If you have started looking into maid cost in Singapore, you have probably noticed how scattered the numbers are. One page quotes the agency fee, another the salary, a third mentions a levy, and nobody adds it all up. This guide does the adding up: the one-off setup costs, the monthly running costs, the costs families tend to forget, and a worked two-year budget so you can see the real commitment before you sign anything.
A migrant domestic worker (MDW), often called a maid or helper, is employed on a Work Permit, the work pass the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) issues for this kind of employment. Many of the costs below are set by MOM and are the same for every family. Others, such as salary and agency fees, are set by the market and vary.
We are clear throughout about which is which. Government figures are taken from MOM’s own pages, which we link to. Agency figures are our own 2026 package prices, which you can see in full on our maid agency packages page. Salary ranges are what helpers placed through us typically earn, and they shift with the helper’s nationality, experience and the role.
We run a maid agency and a boarding house for helpers here in Singapore, so these are the questions families ask us every week. Our aim is to be honest about the full commitment, not to talk you into anything.
One-off setup costs: what you pay upfront
These are the costs you pay once, near the start, to bring a helper on board.
Agency package and placement loan
The agency package is what the agency charges to source, screen and match a helper to your household and handle the paperwork. Our 2026 packages for a fresh helper are $1,755 for Myanmar, $1,855 for Mizoram, $1,955 for Indonesian and $2,655 for Filipino helpers, and $200 more for a helper who has worked in Singapore before. They include her pre-deployment lodging and transport, her medical check-up and the Work Permit fees. A transfer helper already in Singapore is $1,855.
The placement loan is separate. Most helpers borrow to cover their recruitment and training at home. You pay the loan at handover and it is recovered from her salary over her first months, through deductions she agrees to in writing. It is usually $3,000 to $4,200 for Indonesian, Myanmar and Mizoram helpers, and $600 to $1,800 for a transfer. Filipino placements have no loan, but you pay a $300 POEA charge and her air ticket. Our guide to maid agency fees explains what a fee should include. One protection worth knowing: under MOM rules, for contracts from 1 June 2022, an agency must refund at least 50% of your service fee if the helper’s employment ends within the first 6 months, subject to conditions.
Security bond
MOM requires a $5,000 security bond for each helper, except Malaysians, in the form of a banker’s or insurer’s guarantee. Most families buy it through an insurer for a small premium rather than lodging $5,000 in cash. The bond is not a fee you lose. It can be forfeited if, for example, you pay her salary late or fail to send her home when her Work Permit ends. MOM states plainly that you cannot ask your helper to pay for the bond. It is usually discharged about a week after she has left Singapore.
Government fees, courses and medicals
- Work Permit fees: $35 to apply and $35 on issuance, according to MOM’s Work Permit application page.
- Employers’ Orientation Programme: first-time employers must complete it at least 2 working days before applying. The online version costs $29 to $36 and the classroom version $35 to $76.
- Settling-in Programme: a one-day course for first-time helpers, attended within 7 days of arrival. Fees range from $76.40 to $92.65 including GST depending on the provider, and are paid by the employer. Through us, the SIP including transport is $120.
- Arrival medical: your helper must be examined by a Singapore-registered doctor within 2 weeks of arrival, before her Work Permit is issued. Budget for the clinic fee.
With our 2026 packages, the package plus insurance with a security bond protector ($611.40) and the SIP ($120) comes to $2,486.40 to $3,686.40 for a fresh helper, depending on nationality, with a Filipino helper’s air ticket on top. Her placement loan is paid at handover as well, but it is recovered from her salary.
Monthly running costs: what you pay every month
Salary
Salary is the largest monthly item. MOM does not prescribe a minimum wage, but you must pay the salary you declared in the Work Permit application, and MOM’s salary guidelines say it must be paid no later than 7 days after the end of each salary period. For helpers placed through Femme5 in 2026, typical salaries for a fresh helper and for one with Singapore experience are:
- Filipino helpers: $650 fresh, $700 to $750 with Singapore experience.
- Indonesian helpers: $550 to $650 fresh, $650 to $750 with Singapore experience.
- Myanmar helpers: $500 to $550 fresh, $550 to $700 with Singapore experience.
- Mizoram helpers: $520 to $580 fresh, $580 to $700 with Singapore experience.
The actual figure depends on experience, the type of work and what you agree in the contract. Our article on what to pay a domestic helper goes into this in more detail.
The MOM levy
The levy is a monthly charge the employer pays to the government. According to MOM’s levy payment page, it is $300 a month for your first helper, $450 for the second and later helpers, and $60 at the concessionary rate. It is due on the 17th of the following month, usually by GIRO, or by PayNow QR if your GIRO application has not yet been approved. For a first-time helper, levy starts on the 5th day after arrival, counting the arrival date. Levy unpaid for 2 consecutive months leads to the Work Permit being revoked, so it is worth automating.
