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Occupational therapist salary in Malaysia

Gaji Pegawai Pemulihan Perubatan (Cara Kerja)Gaji Jurupulih Perubatan (Cara Kerja)

What the federal government pays new occupational therapists at each entry level under the 2026 public-service pay scale, with the allowances set by the JPA circular.

MalaysiaSSPA pay scale · Budget 2026DOSM Salaries & WagesRM per monthUpdated 25 Oct 2026
Government pay scaleBasic pay range / month
Entry, skills diploma or diplomaRehabilitation therapist, U5RM1,650–6,620Entry, degreeOccupational therapist, U9RM2,250–11,110PromotionGrade 10RM3,840–12,150SeniorGrade 12RM5,530–13,540SeniorGrade 13RM6,210–14,370SeniorGrade 14RM6,560–15,360
Minimum to maximum basicScale RM0 to RM16kSSPA pay scale, Budget 2026
Starting basicRM2,580RM30,960 a yearU9, occupational therapy or related honours degreeSee the pay breakdown →With allowancesRM3,480RM41,760 a yearBasic plus RM900 fixed allowances, Kuala LumpurSee the pay breakdown →With a diplomaRM1,974RM23,688 a yearU5, therapy diploma, RM2,784 with allowancesSee every entry level →Top of grade 9RM11,110RM133,320 a yearMaximum basic at U9See the pay scale →
At a glance

Occupational therapist salary in Malaysia

What the job is: This unit group covers health professionals not classified elsewhere in Sub-major Group 22: Health Professionals. ILO ISCO-08, 2269 Health Professionals Not Elsewhere Classified

  • Occupational therapist (Pegawai Pemulihan Perubatan, U9): RM2,580 basic a month (occupational therapy or related honours degree).
  • With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,480 a month at U9.
  • Rehabilitation therapist, occupational therapy (U5): RM1,974 basic with an occupational therapy diploma, RM2,784 with allowances. Skills diplomas start at RM1,731.
  • Pay scale: grade 9 runs from RM2,250 to RM11,110, rising RM225 a year.

What a new occupational therapist earns

An occupational therapist at U9 starts on RM2,580 basic, plus RM900 in fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM3,480 a month.

Grade U9, from the SPA service scheme and the JPA allowance circular. The starting point depends on the qualification.

Qualification or pay itemGrade U9RM a month
Honours degree in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech or audiologyStarting basic2,580
Fixed allowances, Kawasan AHousing (ITP) RM300, public service (ITKA) RM300, cost of living (BISH) RM300900
Total fixed pay at the start, occupational therapy or related honours degreeBasic plus fixed allowances, Kawasan A3,480

Sources: SPA scheme page for grade U9; JPA Pekeliling Perkhidmatan 1/2024, Lampiran E. BISH is lower outside Kawasan A. Totals computed by Foundific.

What it means
  • A year at the starting rate is RM3,480 × 12 = RM41,760.
  • The allowances counted here are the fixed ones in the JPA circular. Any allowance tied to a particular post is not included.
  • The U9 scheme also covers physiotherapists, speech therapists and audiologists, at the same starting pay.

How to become an occupational therapist

Occupational therapists enter at U5 and U9, depending on the qualification.

Entry levelQualificationStarting basic, RMWith allowances, RM
Rehabilitation therapist (Jurupulih Perubatan Cara Kerja, U5)Malaysian Skills Diploma (DKM) in a related field1,7312,541
Rehabilitation therapist (Jurupulih Perubatan Cara Kerja, U5)Malaysian Advanced Skills Diploma (DLKM) in a related field1,8122,622
Rehabilitation therapist (Jurupulih Perubatan Cara Kerja, U5)Diploma in occupational therapy, physiotherapy or a related field1,9742,784
Occupational therapist (Pegawai Pemulihan Perubatan, U9)Honours degree in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech or audiology2,5803,480

Source: SPA scheme pages. Allowances from the JPA circular, Kawasan A: U5 RM810, U9 RM900. Totals computed by Foundific.

What it means
  • Every route needs a credit in Bahasa Melayu at SPM or SVM.

How pay grows on the government scale

Grade 9 pay rises RM225 a year, from RM2,250 up to RM11,110. Promotion to a higher grade moves an officer onto a higher range.

