Family & Social Child Developement

Costs of Hiring a Helper

Live-in Helpers

Live-in helpers can definitely ease the burden of housework and are one of the more affordable options of childcare in Singapore. For a salary of $450-750+ per month, you can have someone to help with cleaning, cooking, picking up kids from school, watching kids at home when you’re not around, and more. However, the costs of hiring a maid are not as straightforward as they seem, as there are some initial costs to fork out as well as additional expenses to cover. The helper’s salary varies largely on where your helper is from, their qualifications, and how long they have been in Singapore. In addition, other fees may vary widely based on your maid agency, whether you are a first time employer, whether you are hiring a new or transfer maid, or whether you are eligible for any concessions.

If you don’t mind the inconvenience, it is possible to do many of the administrative steps yourself without going through a maid agency, thus avoiding additional administrative fees. The exception lies with Filipino maids, who are required to go through an agency if they have been in Singapore less than two years.

To make it easier for you, we’ve compiled the upfront and recurring costs involved with hiring a live-in helper.

Costs for New Live-in Helpers

Nationality		Filipino	Indonesian	Sri Lankan	Myanmar
Upfront Costs
Agency fee (some agencies include some of the other fees below, such as insurance, work permit costs, settling in program, medical fees, and airfare to Singapore etc.)	Employer orientation programme (if this is your first time to employ a helper)	500-2000	500-2000	500-2000	500-2000
Employer orientation programme (if this is your first time to employ a helper)		28-46	28-46	28-46	28-46
Work permit application		30	30	30	30
Work permit issuance (every two years)		30	30	30	30
Insurance with the following coverage: Medical (at least $15,000), personal accident (at least $40,000) and $5000 Security bond with MOM		300-400	300-400	300-400	300-400
Add'l security bond/deposit to embassy		48-80*	70**	1290***	0
Initial Medical Examination		75	75	75	75
Settling in Programme (if the helper is working in Singapore for the first time)		75	75	75	75
TOTAL		1100 - 2100	1100 - 2100	2300 - 3300	1000 - 2000

*The Philippine Overseas Labour Office requires an additional security bond of either S$2,000 (hiring through agency) or S$7000 (direct renewal) which can be purchased as insurance. Price of the bond varies depending on the insurer.
**The Indonesian embassy now requires a purchase of an insurance bond which costs $70. Employers will have to pay ONLY $6,000 if they breach the terms of employment contract issued by the embassy.
*** This deposit is refunded upon termination of contract.

Ongoing Annual Costs	Filipino	Indonesian	Sri Lankan	Myanmar
Minimum annual salary	6840	6600	5964	5400
Standard maid levy	3180	3180	3180	3180
Food, Toiletries, Utilities, Transport	4800	4800	4800	4800
Bi-annual medical	50	50	50	50
TOTAL	14870	14630	13994	13430

Other Potential Costs	Filipino	Indonesian	Sri Lankan	Myanmar
Passport Renewal (every 5 years)	102	35	210	150
Home Leave Application through agency (if your maid has been with you for more than 2 years, you can apply direct and pay the embassy $104.50)	300-400	0	0	0
Airfare for home visit (common practice but not legally required)	300-500	200-400	300-500	150-300
Additional medical and dental check-ups (per visit)	35	35	35	35
Cost if helper is asked to work during an off day	1 day salary	1 day salary	1 day salary	1 day salary
Bonus (optional - but standard to give 13th month pay or other benefits)	1 month salary	1 month salary	1 month salary	1 month salary
TOTAL	1000 - 1650	800 - 1100	800 - 1260	600 - 1000

