Cost of maid in Singapore

1.Maid Agency Fee or service fee

This can range from $0 to $2000. This costs me around 600 for hire a Myanmar maid through agency. It is important for you to check with your maid agency or domestic helper agency what the agent fee or service fee covers such as security bond. 

For my case, it covers all administrative fee, air ticket, insurance, medical examination. It is heard that you can ask for discount for this fee. It is therefore important to ask maid agency what maid agency fee covers before engaging their service.

Some agents mayquote you zero agency fee. I guess they will still collect some fee in the end to do paperwork and so on. Definitely you will need to pay for the insurance fee and security bond mentioned below.

But most agent earn from the maid. It is normal for maid to work without any money for first half an year in Singapore. It is said that this causes some maid to run away.

2.Personal Accident Insurance and security bond

As an employer, you need to purchase personal accident insurance for your foreign domestic workers, minimum sum insured will be $40,000.All employers of foreign domestic workers need to have a security bond with the work pass division of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). This is to avoid paying $5000 if your maid runs away for various reasons. Some insurers like NTUC income will have a plan that combines personal accident insurance and security bond; cost of this plan may be about $256.80.

3.Performance Bond

This is only relevant if you are hiring a Filipino maid.

4. Placement Fee

This may not be necessary if you are hiring Indonesian maid.

5. Settling-in Program

This may cost you $75 if your foreign domestic worker is working in Singapore for the first time.

6. Employers'orientation program

If you are hiring maid for the first time, you may need to attend the orientation program unless you have valid reason. This can cost you $20 or $30. This sometimes is included in the service fee or agent fee.

7.Others Upfront Cost

You may also need to purchase bed, mattress, bed sheet, pillow and blanket if you do not have these items for your maid. As an employer, you have to provide these items to the maid.

8. Cost of Hiring Maid - Monthly Salary

1. Indonesian maid: $450 and above
2. Filipino maid: $500 and above
3. Myanmar maid: $430 and above

9. Foreign Domestic Worker Levy

You need a pay a monthly foreign domestic worker levy of $265 through arrangement of GIRO.If you meet condition for concession of foreign domestic worker levy, you only need to pay $65 monthly. You can read this under the common question below for the conditions for the foreign domestic worker levy concession.

10.Food and toiletry

As an employer, you are supposed to provide food for the foreign domestic worker. If you do not cook, you have to give maid some cash to buy her own meals. It may be recommended that you pay for the basic toiletry such as shampoo, toothpaste and tooth brush for the maid, but this is not compulsory unless you and your maid agree to it in the contract.

11. Medical expenses

As an employer, you have to pay all medical expenses of your maid. This is the reason why it is important for you to have the personal accident insurance plan.

12. Air Ticket

You need to pay the transportation fee for the repatriation of the maid upon cancellation of the work permit.Please refer to cost of maid in Singapore for details of cost and maids in Singapore