Minimum and maximum monthly basic salary for each SSPA grade, 2026.

GradeWhoMinimumMaximumYearly increment
5Rehabilitation therapist, entry with a skills diploma or diploma1,6506,620145
9Occupational therapist, entry with a degree2,25011,110225
10Promotion grade3,84012,150250
12Promotion grade5,53013,540270
13Promotion grade6,21014,370290
14Promotion grade6,56015,360320

Source: Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A: SSPA salary codes and minimum-maximum salaries (page A-1). Basic salary only.

What it means
  • With increments alone, at RM225 a year, an officer starting at RM2,580 would need about 38 yearly increments to reach RM11,110.

Pay after 5, 10 and 20 years

Starting at RM2,580 at grade 9, with the RM225 yearly increment and no promotion. The grade maximum, RM11,110, is reached after about 38 years.

Years in gradeBasic, RM a monthWith fixed allowances, RM a monthFixed pay, RM a year
At the start2,5803,48041,760
After 5 years3,7054,60555,260
After 10 years4,8305,73068,760
After 20 years7,0807,98095,760

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 occupational therapist's fixed pay, RM3,480, is above the RM2,940 median for Malaysian citizens. The human health and social work industry median, RM4,698, covers workers of all grades and years.

FigureSourceRM a month
New occupational therapist, U9, basic plus fixed allowances, Kuala LumpurSPA and JPA, 20263,480
Median salary, human health and social work industryDOSM, 20244,698
Median salary, all Malaysian citizensDOSM, 20252,940
Median salary, employed degree holders of all agesDOSM, 20245,724
  • The industry median covers all employees in the industry.
  • DOSM figures cover all paid employees and all ages. The government figure is one fixed pay point. Use them to show scale only.
  • Compare your own pay with this scale, the DOSM figures and court awards in the Malaysia salary comparison.

Occupational therapists outside government

No official source publishes occupational therapist pay outside government.

  • 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 occupational therapists is exact. No official source covers private-sector pay for the job.

SourceWhat it givesStrength
SPA service schemes U5, U9Starting basic pay by qualificationStrong: official and current
Budget 2026, SSPA pay scaleMinimum, maximum and yearly increment for every gradeStrong: official and current
JPA SSPA circular, Lampiran EFixed allowances by grade and areaStrong: official
DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey 2024 and 2025Industry and national mediansWeak for one job title
  • A payslip shows basic plus allowances plus any shift, on-call or overtime pay, so it can be higher than the fixed figures here.

Is occupational therapist work affected by AI?

The International Labour Organization puts health professionals not elsewhere classified in its “Not exposed” group 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).

Occupational therapist
Not exposedAI exposure
Not exposedVery high

AI can do very little of this job. Most tasks are hands-on or face to face.

  • Most exposed taskEvaluating and documenting patients' progress
  • Least exposed taskPerforming minor surgical procedures
  • In numbersNone of its 8 main tasks is one AI could do a large part of.
Occupational therapistISCO 2269
Not exposedexposure to generative AI
  1. Not exposed
  2. Minimal
  3. Some
  4. Moderate
  5. High
  6. Very high

Scored as ILO group 2269 Health professionals not elsewhere classified. Average task score 0.20, higher than 31% of the 427 jobs the ILO scored.

