HRD Corp Claimable Training: Funding Mental Health Skills at Work

HRD Corp claimable training is any course that a registered Malaysian employer can fund from its HRD Corp levy, provided the grant is approved in e-TRiS before the training starts. Mental health training qualifies when a registered training provider delivers it as a structured programme of at least four hours, such as a mental health first responder course for managers.

This guide explains how the levy and the main schemes work, which kinds of mental health training fit them, and how to plan a year of claimable sessions without losing levy to missed deadlines. It is written for HR leaders, People and Culture teams and business owners in Malaysia who already pay the levy and want to put it to work on employee wellbeing.

What is HRD Corp and who pays the levy?

HRD Corp (Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad) is the agency under the Ministry of Human Resources that collects a training levy from employers and channels it back into employee training. Its legal basis is the Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad Act 2001 (PSMB Act 2001), whose coverage was expanded to more sectors from 1 March 2021.

According to the HRD Corp employer FAQ, the rules are as follows:

• Mandatory registration: employers with 10 or more Malaysian employees in a covered sector must register and pay a levy of 1% of monthly wages plus fixed allowances.
• Optional registration: employers with 5 to 9 Malaysian employees may register and pay 0.5%.
• Payment date: the levy is due by the 15th of each month, and it cannot be deducted from employees' wages.
• System: grant applications, levy payments and claims all run through e-TRiS, the HRD Corp online portal.

The practical point for HR is simple. If your organisation pays the levy, that money is already set aside for training. The question is whether you spend it deliberately or let it sit unused.

How do HRD Corp claims work for employers?

Most employer training today runs through the HRD Corp Claimable Courses scheme, also known as SBL-Khas (Skim Bantuan Latihan Khas). HRD Corp states that from 1 April 2021 it no longer approves training grants outside SBL-Khas except for specific types of training, so this is the scheme most HR teams will use for wellbeing courses.

The core rule is that the grant must be approved before training begins. HRD Corp's grant and claim FAQ says applications must be submitted online by registered employers before the training commences. You cannot run a workshop first and claim it later.

The claim process, step by step

1. Choose a registered training provider and programme. Confirm the provider is registered with HRD Corp and the course can be applied for under SBL-Khas.
2. Collect the documents. HRD Corp asks for a quotation or invoice for the course fee, the trainer's profile, and the training schedule or course content.
3. Apply for the grant in e-TRiS. Select the HRD Corp Claimable Courses scheme, the provider, the programme, the trainees, and the fees and allowances you intend to claim.
4. Wait for approval and respect the lead time. HRD Corp's claimable courses page sets a minimum gap between grant approval and the training start date, which differs for in-house and public courses.
5. Run the training and record attendance. For face-to-face sessions, trainees sign the attendance list daily and the provider certifies it. For remote online learning, a system-generated attendance report is certified by both provider and employer.
6. Submit the claim. The training provider claims the course fee, and the employer then claims allowances and other eligible costs once the provider's claim is approved.

Under SBL-Khas, the course fee is debited from the employer's levy account, so you do not pay the provider out of pocket. A provider may request an optional upfront payment of up to 30% of the approved fee, but only with the employer's consent.

What timelines and rules apply in 2026?

HRD Corp updated its timing rules in mid-2026, and these are the details that most often catch HR teams out. Based on the HRD Corp Claimable Courses page at the time of writing:

• In-house training: may start 14 days after grant approval, effective from 15 June 2026.
• Public training: may start 3 days after approval from 15 June to 31 December 2026, moving to 14 days from 1 January 2027.
• Start window: training must begin within 90 calendar days after the advance approval period ends.
• Claim deadline: claims must be submitted within six months of programme completion.
• Minimum duration: a programme must run for at least four hours to be funded.
• Outstanding levy: employers with outstanding levy or interest cannot apply for SBL-Khas assistance.

Rules change, so check the current HRD Corp guidance before every application. Build a buffer of at least three weeks between booking a course and the session date, which covers the in-house lead time and any queries from the grant officer.

What mental health training qualifies as HRD Corp claimable?

HRD Corp funds training, not treatment. A course is a candidate when it is a structured learning programme with a schedule, learning content and a qualified trainer, delivered by a registered provider. Counselling sessions, therapy and EAP services are clinical support rather than training, so plan to fund those from your benefits budget instead.

Within that boundary, mental health training that commonly fits the scheme includes:

• Mental health first responder training: teaching managers and nominated staff to recognise early signs of distress, hold a supportive conversation and refer people to professional help.
• Manager capability programmes: how to run wellbeing check-ins, manage workload, adjust duties and lead teams with psychological safety.
• Psychosocial risk management training: helping HR and safety committees understand how to identify and control work-related stressors.
• Resilience and stress management workshops: skills-based sessions for employees that meet the four-hour minimum.
• Neurodiversity and inclusion training: practical guidance for HR and leaders on supporting neurodivergent colleagues.

