How Kenal Stamps Fits the STSDS / MyTax Workflow
Where Kenal Stamps sits relative to LHDN's Self-Assessment Stamp Duty System and what you still do directly on MyTax.
This page explains where Kenal Stamps sits in the LHDN stamp-duty ecosystem. It is written for operators who already understand the basics of stamp duty and want to know, practically, which things happen inside Kenal Stamps and which still happen directly with LHDN.
The regulatory context
Since 1 January 2026, Malaysia has operated the Self-Assessment Stamp Duty System (STSDS) for most stamp-duty instruments. STSDS replaces the older adjudication-first workflow with a submit-then-verify approach:
- Taxpayers calculate their own duty using current Stamp Act rates.
- Submissions go through STSDS (typically via the MyTax portal).
- LHDN may audit or adjust submissions after the fact.
This means the burden of correct calculation and classification has shifted to the taxpayer. Tools like Kenal Stamps exist to help teams handle that burden consistently, with audit trails and review controls, rather than ad hoc.
STSDS is the regulatory framework. MyTax is LHDN's portal. Kenal Stamps is a workflow layer that sits on top, not a replacement for either.
Where Kenal Stamps sits in that flow
Kenal Stamps is a data-preparation and submission layer on top of STSDS and MyTax. It does not replace LHDN systems; it connects to them.
Specifically, Kenal Stamps:
- Extracts and prepares the data that STSDS needs from each contract.
- Calculates duty using current Stamp Act rates so your team can review the number before confirming.
- Submits the completed contract to LHDN through STSDS on your behalf.
- Retrieves the resulting stamp certificate and stores it alongside the original document.
- Keeps a record of who submitted what, when, and how — useful for internal audit trails.
What Kenal Stamps is not:
- Not a substitute for MyTax, STAMPS, or any other LHDN portal.
- Not a replacement for legal or tax advice on complex or non-standard instruments.
- Not the system of record at LHDN — that remains with LHDN itself.
What happens on the LHDN side vs inside Kenal Stamps
| Where | What happens |
|---|---|
| Inside Kenal Stamps | Upload, extraction, field pre-fill, duty calculation, review, confirmation, submission, certificate storage, reports, audit trails |
| Handled by our team offline, on your behalf | Submission via STSDS, payment, certificate retrieval, and any LHDN appeals, queries, or post-submission issue handling for contracts stamped through the workflow |
| On the LHDN side (STSDS / MyTax) | Receipt of submission, duty payment processing, certificate issuance |
| Your responsibility | Verifying extracted values, choosing the correct document type, confirming duty before submission |
Every submission Kenal Stamps makes on your behalf ultimately lands in the same place a direct MyTax submission would. The difference is that the inputs have been prepared, reviewed, and logged by your team through the Kenal Stamps workflow rather than typed into a portal by hand.
What we handle on your behalf
For contracts stamped through Kenal Stamps, our team takes care of the operational follow-through with LHDN so you do not have to log in to MyTax for routine work:
- Submission and payment — every confirmed contract is submitted through STSDS and the duty is settled out of your wallet.
- Certificate retrieval — the resulting stamp certificate is fetched from LHDN and stored against the contract record.
- LHDN appeals and queries — handled offline by our team. When LHDN raises a query, asks for clarification, or contests a submission, we work the case directly with LHDN and only reach out when we need input from you. There is no in-app "Under Appeal" status — a human is handling it on both sides.
- Post-submission issue handling — failed submissions, retries, and corrections within the STSDS flow are worked offline by our team with LHDN, with direct follow-up to you if anything requires your attention.
Your in-app records reflect the submission and the final certificate. For anything that lands in appeal or query handling, expect email or direct outreach from our team rather than an in-product status change.
What stays outside Kenal Stamps
A small set of things still happens outside the workflow:
- Account-level MyTax actions — creating or maintaining your LHDN tax account, profile updates, and tax registration setup.
- Instruments not yet supported as a document type — unusual deeds or specialized agreements. Contact us about adding the document type, or use MyTax directly while we add it.
- Legal and tax judgment — interpreting whether a contract is liable, how it should be classified, or whether an exemption genuinely applies. We help with the workflow, not the legal call.