HRDC In-House Training Malaysia (2026): Rules, Rates & How to Claim
Everything Malaysian employers need to run an HRD Corp claimable in-house programme — pax limits, claim ceilings, the 14-day approval window, and which grant scheme actually applies.
HRD Corp in-house training is claimable for 2–50 pax at your premises, a hotel or an external venue, for a minimum of 4 hours. General in-house sessions are capped at RM10,500/day/group — per group, not per person. Use HRD Corp Claimable Courses (SBL-Khas) when a registered provider delivers it, or SBL when your own internal trainer does. Apply early: in-house can only run 14 days after grant approval.
What Is HRD Corp In-House Training?
In-house training is a programme run exclusively for one employer's own staff, instead of a public class that anyone can buy a seat in. HRD Corp funds it under the same claimable-courses framework as public training, with three structural differences that matter to your budget: the group size is capped at 2–50 pax, the course-fee ceiling applies per group rather than per participant, and the programme can only be conducted 14 days after the grant is approved.
HRD Corp allows the session to be held at your own premises, at a hotel, or at an external training place — all three are claimable. The minimum funded duration is four (4) hours, so half-day and full-day formats both qualify while a short briefing does not. Virtual delivery is supported too, as Remote Online Training (In-House), at a different rate.
The practical appeal is customisation: because the room contains only your people, the trainer can build the case studies around your actual systems, processes and compliance obligations. That is the reason most employers with a real group of learners prefer it over buying scattered public seats.
In-House vs Public Training — HRDF Comparison
The single most important line in this table is how the cap is applied. In-house is capped per group; public is capped per participant.
| Feature | In-House Training | Public Training |
|---|---|---|
| Who attends | Only your own employees | Open to employees from any company |
| Group size | 2–50 pax | 1–9 pax per grant application |
| Course fee cap | RM10,500/day/group (full day) · RM6,000/half-day/group (half day) | RM1,750/pax/day · RM1,000/pax/half-day (half day) |
| How the cap is applied | Per GROUP — one ceiling for the whole session | Per PARTICIPANT — each seat draws its own ceiling |
| Remote online rate | RM700/pax/day | Per ACM, quoted per participant |
| Content | Customised to your operations, systems and case studies | Fixed syllabus set by the provider |
| Venue | Your premises, a hotel, or an external training place | Provider's venue or hotel |
| Lead time after grant approval | 14 days (effective 15 June 2026) | 3 days until 31 Dec 2026, then 14 days from 1 Jan 2027 |
| Best when | You have a real group and want company-specific content | You have only 1–2 people, or want cross-company networking |
Rates per the January 2026 HRD Corp Allowable Cost Matrix. All claims are subject to your available levy balance, and HRD Corp deducts a 4% service fee from approved claims.
Which Scheme Applies to Your In-House Training?
Both HRD Corp Claimable Courses (SBL-Khas) and SBL cover in-house training. What decides between them is who delivers it — not whether the class is in-house or public.
HRD Corp Claimable Courses (SBL-Khas)
Use when: Your in-house trainer comes from an HRD Corp-registered training provider
- Covers in-house on premise, at a hotel, or at an external training place
- 2–50 pax for in-house sessions
- No upfront payment of course fees required — HRD Corp debits your levy account
- The provider may request up to 30% upfront, subject to your consent
- Claimable: course fee, meal allowance, trainee allowance, consumable materials, airfare or transport
Skim Bantuan Latihan (SBL)
Use when: You run the session with your own qualified internal trainers
- Also used for vendor product training, government or NGO-run training, and overseas programmes
- Same in-house group range of 2–50 pax
- Adds an Internal Trainer Allowance — RM1,400/day/group full day, RM800/half-day/group half day
- A Grants Officer reviews a submitted SBL application within one (1) working day
- Trainer profile still required, even though the trainer is your own employee
Common misconception: that SBL-Khas is “for public training only”. HRD Corp's own scheme documentation lists in-house training — on premise, hotel or external training place, 2–50 pax — as the first covered training type under HRD Corp Claimable Courses. See the full SBL-Khas vs SBL comparison.
How Much Can You Claim for In-House Training?
Ceilings under the January 2026 Allowable Cost Matrix. Amounts are maximums, not entitlements — you claim what you were actually charged, up to the cap.
