Hajj costs for 2027 must balance pilgrim affordability and fund sustainability

JAKARTA, 20 AUGUST 2026 —

The proposed Hajj cost for 2027 has risen 23% to Rp107.34 million per pilgrim, but the Hajj Financial Management Authority (BPKH) warns the increase must not strain the fund’s long-term health.

Speaking at a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission VIII in Jakarta on Wednesday, BPKH head Fadlul Imansyah said the Rp19.93 million jump from the 2026 cost of Rp87.41 million was under review because it risks future solvency. The fund’s balance stood at Rp182.34 trillion in July 2026, up 5.41% from a year earlier, but its 2026 benefit payout of Rp7.01 trillion already reached 56.96% of the year’s target.

The 40:60 financing split proposed for 2027 would allocate Rp42.94 million of the cost to pilgrims as Bipih and Rp64.40 million as benefit value per person. That compares with a 62:38 split in 2026, when Bipih was Rp54.19 million and benefit value Rp33.22 million. With a quota of 203,320 pilgrims, the 2027 scenario requires Rp12.98 trillion in benefit value, nearly double the Rp6.70 trillion needed in 2026.

Yet BPKH’s projection for total benefit value in 2027 is only Rp12.375 trillion. After deducting Rp260 billion for the Dana Abadi Umat endowment, Rp500 billion for operating costs and Rp5.5 trillion of virtual-account distributions, the usable benefit for Hajj financing falls to Rp6.115 trillion. That leaves a projected shortfall of Rp6.87 trillion if Bipih is set at Rp107.34 million.

“A 23% increase sounds large, but we must check whether it preserves the fund’s ability to serve pilgrims who are still waiting,” said Amri Yusuf, a BPKH board member. He added that any benefit-spending rule must also respect Islamic principles after the Indonesian Ulama Council ruled that investing early Bipih deposits to subsidise others’ Hajj costs is forbidden.

BPKH also flagged currency risk: it priced the dollar at Rp17,500 in its 2027 model, yet the rate traded between Rp17,675 and Rp18,197.50 from June to August 2026. Fadlul said the final Bipih figure will be decided only after a comprehensive review of quota, benefit value and risk buffers.

“The decision we make today shapes not only 2027’s costs but the fund’s fairness across generations,” he said.

Related: Jakarta