Seven factors
FactorOccupational therapist
1Exposure levelThe ILO's rating for the whole job, from not exposed up to very high.Not exposed
2Average task scoreHow much of each core task generative AI could do, averaged. 0 means none, 1 means nearly all.0.20 higher than 31% of jobs
3Tasks AI could do much ofTasks scoring 0.5 or more. These are the parts of the job most likely to change.0 of 8
4Hands-on or people tasksTasks scoring under 0.25: physical, in-person or judgement work that AI barely touches.5 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.Even (0.07)
6Most exposed taskWhere AI tools are likely to show up first.Evaluating and documenting patients' progress through… 0.29
7Least exposed taskThe task AI can help with least.Performing minor surgical procedures such as on the foot… 0.09
Most and least exposed tasks
Occupational therapist
Most exposed tasks
  • 0.29Evaluating and documenting patients' progress through treatment plans, and…
  • 0.28Recommending environmental adaptations in the home, leisure, work and school…
  • 0.26Planning and implementing therapeutic programmes on an individual and group…
Least exposed tasks
  • 0.09Performing minor surgical procedures such as on the foot and ankles
  • 0.11Administering therapeutic care and treatment to patients, including through…
  • 0.17Identifying and prescribing treatments for conditions affecting the foot…
Compared with our other Malaysian guides
JobExposureAvg task score
Administrative assistantVery high0.59
AccountantHigh0.51
IT officerModerate0.49
Computer technicianModerate0.47
Information officerModerate0.43
PTD officerMinimal0.42
Town plannerMinimal0.41
PsychologistSome0.39
Science officerMinimal0.39
ArchitectMinimal0.37
Legal officerMinimal0.36
PharmacistMinimal0.33
Border control officerMinimal0.32
Quantity surveyorNot exposed0.30
EngineerNot exposed0.30
TeacherNot exposed0.30
DoctorNot exposed0.29
Agriculture officerNot exposed0.28
PhysiotherapistMinimal0.28
Environmental health officerNot exposed0.28
Assistant engineerNot exposed0.28
Medical assistantNot exposed0.23
RadiographerNot exposed0.22
NurseMinimal0.22
Community nurseNot exposed0.20
Occupational therapistNot exposed0.20
FirefighterNot exposed0.18
DentistNot exposed0.15
VeterinarianNot exposed0.14
Prison officerNot exposed0.14
Source: ILO Working Paper 140, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (Gmyrek et al., 2025), CC BY 4.0. Malaysian jobs are matched to ILO groups by their ISCO-08 code; MASCO follows ISCO-08 at four digits. The ILO scores international job groups, not Malaysian titles. How we read the AI scores.
What it means
  • 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.

MeasureIncludesExcludes
Basic salaryGaji pokok on the SSPA scaleAllowances, shift, on-call and overtime pay, special payments
Fixed allowancesITP, BISH, ITKA or ITK, and BIPK as advertised for the postShift, on-call and overtime pay
DOSM salaryMonthly salaries and wages of paid employeesSelf-employed and unpaid family workers

Questions

What is the occupational therapist salary in Malaysia?

A new government occupational therapist starts on RM2,580 basic a month (U9, occupational therapy or related honours degree). With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur the total is RM3,480 a month, in 2026.

What is the occupational therapist salary per year in Malaysia?

RM3,480 a month is RM41,760 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 occupational therapist's pay grow with years in service?

On the yearly increment alone, basic pay at grade 9 rises RM225 a year: from RM2,580 to about RM3,705 after 5 years and RM4,830 after 10, before any promotion. Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 scale.

What is the highest occupational therapist salary in government?

Grade 9 runs from RM2,250 to RM11,110 in basic pay. Promotion can lead to grade 14, with a maximum basic of RM15,360 a month (Budget 2026).

How much does an occupational therapist earn in a private company?

No official source publishes occupational therapist pay outside government.

What is the difference between U5 and U9 for occupational therapists?

U5 (rehabilitation therapist) is the diploma entry and starts at RM1,731 to RM1,974 basic, depending on the diploma. U9 (occupational therapist) is the degree entry and starts at RM2,580. The U9 scale runs to RM11,110, against RM6,620 at U5.

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.

MalaysiaMalaysia salary overviewPay by state, sector and skill MalaysiaPhysiotherapist salary in MalaysiaGovernment grades, starting pay and allowancesRM2,580 starting basic MalaysiaNurse salary in MalaysiaGovernment grades, starting pay and allowancesRM1,974 starting basic MalaysiaRadiographer salary in MalaysiaGovernment grades, starting pay and allowancesRM1,974 starting basic

Sources

SPA service schemes, Ministry of Finance Budget 2026, JPA SSPA circular, DOSM
  1. Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Jurupulih Perubatan Gred U5 Cara Kerja.
  2. Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Pegawai Pemulihan Perubatan Gred U9.
  3. Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 establishment list, Lampiran A. SSPA minimum-maximum salaries, page A-1.
  4. JPA, Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bil. 1/2024 (SSPA), Lampiran E: ITP, ITKA and BISH by grade and area.
  5. DOSM, Salaries & Wages Survey Report 2025 and the 2024 report.