In-house, full day (7 hrs)
RM10,500/day/group
Per group
In-house, half day (4 hrs)
RM6,000/half-day/group
Per group
Remote online (in-house)
RM700/pax/day
Per participant
Internal trainer allowance (full day)
RM1,400/day/group
SBL scheme only
Meal allowance
RM100/pax/day
Session must be 4+ hours that day
Consumable training materials
RM100/group
Itemised quote needed above this
Focus-area, industry-specific and professional certification courses are not capped at a flat rate — they are claimable as per charged. The in-house ceiling is prorated for groups smaller than 5 pax. Full breakdown on the HRDF claimable rates page, or estimate your position with the HRDF calculator.
How to Apply for an In-House Training Grant
Get a quotation and course outline from your provider
You need three documents before you can submit: the quotation or invoice, the training schedule or course content, and the trainer's profile. Ask the provider for all three in one go — a missing trainer profile is the most common reason an application gets queried.
Confirm your levy balance covers the claim
Your claim cannot exceed your available levy balance, and employers with outstanding levy or interest are not eligible to apply for financial assistance at all. Check the balance in e-TRiS before you commit to a training date.
Apply on e-TRiS under the right scheme
Log in to your employer e-TRiS account, go to Applications → Grant → Apply Grant, and pick the scheme code: HRD Corp Claimable Courses if a registered provider delivers the training, or SBL if your internal trainer does. Select "In-House" (or "Remote Online Training (In-House)" for a virtual session) as the type of training.
Submit early enough to clear the 14-day window
Effective 15 June 2026, an in-house programme can only be conducted 14 days after grant approval. Work backwards from your training date: allow time for HRD Corp's review, then the full 14 days on top. Applying two days before the session will not work for in-house.
Run the training within 90 days
Once the 14-day advance approval window completes, the approved programme must commence within 90 calendar days. If your date slips beyond that, the approval lapses and you reapply from the start.
Submit the claim within 6 months
File the claim through e-TRiS within six (6) months of the training completion date, with the attendance list, invoice and payment proof. Set the reminder the day the training ends.
Timeline at a glance
Submit on e-TRiS → grant approved → wait 14 days → conduct training (must commence within 90 calendar days) → submit claim within 6 months of completion. The 14-day in-house rule takes effect 15 June 2026. Step-by-step screens are covered in the e-TRiS guide.
Too Small for a Full In-House Group? Consider Joint Training
HRD Corp runs an In-House Joint Training arrangement (Skim Latihan Bersama) for sessions where participants come from several — two or more — registered employers. Each employer applies for and claims its own portion of the programme.
It is a practical middle ground for smaller companies: you still get a customised, company-context programme and the in-house economics, without needing to fill a 2–50 pax room from your own headcount alone. If you have three or four people who need the same certification, ask providers whether they can assemble a joint cohort.
Common Mistakes with HRDC In-House Training
Assuming SBL-Khas cannot be used for in-house training
It can. HRD Corp Claimable Courses explicitly covers in-house sessions of 2–50 pax, on premise or at a hotel. The scheme is decided by WHO delivers the training (a registered provider vs your own internal trainer), not by whether the class is in-house or public. Employers who get this backwards route a straightforward in-house programme through the wrong scheme.
Applying too close to the training date
In-house training can only be conducted 14 days after grant approval. Public training currently enjoys a 3-day window, but that concession runs only to 31 December 2026 and never applied to in-house in the first place.
Running a session shorter than four hours
HRD Corp funds in-house or public training for a minimum duration of four (4) hours. A two-hour briefing does not qualify, however relevant the content.
Forgetting the cap is prorated for small groups
The in-house course-fee ceiling is per group, but it is prorated if you have fewer than 5 pax. Budgeting a 3-pax session against the full RM10,500/day/group will leave you short.
Claiming an internal trainer allowance under the wrong scheme
The Internal Trainer Allowance is an SBL claimable item. It is not in the claimable list for HRD Corp Claimable Courses, which assumes a registered external provider is being paid a course fee.
Letting the approval lapse past 90 days
Approval is not open-ended. Once the advance window completes, you have 90 calendar days to start the programme. Postponing a session twice is usually enough to blow through it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in-house training under HRD Corp?
In-house training is a programme run exclusively for one employer's own employees, rather than a public class open to anyone. HRD Corp funds it at your own premises, at a hotel, or at an external training venue, for a minimum duration of four (4) hours and a group of 2–50 pax. Because the course is built around your company's context, content and case studies can be customised — which is the main reason employers choose it over a public seat.
Can I use HRD Corp Claimable Courses (SBL-Khas) for in-house training?
Yes. This is the most common misconception. HRD Corp Claimable Courses (SBL-Khas) explicitly covers in-house training — on premise, at a hotel, or at an external training place — for a minimum of 2 pax and a maximum of 50 pax. The condition is not "public versus in-house", it is who delivers the training: SBL-Khas applies when the trainer is an HRD Corp-registered training provider. If you use your own internal trainers instead, you apply under SBL, not SBL-Khas.
