewhere. Totals computed by Foundific.
- A year at the start: RM3,150 × 12 = RM37,800 with a bachelor's degree.
- Physical requirements: at least 1.57 m tall and 48 kg for men, 1.53 m and 46 kg for women, a BMI of 19 to 26, and V6/9 eyesight without glasses.
- Allowances counted here are the fixed ones in the JPA circular. Any allowance tied to a particular post is not included.
How to become a customs officer
Customs has three entry levels: WK1 with SPM, WK5 with a diploma or STPM, and WK9 with a degree.
| Entry level | Qualification | Starting basic, RM | With allowances, RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customs assistant (Pembantu Penguasa Kastam) WK1 | SPM with a credit in mathematics | 1,500 | 2,265 |
| Customs assistant WK1 | SPM and SKM level 3 | 1,622 | 2,387 |
| Assistant superintendent (Penolong Penguasa Kastam) WK5 | STPM, STAM or matriculation | 1,650 | 2,460 |
| Assistant superintendent WK5 | Diploma in a related field | 1,893 | 2,703 |
| Superintendent (Penguasa Kastam) WK9 | Bachelor's degree | 2,250 | 3,150 |
Sources: SPA scheme pages for WK1, WK5 and WK9. Allowances from the JPA circular for each grade, Kawasan A: WK1 RM765, WK5 RM810, WK9 RM900. Totals computed by Foundific.
- SKM certificates raise the SPM start: RM1,561 with SKM level 2 and RM1,622 with level 3, against RM1,500 with SPM alone.
- Promotion within each level: WK1 officers move to WK2 and above, and WK5 officers to WK6, WK7 and WK8, each on a higher range.
How pay grows on the government scale
Grade 9 pay rises RM225 a year, from RM2,250 up to RM11,110. Promotion to WK10 and above moves an officer onto a higher range.
Minimum and maximum monthly basic salary for each SSPA grade, 2026.
| Grade | Who | Minimum | Maximum | Yearly increment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Customs assistant WK1, entry with SPM | 1,500 | 4,680 | 100 |
| 2 | WK2, first promotion from WK1 | 2,220 | 5,770 | 115 |
| 5 | Assistant superintendent WK5, entry with a diploma | 1,650 | 6,620 | 145 |
| 9 | Superintendent WK9, entry with a degree | 2,250 | 11,110 | 225 |
| 10 | First promotion grade | 3,840 | 12,150 | 250 |
| 12 | Senior grade | 5,530 | 13,540 | 270 |
| 14 | Senior grade | 6,560 | 15,360 | 320 |
Source: Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A: SSPA salary codes and minimum-maximum salaries (page A-1). Basic salary only.
- Increments only: at RM225 a year, a WK9 officer starting at RM2,250 would need about 39 yearly increments to reach RM11,110.
- Promotion grades: WK10 starts at RM3,840 and WK14 at RM6,560.
Pay after 5, 10 and 20 years
Starting at RM2,250 at grade 9, with the RM225 yearly increment and no promotion. The grade maximum, RM11,110, is reached after about 39 years.
| Years in grade | Basic, RM a month | With fixed allowances, RM a month | Fixed pay, RM a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the start | 2,250 | 3,150 | 37,800 |
| After 5 years | 3,375 | 4,275 | 51,300 |
| After 10 years | 4,500 | 5,400 | 64,800 |
| After 20 years | 6,750 | 7,650 | 91,800 |
Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 SSPA scale, with fixed allowances at the Kawasan A rate, which do not rise with increments. Promotion, special payments and allowance changes are not included.
Compared with Malaysian pay overall
A new customs superintendent's fixed pay, RM3,150, is above the national median of RM2,940 but below the RM4,483 public administration median, which covers officers of all grades and years.
| Figure | Source | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| New customs superintendent, basic plus fixed allowances, Kuala Lumpur | SPA and JPA, 2026 | 3,150 |
| Median salary, public administration and defence | DOSM, 2024 | 4,483 |
| Median salary, all Malaysian citizens | DOSM, 2025 | 2,940 |
| Median salary, employed degree holders of all ages | DOSM, 2024 | 5,724 |
- Public administration median covers all government employees, most of them experienced.
- Measures differ: DOSM figures cover all paid employees and all ages. The government figure is one fixed pay point. Use them for scale, not as a direct comparison.
- Your own pay: place it on this scale, the DOSM figures and court awards with the Malaysia salary comparison.
Customs work outside government
Customs enforcement is a government job. For customs agents and forwarders in private firms, no official pay figure exists.
- DOSM publishes salaries by state, sector and skill level, but not by job title.
- Private surveys and job ads use different measures and samples, so their figures are not mixed into the tables here.
Data sources and coverage
Government pay for customs officers is exact. No official source covers private customs work.
| Source | What it gives | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| SPA service schemes WK1, WK5 and WK9 | Starting basic pay by qualification | Strong: official and current |
| Budget 2026, SSPA pay scale | Minimum, maximum and yearly increment for every grade | Strong: official and current |
| JPA SSPA circular, Lampiran E | Fixed allowances by grade and area | Strong: official |
| DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey 2024 and 2025 | Industry medians | Weak for one job title |
- What a payslip shows is basic plus allowances plus any shift, on-call or overtime pay, so it can be higher than the fixed figures here.
Is customs work affected by AI?
The International Labour Organization rates customs and border inspectors Minimal for exposure to generative AI. Its scores cover the job worldwide, so they apply in Malaysia too.
