HRD Corp in-house training: schemes, timing and claimable costs

What counts as in-house training for HRD Corp?

HRD Corp treats in-house training as a customised course attended by employees from one organisation. It can run at your premises, at a hotel or at an external training venue, or as remote online training for your company only.

• Each session must be at least four hours long.
• The minimum group is two trainees for face-to-face training and one for remote online training.
• The maximum group is 50 trainees for soft skills courses and 25 for technical courses.
• Training shared with staff from two or more HRD Corp registered employers falls under a separate scheme, Skim Latihan Bersama (SLB).

Which HRD Corp scheme applies to in-house training?

The scheme depends on who delivers the training, not where it takes place.

• External trainer from a registered training provider: HRD Corp Claimable Courses. You do not pay upfront; HRD Corp debits the course fee from your levy and pays the provider after approving the claim.
• Your own employees as trainers: SBL. Internal trainers are subject matter experts from your company or group, including overseas, and do not need to register with HRD Corp.
• Vendors, NGOs, government bodies, associations (with a one-off HRD Corp approval) and overseas providers: SBL. For in-house courses by an overseas provider, you must justify the choice.
• Under SBL you pay the trainer yourself and claim the course fee back from HRD Corp.

How far ahead must you apply for in-house training?

• Apply in e-TRiS before the training starts. HRD Corp states that from 15 June 2026, in-house programmes can be conducted 14 days after grant approval, and its 2026 grant guides ask for the application at least 14 calendar days before the start date. Aim to have approval in hand 14 days before day one.
• The approved programme must start within 90 calendar days after the 14-day period ends.
• Public courses temporarily need only 3 days after approval, from 15 June to 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027 they return to the 14-day rule, the same as in-house training.
• Confirm the date, trainer and group before you submit. Under the revised 2026 terms, approved Claimable Courses and SBL grants can no longer be modified; to change anything you cancel the grant and apply again.

What documents do you need to apply?

The e-TRiS form also asks you to explain the background and objective of the training and why each participant should attend in relation to their job.

• Course content with a training schedule, including dates and times.
• The trainer profile. For Claimable Courses, the trainer must be HRD Corp accredited; since 1 January 2025, certified trainers need Accreditation status to deliver training within the HRD Corp ecosystem.
• The invoice or quotation for the course fee, plus a quotation for chartered transport if you need it.
• For SBL training run by a vendor, the service or sales agreement, or the receipt or invoice for the item purchased.
• An HRD Corp special approval letter if the course uses licensed training materials.

What in-house training costs can you claim?

HRD Corp's Allowable Cost Matrix (January 2026) sets these maximums for in-house training. Service tax is claimable as long as the total stays within the cap.

• Course fee for an external trainer, general courses: up to RM10,500 per group for a full day (at least seven hours) or RM6,000 for a half day (up to four hours).
• Focus-area, industry-specific and professional certification courses: as charged, quoted per participant and prorated by completed attendance.
• Internal trainer allowance: up to RM1,400 per group for a full day or RM800 for a half day.
• Meal allowance for trainees and internal trainers: up to RM100 per person per day, or RM50 for a half day.
• Allowance for staff travelling from headquarters or branches: up to RM250 per person per day within 100km, or RM500 including accommodation at 100km or more.
• Consumable training materials: RM100 per group without a quotation; above that you need an itemised breakdown.
• Chartered transport for programmes held away from your premises, and airfare for travelling trainees and trainers.

How attendance affects your claim

• You can claim only one type of allowance per trainee, either meal or trainee allowance, depending on the training location. There is no trainee allowance for staff based at the premises where on-site training takes place.
• If fewer than five trainees attend, the course fee is prorated. HRD Corp's example: RM10,500 ÷ 5 trainees = RM2,100 per trainee. The internal trainer allowance is prorated in the same way.
• Each trainee must attend at least 75% of the training hours, and allowances are prorated by attendance.
• Reimbursement is based on the actual number of trainees and the actual training period. Trainees who are not Malaysian citizens affect eligibility.

How do you claim after in-house training?

• Submit the claim in e-TRiS within six months of the training completion date. Late claims are rejected.
• Under Claimable Courses, the training provider claims the course fee first, with an invoice addressed to HRD Corp, the JD14 joint declaration form approved by a manager or above, and the T3 attendance form signed by trainees daily. Your own claim for allowances follows once the provider's claim is approved.
• Under SBL, you claim the course fee with proof of payment, such as the invoice, official receipt or bank statement.
• For remote online training, attach a system-generated attendance report signed by both the provider and your company.
• Before your first claim, register your company bank account for e-disbursement. Complete claims are processed within seven working days.

Arranging in-house finance training with Ogos Learning

Ogos Learning Resources Sdn. Bhd. is a registered training provider in HRD Corp's e-TRiS system. Ogos Learning has trained teams at more than 10 of Malaysia's licensed commercial banks. Email support@ogoslearning.com with the topic, number of participants and preferred dates to get a quotation and trainer profile for your grant application.