In real life, I’ve heard too many people say,
“We’re already divorced—there’s no way he (or she) can inherit anything from me.”
But the truth is, what you assume to be “automatically invalid” has no standing in the eyes of the law. Especially when it comes to your EPF (Employees Provident Fund) and Estate Distribution (Will)—if you don’t update your documents, your ex-spouse may still legally inherit your assets.
EPF: A Named Beneficiary Remains Valid — Divorce ≠ Automatic Removal
Under the EPF Act 1991 in Malaysia:
Once you have named a beneficiary in the EPF system, as long as that person is still alive, they have the legal right to receive your EPF savings.
If you’ve divorced but haven’t updated your beneficiary at the KWSP counter, your ex-husband or ex-wife can still legally inherit your entire EPF account.
Estate Distribution: If You Haven’t Updated Your Will, Your Ex Still Has Rights
If you previously made a Will and listed your ex as a beneficiary, that Will remains legally valid even after divorce. Not only could your ex inherit your assets, but he may also still be your appointed executor, managing your estate after your passing—sounds ironic, right?
And if you don’t have a Will at all, don’t assume you’re in the clear.
Under the Distribution Act 1958, whether an ex-spouse can inherit in such cases can fall into a legal grey area—often resulting in disputes and lawsuits among family members.
So What Should You Do? Two Simple But Crucial Steps:
-
Update Your EPF Beneficiary Immediately
After divorce, the first thing you should do is bring your divorce certificate (decree nisi) and IC to the nearest KWSP branch and update your nominee.
Note: This cannot be done online—you must be present in person.
-
Write a New Will
Make sure to:
- Appoint new beneficiaries of your choice
- Clearly state that your ex-spouse is not to inherit any part of your estate
- Appoint a new executor to prevent your ex from having control over your assets
My View: Estate Planning Isn’t a One-Time Task — It Should Evolve with Your Life
When helping clients with estate planning, I often say:
“A Will isn’t something you write and forget—it should be updated as your life changes.”
Life brings marriage, divorce, remarriage, children… but most people don’t update their legal documents during these turning points.
They only realize the mistake after something goes wrong, and by then, it may be too late.
In my opinion, post-divorce estate planning should be part of your closure process, not just emotionally, but legally and financially too.
In Summary
After a divorce, if you truly want your assets to go to the people you care about, make sure you do these two things:
- Update your EPF nominee at KWSP
- Create a new Will with updated instructions
Stop assuming that “divorce means your ex is out of the picture.”
The law doesn’t go by what you think—it only recognises what’s officially written and signed.
For further details, you may make an appointment with our legal advisor here:
https://calendly.com/finex-and-co-legacy-advisory/tea-talk-with-legal-expert
离婚后，前夫为什么还可以继承遗产？
在现实生活中，我听到太多人说：“我都已经离婚了，他（她）不可能再继承我的东西啦。”但其实，你以为的“自动失效”，法律根本不认账！尤其是关于 EPF公积金 和 遗产分配（Will/遗嘱），若你没有主动去更改资料，你的前夫/前妻就依然是你的合法受益人！
EPF公积金：指定了就是“有效”，离婚≠自动取消
根据马来西亚《1991年雇员公积金法》（EPF Act 1991）：一旦你在EPF系统里指定了受益人，只要那个人还在世，他/她就有合法权利领取你的EPF存款。所以如果你离婚了却没有亲自到KWSP柜台更换受益人，前夫/前妻依然可以合法领取你所有的EPF资产。
遗产分配：如果没有更新遗嘱，前夫还是有权继承！
如果你曾经立下遗嘱，把财产留给前夫，那离婚后这份遗嘱依然有效。他不但有权利继承，还可能是你遗产的执行人（Executor），帮你“管理”遗产——想想是不是很讽刺？
如果你没有写遗嘱，那也别开心得太早。根据马来西亚的1958年法定继承制度（Distribution Act 1958），前配偶是否还可继承，也存在法律灰区与争议，容易引发家庭纷争与官司。
那该怎么办？这两个动作一定要做！
一、马上更改EPF受益人
离婚后，第一件事就是带上离婚证和身份证，亲自去最近的KWSP分行更改受益人。EPF受益人是不能在线更换的，必须本人到场。
二、立一份新的遗嘱
更新你想指定的继承人，并且明确写出“不让前夫/前妻继承”的条款，同时更换执行人，避免对方有机会处理你的资产。
我的看法：遗产规划不是一次性的，它需要“与时并进”
在我协助客户处理遗产规划时，我常说一句话：
“遗嘱不是写了就收好，是人生状态变了就该更新。”
人生会经历结婚、离婚、再婚、生孩子……但大多数人不会在这些关键转折点主动去更新文件，直到出事时才发现“原来那个前任还在文件里”。
我认为，每个人在离婚之后都应该把财产安排当作“善后”的一部分，而不是只关注感情的结束。
总结
离婚后，想要让你的财产真正留给你想照顾的人，一定要做以下两件事：
- 去 KWSP 更换受益人
- 重新立一份遗嘱，明确新安排
别再误以为“离婚就什么都没他的份了”。法律不是你以为的那样，它只认你亲手写下、签下的那一份安排。
