The bereavement award, explained
You have heard about a fixed payment after a death and want to know what it actually is.
The bereavement award is a fixed statutory sum paid to specific family members after a death caused by a road accident, currently RM30,000, subject to current law.[1] It does not depend on the deceased’s income or on how much support the family lost. Parliament sets the figure; a court does not assess it case by case.
Where this figure comes from
The sum was raised from RM10,000 to RM30,000 by the Civil Law (Amendment) Act 2019.[1] It is the only fixed monetary figure this site publishes, because statute sets it directly.
Who can generally receive this award
The spouse, parents and children of the deceased are generally eligible. The 2019 amendment widened that class to include certain dependent disabled family members.[2] Check your own relationship against this list rather than assuming.
How this differs from loss of support
Loss of support reflects the financial contribution the family has lost, worked out from the deceased’s income. The bereavement award is separate from that calculation and is added on top. How lost family support is valued covers the calculation.
Does it go to the estate?
No. The bereavement sum belongs to the eligible family members under the dependency claim, not to the estate. Estate versus dependency explains why.
What to do next
The same death certificate, police report and proof of family relationship generally support this award. Who can claim after a death explains each eligible relationship, and how a dependency claim works covers the full claim.
An independent lawyer can take on the family’s dependency claim, including this award. Send the accident date, where it happened, who has died, and the police report status.
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
Common questions
Is RM30,000 the exact amount every family will receive?
This is the current statutory sum, subject to current law, and it is the one fixed figure this site names because Parliament sets it directly rather than a court assessing it case by case.
Can more than one family member receive this award?
The statutory sum applies to the claim as a whole for the eligible class, rather than being multiplied per person. How it is shared among eligible family members is worth checking against the specific facts of your family.
Does a grandparent or sibling qualify for this award?
The eligible class generally covers the spouse, parents and children of the deceased, plus certain dependent disabled family members after a 2019 change. Other relationships are worth checking individually rather than assuming.
Is this the same payment as loss of support?
No, they are separate items within the same dependency claim. Loss of support reflects the deceased's actual income and contribution, while the bereavement award is a fixed sum unrelated to income.
Sources
- Skrine, on the Civil Law (Amendment) Act 2019 (accessed 2026-09-22)
- Thomas Philip, on Civil Law Act 1956, s.7 (accessed 2026-09-22)
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.