Hiring a domestic helper in Hong Kong: the contract, the wage and your duties

In Australia, live-in help is for the rich. In Hong Kong it's how many families make two jobs and small kids work. The trade-off: you're now an employer, and Hong Kong takes that seriously.

The short version

• Foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) are hired on a two-year Standard Employment Contract, form ID 407, approved by the Immigration Department [2][4].
• The Minimum Allowable Wage is HK$5,220 a month for contracts signed from 3 October 2026, up from HK$5,100 [1].
• Helpers must live in your home, in suitable accommodation with reasonable privacy. You also provide free food or a food allowance, and free medical treatment [2][4].
• You need a household income of generally at least HK$15,000 a month, or equivalent assets [4].
• You must take out employees' compensation insurance. Failing to do so can bring a fine of up to HK$100,000 and two years in prison [2][3].

How the system works

Most helpers in Hong Kong come from the Philippines and Indonesia, with smaller numbers from other countries. They enter on a visa tied to one employer and one address. The Labour Department sets the wage floor and contract terms. The Immigration Department approves the visa and checks you can afford it.

This is very different from hiring a nanny or cleaner in Australia. You aren't paying an hourly rate to a contractor. You're sponsoring a full-time live-in employee, and your obligations are spelled out in a government contract you can't water down.

The visa also limits what the helper can do. It is an offence under the Immigration Ordinance to ask your helper to work for another person, or to do non-domestic work such as helping in your shop or office [3]. "Lending" your helper to a friend for a weekend clean is not allowed.

What you must provide

Here is what the Standard Employment Contract and the Labour Department's guide require, in one place.

A few details that catch new employers

• The wage is a floor, not the norm. Many families pay more, especially for experienced helpers or those caring for babies.
• The wage applies at signing. If the Minimum Allowable Wage rises mid-contract, your current contract stays at the agreed wage. The new floor applies when you sign or renew [1].
• Holidays move, they don't vanish. If your helper works on a statutory holiday, you must give at least 48 hours' notice and provide an alternative day within 60 days before or after [2].
• Sick leave is paid. Paid sickness days build up at two per month in the first year, then four per month, up to 120 days. Pay is four-fifths of average daily wages for absences of at least four days with a medical certificate [3].
• Maternity leave applies. A helper with at least 40 weeks' service gets 14 weeks of paid maternity leave [2].
• No maximum hours. The guide doesn't set working hours [3]. Agree reasonable hours and a clear rest day at the start. A helper who is exhausted won't stay.

The Labour Department strongly recommends a policy that combines employees' compensation with medical and hospitalisation cover, because the medical obligation is open-ended [3]. Helper insurance packages are sold by most general insurers in Hong Kong.

Agency or direct hire?

You have two routes.

Through an employment agency. The agency finds candidates, handles paperwork and arranges travel. Agencies may charge helpers a commission of no more than 10% of their first month's wages, and only after the helper is paid [2]. What you pay the agency is a commercial matter. Ask for an itemised quote and receipts, and be clear about who covers processing costs in the helper's home country [3]. The Labour Department's FDH portal explains how to check an agency is licensed before you sign anything [1].

Direct hire. Many Australians hire a helper already in Hong Kong whose employer is leaving. Expat departures mean good helpers with references appear on community boards all the time. You do the forms yourself.

One rule shapes direct hire. A helper can't normally switch employers in the middle of a contract. They must go home and apply again. At the end of a contract, they can apply within four weeks before expiry, with a release letter from the current employer [4].

The hiring process step by step

1. Check you qualify. Household income of generally HK$15,000 a month or more, or equivalent assets, and a home with suitable space [4].
2. Interview properly. Ask about childcare or eldercare experience, cooking, and why they're leaving their last job. Call the previous employer.
3. Agree terms. Wage (at least the Minimum Allowable Wage), food or food allowance, rest day, room and duties.
4. Sign the contract. Complete four copies of the Standard Employment Contract, ID 407 [4].
5. Lodge the visa application. The helper completes form ID 988A and you complete ID 988B. Add your ID, proof of income and address, and the helper's references showing at least two years' experience [4].
6. Wait. New applications take about four to six weeks once all documents are in. Renewals are normally done within 10 working days [4].
7. Insure from day one. Arrange employees' compensation cover before the start date [2].
8. Keep records. Pay on time, keep signed receipts for wages and leave, and keep a copy of the contract.

Ending the contract fairly

Contracts end in three ways: they run out after two years, you end them, or the helper does.

• Notice. Either side can end the contract with one month's written notice, or one month's wages in lieu [2].
• Report it. You must tell the Immigration Department within seven days of termination, using form ID 407E or a letter [4].
• The two-week rule. After termination, the helper normally has two weeks, or until their visa ends if that's earlier, to leave Hong Kong or find a new employer. Staying on as a visitor is allowed only in exceptional cases [4].
• What you still owe. Final wages, pay for untaken annual leave and statutory holidays, and free return passage home [2][3].
• Severance and long service. After 24 months' continuous service, a helper dismissed for redundancy is due a severance payment. After five years, long service payment applies in most dismissals other than for serious misconduct. The formula is two-thirds of monthly wages for each year of service, and only one of the two is paid [2].
• Sick leave protection. Dismissing a helper while on paid sick leave is unlawful, except summary dismissal for serious misconduct [3].

If you're relocating, give as much notice as you can and write a reference. A good reference helps your helper find the next family before the two-week clock runs out.

The Australian angle

• Moving home? Your helper can't come with you on their Hong Kong visa. Outside a few narrow exceptions, Australia has no visa scheme like Hong Kong's for live-in helpers, so plan childcare at home well before you go.
• Grandparents visiting. Your helper works for your household, so having them help visiting family at your home is normal. Sending them across town to help your parents in a serviced apartment is not.
• Disputes. The Labour Department runs a helper hotline and a conciliation service. Use it early. Most problems come down to hours, food and days off, and they're easier to fix when you talk.

Ask other Aussie families how they found their helper and what they pay. Join Cooee Hong Kong, our Facebook group for Australians in Hong Kong, where helpers of departing families are often recommended.

Sources

1. Foreign Domestic Helpers portal – Labour Department
2. FAQs on contractual and statutory entitlements – Labour Department
3. Practical Guide for Employment of Foreign Domestic Helpers (August 2026) – Labour Department
4. Foreign domestic helpers – Immigration Department

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