I told myself the same things I always hear from clients :
Too busy
Understaffed
Administrative burden
Procrastination

Sound familiar?

But from 1 January 2025,
excuses won’t save us.
Under the Stamp Act 1949 and the new Stamp Duty Audit Framework,
every audit and tax engagement letter must be stamped.

Because legally, it’s an “instrument” under the First Schedule of the Act.

What does this mean in practice?
• Most engagement letters = RM10 nominal duty
• Agreements with stated value = 0.5% of value
• Failure to stamp within 30 days =

• RM50 or 10% penalty (≤3 months)
• RM100 or 20% penalty (>3 months)

Unstamped documents?
Not admissible in court
Audit exposure
Risk of penalties from LHDN

For us auditors and tax agents,
this is not a small admin task.
It’s a compliance line we can’t ignore.

Yet when I asked around town,
many peers laughed:
“We know lah, but too busy!”

And I had to admit… I pun sama.

Fellow accountants, how will you handle this?
And should our professional bodies step in?

Because come 2025, RM10 today could save thousands tomorrow.