Prison officer salary in Malaysia
What the job is: Prison guards watch over and maintain order among inmates of prisons, reformatories or penitentiaries. ILO ISCO-08, 5413 Prison Guards
- Prison officer (Pegawai Penjara): RM1,500 basic a month (SPM or SVM), up to RM1,622 with higher qualifications.
- With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM2,265 a month at KA1.
- Assistant prison superintendent (KA5): RM1,650 basic, RM2,460 with allowances.
- Prison superintendent (KA9): RM2,250 basic, RM3,150 with allowances.
- Pay scale: grade 1 runs from RM1,500 to RM4,680, rising RM100 a year.
What a new prison officer earns
A prison officer at KA1 starts on RM1,500 basic, plus RM765 in fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur: RM2,265 a month. Higher qualifications start higher.
Grade KA1, from the SPA service scheme and the JPA allowance circular. The starting point depends on the qualification.
| Qualification or pay item | Grade KA1 | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| SPM or SVM | Starting basic | 1,500 |
| SPM and SKM level 2 | Starting basic | 1,561 |
| SPM and SKM level 3 | Starting basic | 1,622 |
| Fixed allowances, Kawasan A | Housing (ITP) RM300, public service (ITKA) RM115, cost of living (BISH) RM350 | 765 |
| Total fixed pay at the start, SPM or SVM | Basic plus fixed allowances, Kawasan A | 2,265 |
Sources: SPA scheme page for grade KA1; JPA Pekeliling Perkhidmatan 1/2024, Lampiran E. BISH is lower outside Kawasan A. Totals computed by Foundific.
- A year at the start: RM2,265 × 12 = RM27,180.
- 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, a chest of at least 79 cm (84 cm expanded) for men, and V6/9 eyesight without glasses or contact lenses.
- 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 prison officer
Prison officers enter at KA1, KA5 and KA9, depending on the qualification.
| Entry level | Qualification | Starting basic, RM | With allowances, RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prison officer (Pegawai Penjara) | SPM or SVM | 1,500 | 2,265 |
| Prison officer (Pegawai Penjara) | SPM and SKM level 2 | 1,561 | 2,326 |
| Prison officer (Pegawai Penjara) | SPM and SKM level 3 | 1,622 | 2,387 |
| Assistant prison superintendent (Penolong Penguasa Penjara) | STPM, STAM or matriculation | 1,650 | 2,460 |
| Assistant prison superintendent (Penolong Penguasa Penjara) | Diploma | 1,893 | 2,703 |
| Prison superintendent (Penguasa Penjara) | Bachelor's degree | 2,250 | 3,150 |
| Prison superintendent (Penguasa Penjara) | Bachelor's degree with honours | 2,470 | 3,370 |
Source: SPA scheme pages. Allowances from the JPA circular, Kawasan A: KA1 RM765, KA5 RM810, KA9 RM900. Totals computed by Foundific.
- Bahasa Melayu: every route needs a credit in Bahasa Melayu at SPM or SVM.
How pay grows on the government scale
Grade 1 pay rises RM100 a year, from RM1,500 up to RM4,680. Promotion to a higher grade 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 | Prison officer, entry with SPM | 1,500 | 4,680 | 100 |
| 5 | Assistant prison superintendent, entry with a diploma | 1,650 | 6,620 | 145 |
| 9 | Prison superintendent, entry with a degree | 2,250 | 11,110 | 225 |
| 10 | Promotion grade | 3,840 | 12,150 | 250 |
| 12 | Promotion grade | 5,530 | 13,540 | 270 |
| 14 | Promotion 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 RM100 a year, an officer starting at RM1,500 would need about 32 yearly increments to reach RM4,680.
