Hiring a helper in Singapore: permit, levy, duties

Short answer: you can hire a live-in helper on most passes, but you become a regulated employer, with a monthly levy, a S$5,000 bond, compulsory insurance and rules on rest days and where she sleeps.

The short version

Helpers (MOM calls them migrant domestic workers, or MDWs) need a Work Permit, and you apply as the employer. First-time employers must do a short Employers' Orientation Programme first [1][7].
Budget for a monthly levy of S$300 for your first helper, a S$5,000 security bond for non-Malaysian helpers, and medical and personal accident insurance of at least S$60,000 each [3][7].
There's no minimum salary set by MOM, but you must show you can afford the whole cost, and you can't pass the insurance cost on to her [1][3][6].
She's entitled to a weekly rest day, and since 1 January 2023 at least one rest day a month can't be swapped for pay [4].
Nothing at home works like this. In Australia a live-in worker would be an ordinary employee under Fair Work rules. In Singapore the rules sit in the work permit conditions, and MOM enforces them against you.

What it costs in 2026

The salary is only part of it. Here's what an expat household usually pays.

Cost	Amount	Notes
Monthly levy, first helper	S$300 a month	Paid by GIRO; S$450 for a second helper [7]
Concessionary levy	S$60 a month	For eligible households, such as those caring for young children, elderly or disabled family members; the rules are tied to qualifying family members [7]
Security bond	S$5,000	Usually bought as an insurance guarantee; not needed for Malaysian helpers [7]
Medical insurance	At least S$60,000 cover a year	Inpatient and day surgery; you pay 25% of claims above S$15,000 [3]
Personal accident insurance	At least S$60,000	Pays the helper or her family [3]
Employers' Orientation Programme	About S$29 to S$76	Once, for first-time employers [7]
Salary	Negotiated	No MOM minimum; set out in the contract [1]
Food, lodging, medical checks, flights home	On you	Medical check within two weeks of arrival, then every six months [1]

Most pass-holder families pay the full S$300 levy, because the concessions generally depend on qualifying family members rather than on who the employer is. Check MOM's levy concession rules for your household before you assume the lower rate. Levy is due by the 17th of the following month, and two months unpaid in a row leads to the permit being revoked [7].

Who can hire, and who can be hired

You, the employer

The employer must be at least 21 [7]. MOM also checks that your household can afford the full cost of a helper, including her salary, the levy, insurance and food. It won't publish the exact income it requires [6]. Married couples can combine their income [6]. Employment Pass holders routinely employ helpers, but if your income is close to the line, expect MOM to look closely.

First-time employers must complete the Employers' Orientation Programme, a three-hour course available online or in a classroom, before applying [7].

Your helper

For a first Work Permit, the helper must be [2]:

female
aged 23 to under 50 when you apply (existing helpers aged 50 and over can renew up to 60)
from an approved country or region: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan or Thailand
educated for at least eight years, with a recognised certificate.

A Work Permit lasts up to two years, depending on the validity of the security bond [1].

Agency or direct hire?

You can hire through an employment agency or do it yourself. Plenty of expats do both over the years.

	Through an agency	Direct hire
Finding a helper	Agency shortlists candidates, often from overseas	You find her yourself, often a "transfer" helper already working in Singapore whose employer is leaving
Paperwork	Agency lodges the Work Permit, arranges bond, insurance, medical and Settling-In Programme	You do it through MOM's online system and buy bond and insurance yourself
Cost	Agency fees, which vary widely	Cheaper, but more of your time
Replacement	Many agencies offer a replacement if it doesn't work out within a set period	None, you start again

If you use an agency, check its licence on MOM's employment agency directory and get every fee in writing, including what the agency charges the helper. MOM limits what agencies can charge workers, and a helper starting her job in debt is a helper under pressure.

Transfer helpers are popular with Aussie families because you can meet them, call their current employer, and they already know how Singapore works. Expat families leaving at the end of a posting often post in community groups looking for a new home for a helper they rate highly.

Getting started, step by step

Do the Employers' Orientation Programme. First-timers only, before you apply [7].
Agree terms and a written contract. Salary, rest days, duties, phone use, and what happens with the rest day she can't give up [4].
Buy the security bond and insurance. The bond is needed for non-Malaysian helpers; the insurer notifies MOM, which can take up to three working days [7]. You pay the premiums, not her [3].
Apply for the Work Permit. Through MOM's online system, yourself or via the agency [1].
Settling-In Programme. A first-time helper must attend this one-day programme within seven days of arriving, not counting Sundays and public holidays. Register as soon as you know her arrival date [1][7].
Medical examination. By a Singapore-registered doctor within two weeks of arrival, then every six months [1].
Set up levy GIRO. And keep paying it on time [7].

Your legal duties as employer

Rest days

Your helper is entitled to a weekly rest day. She can agree to work it in exchange for pay in lieu, but since 1 January 2023 at least one rest day a month is mandatory and can't be compensated away, by either of you [4]. The day is agreed between you. It can be one full day or two half-days, on any day of the week, and she can choose to spend it at home [4]. You can defer it by up to a month, but it must then be taken by the end of the following month [4]. Record the arrangement on MOM's MDW eServices portal [4].

Where she sleeps

MOM's accommodation rules are specific [5]:

shelter from sun, rain and strong winds, and enough ventilation, with a fan if the room doesn't get enough air
at least a mattress, pillow, blanket, bathroom amenities and toiletries
not sleeping near dangerous equipment or structures
not sharing a bedroom with an adult male or a teenage boy
a separate room preferred, otherwise enough space and privacy
if you have cameras at home, tell her where they are, and none where she sleeps, changes or uses the bathroom.

Many condos and HDB flats come with a small room that agents call the helper's room. Check it actually meets these rules on ventilation, safety and privacy before you sign a lease. Our renting guide has more on what to look for.

Insurance and medical costs

The medical cover must be at least S$60,000 a year for inpatient care and day surgery. Since July 2023, insurers pay 75% and employers 25% of claim amounts above S$15,000 [3]. Since July 2025, premiums are banded by age (50 and below, and over 50) and insurers pay hospitals directly once a claim is accepted [3]. You can't recover any of this from her salary [3].

The bond, and the end of the job

The S$5,000 security bond is a guarantee to the Singapore government that you'll comply with the permit conditions [1][7]. Breach them and you can lose it. When the job ends, you're responsible for cancelling the permit and making sure she leaves Singapore or moves to a new employer properly. Plan this before your own move home, not in the last week.

Australian angle: what's different from home

No real equivalent. Live-in domestic work is rare in Australia, and anyone you employed would fall under the Fair Work system with award wages and super. In Singapore, domestic workers are covered by their own rules, and much of the protection comes through the Work Permit conditions [1][4].
You carry the risk. If she's injured at your home, needs hospital care, or the permit conditions are broken, MOM looks to you. That's why the insurance and bond exist [3][7].
Moving home. A helper can't come with you to Australia on her Singapore permit. If you hope to bring her, she'd need her own Australian visa, which is a separate process run by the Department of Home Affairs.
Budget it honestly. Levy, insurance, food and flights add up to a meaningful monthly cost on top of salary. Our cost of living guide puts it in context.

For recommendations on transfer helpers, agencies other families have used, and how they handle rest days, ask in Cooee Singapore, our Facebook group for Australians in Singapore.

Hiring a helper in Singapore: the work permit, the levy and what's on you