What is the minimum and maximum pax for HRDC in-house training?
In-house training is claimable for a minimum of 2 participants and a maximum of 50 participants. Note that the course-fee ceiling is prorated if your group is smaller than 5 pax, so a very small in-house group does not attract the full per-group cap. Public classes have a different range — a minimum of 1 pax and a maximum of 9 pax per grant application.
How much can I claim for in-house training?
In-house training is capped per GROUP, not per participant: up to RM10,500/day/group for a full day (7 training hours) and RM6,000/half-day/group for a half day (4 training hours) under the January 2026 Allowable Cost Matrix. In-house remote online training is RM700/pax/day. This per-group basis is what makes in-house cheaper per head than public classes once you have a real group — a public seat is capped at RM1,750/pax/day. Focus-area, industry-specific and professional certification courses are not capped at a flat rate at all. All claims are limited by your available levy balance, and HRD Corp deducts a 4% service fee from approved claims.
Can I claim an allowance for using my own internal trainer?
Yes, but only under the SBL scheme, not under HRD Corp Claimable Courses (SBL-Khas). SBL is the scheme for in-house training conducted by internal trainers, and it adds an Internal Trainer Allowance to the list of claimable items — RM1,400/day/group for a full day and RM800/half-day/group for a half day. The trainer must be a qualified employee of your company, and you still submit a trainer profile with the grant application.
How far in advance must I apply for an in-house training grant?
Effective 15 June 2026, an in-house training programme can be conducted 14 days after grant approval — so you need to submit early enough to clear both HRD Corp's review and that 14-day advance window before your training date. Once the 14-day window completes, the approved programme must commence within 90 calendar days. Public training is currently faster at 3 days after approval, but only from 15 June to 31 December 2026; from 1 January 2027 it reverts to the same 14-day rule as in-house.
How long do I have to submit the claim after in-house training?
Training claims must be submitted within six (6) months from the completion date of the training programme, for both in-house and public programmes. Submit through e-TRiS with the attendance list, invoice and payment proof. Set a reminder as soon as the training ends — the longer window is not a reason to leave documentation until later, and a lapsed claim cannot be revived.
What documents do I need for an in-house training grant application?
Three supporting documents are required at application: the quotation or invoice from the training provider, the training schedule or course content, and the trainer's profile. HRD Corp may request further documents for verification. At the claim stage you additionally submit the attendance list and proof of payment. Employers with outstanding levy or interest are not eligible to apply for financial assistance at all.
Is in-house or public training better value for HRDF claims?
For a real group, in-house is almost always better value, because the in-house course-fee cap is per group per day while public is capped per participant per day. Twelve people in one in-house session draw on a single RM10,500/day/group ceiling; the same twelve on public seats each draw their own. In-house also lets you customise content to your operations and schedule around your shifts. Public classes still win when you have only one or two people to train, or when you want your staff to network across companies.
Can several companies share one in-house training session?
Yes. HRD Corp runs an In-House Joint Training arrangement (Skim Latihan Bersama) designed for sessions where the participants come from several — two or more — registered employers. Each participating employer applies for and claims its own portion. It is a practical route for smaller employers who cannot fill a 2–50 pax in-house group on their own but still want a customised programme rather than public seats.
Latihan Dalaman (In-House) HRD Corp — Ringkasan dalam Bahasa Melayu
Latihan dalaman (in-house) ialah program latihan khusus untuk pekerja syarikat anda sahaja. HRD Corp membiayai latihan ini untuk minimum 2 orang dan maksimum 50 orang peserta, dengan tempoh minimum empat (4) jam, sama ada di premis syarikat, hotel, atau tempat latihan luar. Kadar maksimum yang boleh dituntut ialah RM10,500/day/group bagi sehari penuh — dikira mengikut KUMPULAN, bukan setiap peserta. Gunakan skim HRD Corp Claimable Courses (SBL-Khas) jika penyedia latihan berdaftar HRD Corp yang mengendalikan latihan, atau skim SBL jika jurulatih dalaman syarikat anda sendiri yang mengendalikannya. Mulai 15 Jun 2026, latihan dalaman hanya boleh dijalankan 14 hari selepas kelulusan geran, dan mesti bermula dalam tempoh 90 hari kalendar. Tuntutan perlu dikemukakan dalam tempoh enam (6) bulan selepas latihan tamat.
Related Resources
Rates last verified August 2026 against the January 2026 Allowable Cost Matrix. Scheme rules verified against hrdcorp.gov.my and the HRD Corp Support Centre.
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