A short 60-minute webinar will not meet the four-hour minimum on its own. If you want short talks for awareness, budget for them separately and keep your levy for the longer skills programmes.

Why should Malaysian employers fund mental health training?

The case starts with prevalence. The Ministry of Health's National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 fact sheet reports depressive symptoms among 4.6% of Malaysian adults. Applied to a workforce, that means a mid-sized employer should expect some employees to be struggling at any given time.

The regulatory direction is also clear. DOSH published the Guidelines on Psychosocial Risk Assessment and Management at the Workplace 2024 (PRisMA), and in May 2026 the New Straits Times reported that DOSH is moving to frame psychosocial wellbeing as a legal duty under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA 1994). Training managers is one of the most direct ways to show you are managing those risks.

Global guidance supports the same approach. The WHO and ILO estimate that depression and anxiety cost about 12 billion working days each year, and the WHO guidelines on mental health at work recommend manager training so that managers can prevent stressful conditions and respond to staff in distress. ISO 45003 takes a similar line on psychological health and safety.

How do you plan a year of claimable mental health training?

A good plan treats the levy as a budget line with a schedule, not a reserve to dip into when a crisis hits. The steps below suit most organisations between 50 and 2,000 employees.

1. Check your levy balance and rules

Log in to e-TRiS, confirm your available levy and make sure there is no outstanding levy or interest, which would block applications. Note your HR calendar, peak business periods and any planned restructuring.

2. Start with data on risk

Use your engagement survey, absence records and EAP trend reports to see where pressure sits. In Malaysia, a psychosocial risk assessment aligned to DOSH PRisMA gives the strongest evidence base, because it shows which teams and hazards need attention first.

3. Prioritise people managers

Managers shape workload, recognition and day-to-day support, so they are usually the first cohort. Aim to train every people manager in a priority business unit before rolling out to the wider organisation.

4. Sequence the programmes

A typical sequence is first responder training for managers in quarter one, psychosocial risk training for HR and safety committee members in quarter two, and resilience workshops for employees in the second half. Keep each programme at four hours or more.

5. Book with lead time

Apply in e-TRiS at least three weeks before each session. Confirm the trainee list early, since changes after approval create delays.

6. Close the loop

Collect attendance, pre and post assessments and feedback, then submit the claim well inside the six-month window. Report the results to leadership alongside wider wellbeing data.

Example: MHFR@Work as an HRD Corp claimable course

ThoughtFull's Mental Health First Responders at Work (MHFR@Work) training shows what a claimable mental health programme looks like in practice. It runs as one 8-hour session or two 4-hour sessions, so either format meets the four-hour minimum, and it is HRD Corp claimable for teams in Malaysia.

The programme is designed for HR professionals, managers and employees, and uses case studies built around Asian workplace situations. Participants complete pre and post assessments, receive a certificate of attendance, and the organisation receives a cohort report it can use when reporting to leadership. ThoughtFull recommends a refresher every two years.

Because ThoughtFull is a regional provider working across Asia Pacific, multinational employers can run the same first responder standard in Malaysia and other markets, while using the HRD Corp levy to fund the Malaysian cohorts.

HRD Corp claimable training checklist

Use this checklist before you submit any mental health training application:

• Your organisation is registered with HRD Corp and has no outstanding levy or interest.
• The training provider is registered with HRD Corp.
• The programme runs for at least four hours and has a written schedule and course content.
• You hold the quotation or invoice and the trainer's profile.
• The grant application is submitted in e-TRiS before training starts, with the required lead time for in-house or public courses.
• Training will begin within the 90-day start window.
• Attendance will be recorded daily for face-to-face sessions or through a system report for online sessions.
• Someone owns the claim and will submit it within six months of completion.
• Clinical services, such as counselling and therapy, are funded from a separate benefits budget.

How does training fit with wider mental health support?

Training builds early recognition and referral skills, but trained managers need somewhere to refer people. Pair your claimable training with confidential professional support, such as an employee assistance programme in Malaysia, so that a first responder conversation leads to real help.

For compliance, link your training plan to a DOSH-compliant PRisMA psychosocial risk assessment. The assessment identifies the hazards, and the training becomes part of the control measures you document. For ongoing engagement between programmes, monthly Activation Programmes keep wellbeing topics visible.

If you are supporting someone in immediate danger, contact emergency services on 999 in Malaysia. Befrienders KL offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day on 03-7627 2929, and the national HEAL helpline can be reached on 15555.

Next step for HR leaders

Your HRD Corp levy is one of the few budgets that already exists for building mental health skills at work. Start by checking your levy balance, choosing one priority group of managers, and booking a claimable programme with enough lead time to clear approval. To plan MHFR@Work cohorts or a full wellbeing training calendar, speak to our team.