Based on the International Labour Organization's 2025 index, which scores every core task of a job from 0 (AI cannot help) to 1 (AI could do nearly all of it).
AI can help with a small part of this job, mostly paperwork.
- Most exposed taskPerforming related administrative tasks
- Least exposed taskPatrolling national borders and coastal waters
- In numbersAI could do a large part of 1 of its 8 main tasks.
- Not exposed
- Minimal
- Some
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
Scored as ILO group 3351 Customs and border inspectors. Average task score 0.32, higher than 60% of the 427 jobs the ILO scored.
| Factor | Customs officer |
|---|---|
| 1Exposure levelThe ILO's rating for the whole job, from not exposed up to very high. | Minimal |
| 2Average task scoreHow much of each core task generative AI could do, averaged. 0 means none, 1 means nearly all. | 0.32 higher than 60% of jobs |
| 3Tasks AI could do much ofTasks scoring 0.5 or more. These are the parts of the job most likely to change. | 1 of 8 |
| 4Hands-on or people tasksTasks scoring under 0.25: physical, in-person or judgement work that AI barely touches. | 3 of 8 |
| 5How even the exposure isEven means AI touches most tasks a little. Uneven means a few tasks are exposed and the rest are not. | Mixed (0.14) |
| 6Most exposed taskWhere AI tools are likely to show up first. | Performing related administrative tasks to record findings… 0.53 |
| 7Least exposed taskThe task AI can help with least. | Patrolling national borders and coastal waters to stop… 0.12 |
- 0.53Performing related administrative tasks to record findings, transactions…
- 0.48Checking travel documents of persons crossing national borders to ensure that…
- 0.42Examining transport documents and freight of vehicles crossing national…
- 0.12Patrolling national borders and coastal waters to stop persons from illegally…
- 0.18Detaining persons and seizing prohibited and undeclared goods found to be in…
- 0.24Coordinating and cooperating with other agencies involved in law enforcement…
| Job | Exposure | Avg task score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative assistant | Very high | 0.59 | |
| Accountant | High | 0.51 | |
| IT officer | Moderate | 0.49 | |
| Computer technician | Moderate | 0.47 | |
| PTD officer | Minimal | 0.42 | |
| Psychologist | Some | 0.39 | |
| Architect | Minimal | 0.37 | |
| Legal officer | Minimal | 0.36 | |
| Pharmacist | Minimal | 0.33 | |
| Customs officer | Minimal | 0.32 | |
| Engineer | Not exposed | 0.30 | |
| Teacher | Not exposed | 0.30 | |
| Doctor | Not exposed | 0.29 | |
| Agriculture officer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Physiotherapist | Minimal | 0.28 | |
| Assistant engineer | Not exposed | 0.28 | |
| Medical assistant | Not exposed | 0.23 | |
| Radiographer | Not exposed | 0.22 | |
| Nurse | Minimal | 0.22 | |
| Firefighter | Not exposed | 0.18 | |
| Dentist | Not exposed | 0.15 | |
| Prison officer | Not exposed | 0.14 |
- What exposure measures: how much of the work AI could do or speed up. It does not measure job cuts.
What the pay figures include
Every figure is monthly basic pay or fixed allowances, before deductions.
| Measure | Includes | Excludes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic salary | Gaji pokok on the SSPA scale | Allowances, shift, on-call and overtime pay, special payments |
| Fixed allowances | ITP, BISH, ITKA or ITK, and BIPK as advertised for the post | Shift, on-call and overtime pay |
| DOSM salary | Monthly salaries and wages of paid employees | Self-employed and unpaid family workers |
Questions
What is the customs officer salary in Malaysia?
A new government customs officer starts on RM2,250 basic a month (WK9 with a bachelor's degree; RM2,470 with honours). With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur the total is RM3,150 a month, in 2026.
What is the customs officer salary per year in Malaysia?
RM3,150 a month is RM37,800 a year in fixed pay, before any shift, on-call or overtime pay and before the special payments the government announces each year.
How does a government customs officer's pay grow with years in service?
On the yearly increment alone, basic pay at grade 9 rises RM225 a year: from RM2,250 to about RM3,375 after 5 years and RM4,500 after 10, before any promotion. Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 scale.
What is the highest customs officer salary in government?
Grade 9 runs from RM2,250 to RM11,110 in basic pay. The highest grade in this guide, 14, has a maximum of RM15,360 a month.
How much does a customs officer earn in a private company?
Customs enforcement is a government job. For customs agents and forwarders in private firms, no official pay figure exists.
What is the difference between WK5 and WK9 in customs?
WK9 (Penguasa Kastam, customs superintendent) is the degree entry and starts at RM2,250 basic. WK5 (Penolong Penguasa Kastam, assistant superintendent) takes STPM, matriculation or a diploma and starts at RM1,650 to RM1,893. The WK9 scale runs to RM11,110, against RM6,620 at WK5.
Where do these figures come from?
Starting pay is from the SPA service scheme pages, the pay scale from the Budget 2026 establishment list, and allowances from the JPA SSPA circular. Private-sector context is from DOSM and Industrial Court awards.
Related guides
Sources
SPA service schemes, Ministry of Finance Budget 2026, JPA SSPA circular, DOSM
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Penguasa Kastam Gred WK9, with the WK5 and WK1 scheme pages.
- Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A. SSPA minimum-maximum salaries, page A-1.
- JPA, Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bil. 1/2024 (SSPA), Lampiran E: ITP, ITKA and BISH by grade and area.
- DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025 and the 2024 report.