Costs for Transfer Helpers

Nationality	Filipino	Indonesian	Sri Lankan	Myanmar
Upfront Costs
Agency fee (some agencies include some of the other fees below, such as insurance, work permit costs, medical etc.). You could choose not to use an agency for a transfer maid who has been in Singapore > 2 years.	500-800	500-800	500-800	500-800
Employer orientation programme (if this is your first time to employ a helper)	28-46	28-46	28-46	28-46
Work permit application	30	30	30	30
Work permit issuance (every two years)	30	30	30	30
Insurance with the following coverage: Medical (at least $15,000), personal accident (at least $40,000) and $5000 Security bond with MOM	300-400	300-400	300-400	300-400
Add'l security bond/deposit to embassy	48-80*	70**	1290***	0
TOTAL	400 - 900	30 - 850	1600 - 2000	300 - 800

*The Philippine Overseas Labour Office requires an additional security bond of either S$2,000 (hiring through agency) or S$7000 (direct renewal) which can be purchased as insurance. Price of the bond varies depending on the insurer.
**The Indonesian embassy now requires a purchase of an insurance bond which costs $70. Employers will have to pay $6,000 ONLY if they breach the terms of employment contract issued by the embassy.
*** This deposit is refunded upon termination of contract

Ongoing Annual Costs

Minimum annual salary	6840	6600	5964	5400
Standard maid levy	3180	3180	3180	3180
Food, Toiletries, Utilities, Transport	4800	4800	4800	4800
Bi-annual medical	50	50	50	50
TOTAL	14870	14630	13994	13430

Other Potential Costs

Passport Renewal (every 5 years)	102	35	210	150
Home Leave Application through agency (if your maid has been with you for more than 2 years, you can apply direct and pay the embassy $104.50)	300-400	0	0	0
Airfare for home visit (common practice but not legally required)	300-500	200-400	300-500	150-300
Additional medical and dental check-ups (per visit)	35	35	35	35
Cost if helper is asked to work during an off day	1 day salary	1 day salary	1 day salary	1 day salary
Bonus (optional - but standard to give 13th month pay or other benefits)	1 month salary	1 month salary	1 month salary	1 month salary
TOTAL	1000 - 1650	800 - 1100	800 - 1260	600 - 1000

Concessions and Tax Relief

Some families are given concessions for the Foreign Domestic Worker levy, reducing the cost from S$265 to S$60 per month if they meet the following conditions:
· If you have a Singapore citizen child or grandchild under the age of 16
· If you are or live with a Singapore Citizen aged 65 years old and above
· If you have a person with severe disabilities who lives in your household. If the person has moderate disabilities, you can apply for a monthly grant of $120.

To encourage married women to stay in the workforce, they can claim tax relief of up to twice the levy paid in one year on one helper. If you paid S$3,180 levy in one year, this means you can claim up to S$6,360 tax relief in the next year. This applies to married women, divorcees, and widows with school going children. $800/week

Alternatives to Live-in Helpers

The alternative to live-in helpers are full-time or part-time helpers who live outside the home. Costs for part-time freelance helpers would be anywhere between $15-20 per hour, usually with a minimum number of 3-4 working hours per week. Transport expenses may also need to be covered depending on how far the helper lives from your home. There are a number of apps and agencies to help you find a part-time helper. Full-time live-out helpers are also gaining popularity, especially for families who don’t have room for a live-in maid in their household. Full-time live-out helpers must be either Singaporean or PR. Costs would be around S$800/week, or around S$3,000 per month

(Updated as of May 2018)

Sources:
https://blog.moneysmart.sg/family/how-much-does-it-really-cost-to-hire-a-domestic-helper-in-singapore/
https://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/labor/hsw/oec/
https://www.valuepenguin.sg/average-cost-hiring-domestic-help-singapore
http://www.mom.gov.sg/passes-and-permits/work-permit-for-foreign-domestic-worker/eligibility-and-requirements/settling-in-programme-sip
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/minimum-pay-for-filipino-maids-to-go-up-may-1-philippine-embassy-8597922
https://www.iras.gov.sg/IRASHome/Individuals/Locals/Working-Out-Your-Taxes/Deductions-for-Individuals/Foreign-Maid-Levy--FML--Relief/
http://www.lanka.com.sg/labor_welfare-9.html