Your Complete Guide to Hiring Your First Maid in Singapore

To hire an MDW, you must be 21 years old and above, must not be an undischarged bankrupt and must have the mental capacity to fully understand and discharge the responsibility as an employer.

MOM will also consider your financial ability to hire, maintain and upkeep the MDW in an acceptable accommodation.

To find out more, please visit:
https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/eligibility-and-requirements/employer-requirements

As an employer, you do not have to pay Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions for your helper. However, you must pay a monthly levy for her.

If your helper is a first-time MDW, the levy will begin on the 5th day of her arrival (including the arrival date). Otherwise, the levy will begin the next day after she arrives. The levy ends when the Work Permit is cancelled or expires.

To find out the latest levy rates, please visit: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/foreign-domestic-worker-levy/paying-levy

You must pay the levy via General Interbank Recurring Order (GIRO).

The levy for each month will be deducted from your bank account on the 17th of the following month (or the next working day if it falls on a weekend or public holiday).

Your helper’s Work Permit will be revoked, if you don’t pay the full levy on time.

If you need to pay levy using other methods, you must pay the levy for each month by the 14th of the following month.

The MDW need to pass a medical examination by a Singapore-registered doctor within 2 weeks of her arrival in Singapore.

Her Work Permit will only be issued if she passes the medical examination.

Otherwise, she will have to be sent home.

The medical examination screens the helper for 4 types of infectious disease (tuberculosis, HIV, syphilis and malaria) and checks if she is fit to work.

During your MDW’s employment, you must send her for a medical screening every six months.

You need to buy medical and personal accident insurance for your helper.

Before your helper arrives in Singapore, you must buy medical insurance and personal accident insurance as part of your medical obligations to her.

Medical insurance with coverage of at least $15,000 per year for inpatient care and day surgery during your helper’s stay in Singapore.

Personal accident insurance with a minimum coverage of $60,000 for your helper.

This is to protect your helper and her family by providing a lump sum compensation if she suffers from permanent disability or passes away due to an accident.

The compensation must be made payable to your helper or her beneficiaries.

As an MDW employer, you can get a concessionary rate if you live with any eligible person who is a Singapore citizen and is a young child below 16 years old, elderly person who is at least 67 years old, or person with disabilities (PWD).

The levy concession for 1 MDW is granted based on 1 eligible person in the household.

It is capped at 2 MDWs per household. When you are no longer eligible for levy concession or your number of helpers changes, the levy rate may be adjusted. The new rate takes effect immediately.

To find out how to apply for the levy concession, please visit: https://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/foreign-domestic-worker-levy/levy-concession

A security bond is a binding pledge to pay the government (up to $5000) if you break the law or the conditions governing the employment of a helper.

You are required to post a security deposit (bond) of $5,000 for every helper you employ unless she is a Malaysian.

Bonds usually take the form of insurance. The insurers guarantee to pay the government should you break the rules; then the insurers pursue you for the money.

As an Employer, you are required to bear all cost of maintaining your MDW, this includes any medical costs necessary for her health.

You are encouraged to buy insurance with a higher coverage to protect yourself from any excessive medical bills.

The employer must buy a direct air ticket to the international airport in the helper’s home country, nearest to her hometown.

The employer must pay for the air ticket and it must include check-in luggage.

The departure date must be within 2 weeks of the cancellation of her work permit.

We provide lodging accommodation for Homekeeper maids if you decide to put her with us.

You must cancel your helper’s Work Permit if she no longer works for you or when her Work Permit expires.

You must also return the cancelled Work Permit card.

We provide free counselling services to talk to your maid in order to identify and solve the problems.

We have employees conversant in Bahasa Melayu, Burmese and Tagalog.

The compensation must be made payable to your helper or her beneficiaries.