Pay after 5, 10 and 20 years
Starting at RM1,500 at grade 1, with the RM100 yearly increment and no promotion. The grade maximum, RM4,680, is reached after about 32 years.
| Years in grade | Basic, RM a month | With fixed allowances, RM a month | Fixed pay, RM a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the start | 1,500 | 2,265 | 27,180 |
| After 5 years | 2,000 | 2,765 | 33,180 |
| After 10 years | 2,500 | 3,265 | 39,180 |
| After 20 years | 3,500 | 4,265 | 51,180 |
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 prison officer's fixed pay, RM2,265, is below the national median of RM2,940. The public administration and defence median, RM4,483, covers workers of all grades and years.
| Figure | Source | RM a month |
|---|---|---|
| New prison officer, KA1, basic plus fixed allowances, Kuala Lumpur | SPA and JPA, 2026 | 2,265 |
| Median salary, public administration and defence | DOSM, 2024 | 4,483 |
| Median salary, all Malaysian citizens | DOSM, 2025 | 2,940 |
| Median salary, semi-skilled workers, citizens | DOSM, 2025 | 2,223 |
- Industry median covers all employees in the industry, 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.
Prison officers outside government
No official source publishes prison officer 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 prison officers is exact. No official source covers private-sector pay for the job.
| Source | What it gives | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| SPA service schemes KA1, KA5, KA9 | 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 and national 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 prison officer work affected by AI?
The International Labour Organization rates prison guards Not exposed 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 do very little of this job. Most tasks are hands-on or face to face.
- Most exposed taskAssisting with the implementation of rehabilitation…
- Least exposed taskPatrolling prison areas to prevent escapes
- In numbersNone of its 7 main tasks is one AI could do a large part of.
- Not exposed
- Minimal
- Some
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
Scored as ILO group 5413 Prison guards. Average task score 0.14, higher than 13% of the 427 jobs the ILO scored.
| Factor | Prison officer |
|---|---|
| 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. | 0.14 higher than 13% 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 7 |
| 4Hands-on or people tasksTasks scoring under 0.25: physical, in-person or judgement work that AI barely touches. | 7 of 7 |
| 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 (0.04) |
| 6Most exposed taskWhere AI tools are likely to show up first. | Assisting with the implementation of rehabilitation… 0.21 |
| 7Least exposed taskThe task AI can help with least. | Patrolling prison areas to prevent escapes 0.10 |
- 0.21Assisting with the implementation of rehabilitation programmes
- 0.17Supervising prisoners at work and meals, and during recreation periods
- 0.15Making periodic inspection tours of cells and inspecting and maintaining the…
- 0.10Patrolling prison areas to prevent escapes
- 0.11Observing the conduct and behaviour of prisoners to prevent disturbances and…
- 0.11Searching arriving prisoners, putting their valuables in safekeeping…
| 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 prison officer salary in Malaysia?
A new government prison officer starts on RM1,500 basic a month (KA1, SPM or SVM). With fixed allowances in Kuala Lumpur the total is RM2,265 a month, in 2026.
What is the prison officer salary per year in Malaysia?
RM2,265 a month is RM27,180 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 prison officer's pay grow with years in service?
On the yearly increment alone, basic pay at grade 1 rises RM100 a year: from RM1,500 to about RM2,000 after 5 years and RM2,500 after 10, before any promotion. Foundific calculation from the Budget 2026 scale.
What is the highest prison officer salary in government?
Grade 1 runs from RM1,500 to RM4,680 in basic pay. The highest grade in this guide, 14, has a maximum of RM15,360 a month.
How much does a prison officer earn in a private company?
No official source publishes prison officer pay outside government.
What is the difference between KA1 and KA9 for prison officers?
KA1 (prison officer) is the SPM entry and starts at RM1,500 basic. KA9 (prison superintendent) is the degree entry and starts at RM2,250. The KA9 scale runs to RM11,110, against RM4,680 at KA1.
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: Pegawai Penjara Gred Ka1.
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Penolong Penguasa Penjara Gred Ka5.
- Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam, Syarat Permohonan: Penguasa Penjara Gred Ka9.
- 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.