Food and daily needs
You are responsible for your helper’s upkeep, including food. Some families provide meals directly, while others give a monthly food allowance. In our experience, families who give an allowance commonly set it somewhere in the low hundreds of dollars a month, though this varies with household habits.
Insurance
Insurance is usually bought upfront for the length of the contract rather than paid monthly, but it belongs in your running costs. MOM’s insurance requirements are:
- Medical insurance covering inpatient care and day surgery, with an annual claim limit of at least $60,000. Above $15,000, claims are co-paid 75% by the insurer and 25% by you.
- Personal accident insurance with a sum assured of at least $60,000 a year.
- Since 1 July 2025, medical insurance premiums are set in two age bands, 50 and below and above 50, so expect to pay more for an older helper.
You cannot pass the cost of medical insurance on to your helper. Our guide to maid medical insurance covers the details.
Hidden costs families often forget
These do not show up in a simple monthly tally, which is why they catch people out.
- Six-monthly medical examinations. MOM requires a six-monthly medical examination (6ME), and the employer pays for it and any medical costs arising from it. Helpers aged 50 and above do not need the 6ME. Clinic prices vary; as an indicative figure, expect roughly $30 to $50 a visit, four visits over a two-year contract.
- Rest days. Your helper is entitled to one rest day a week, and at least one rest day each month cannot be compensated away. If she agrees to work on one of her other rest days, you pay at least one day’s salary for it, calculated as her monthly salary divided by 26, on top of her salary. On a $650 salary that is $25 a day.
- Festive bonuses and leave. Neither is a statutory entitlement for helpers, but many households give an ang pow or bonus around Chinese New Year or another occasion, and home leave follows your contract. It is a goodwill cost that is easy to forget.
- Repatriation. When the Work Permit ends, MOM’s guidance on sending a helper home says you must pay for her air ticket, including check-in luggage, and she must depart within 2 weeks of the Work Permit cancellation. Failing to send her home can forfeit the bond.
- Replacement. If a placement does not work out, there can be costs to bring in a replacement helper. With us, you get 1 replacement within 6 months at no service fee, but you still pay the replacement’s MOM fees, insurance and placement loan. We talk through these scenarios upfront so they are part of the plan rather than a shock.
How the levy concession changes the maths
The single biggest lever on your monthly cost is the levy concession. The standard levy for a first helper is $300 a month and the concessionary rate is $60, a difference of $240 a month. That is $2,880 a year, or $5,760 over a two-year contract.
According to MOM’s levy concession rules, you may qualify if your household includes:
- a Singapore Citizen child below 16, including a grandchild or other child who lives with you and is listed as a household member;
- a Singapore Citizen aged 67 or above, or a Permanent Resident aged 67 or above in certain family situations;
- a person with disabilities certified as needing help with at least one activity of daily living, with a recommendation letter from the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC).
There is no separate application. The concession is applied automatically once the eligible person is listed as a household member in FDW eService, plus the AIC letter where relevant, and the lower rate shows up within the next 2 levy bills. Each eligible person can reduce the levy for one helper only, so two helpers on the concession need two eligible persons. Our article on the maid levy and concessions walks through the details.
Separately, if a family member permanently needs help with at least three activities of daily living, AIC’s Home Caregiving Grant pays up to $600 a month depending on household income per person. It is not tied to hiring a helper, but many caregiving households use it towards care costs.
The total maid price in Singapore: a two-year budget example
Now let us put it together. This is a composite example to show the method, not a quote. It assumes a first-time Indonesian helper on our 2026 package and a household that qualifies for the levy concession. The package, insurance and SIP are our prices; salary, food, medicals and the air ticket are illustrative assumptions; the levy comes from MOM.
- Femme5 package for a fresh Indonesian helper, including her medical check-up and Work Permit fees: $1,955
- Insurance with security bond protector (Enhanced): $611.40
- Settling-in Programme with transport: $120
- Salary, $600 a month for 24 months: $14,400
- Concessionary levy, $60 a month for 24 months: $1,440
- Food allowance, $150 a month for 24 months: $3,600
- Six-monthly medicals, about $40 a visit, 4 visits: $160
- Festive bonus, one month’s salary over two years: $600
- Repatriation air ticket at the end of the contract: $300
Estimated two-year total: $23,186.40, or roughly $970 a month averaged out. Her placement loan of $3,800 to $4,200 is paid at handover too, but because it is recovered from her salary it does not add to the total.
Now swap in a household that does not qualify for the concession and hires a Filipino helper with Singapore experience. The standard levy adds $5,760 over two years, a $750 salary adds $3,600, and the package is $900 more at $2,855, plus the $300 POEA charge and her air ticket, though she needs no SIP. That is why a realistic all-in two-year budget for most families falls somewhere between about $23,000 and $35,000. Treat that as a guide, not a quote. The two figures that move your total most are the levy concession and the salary.
Ways to keep the cost of hiring a maid in Singapore manageable
- Check your concession first. Make sure every eligible household member is listed in FDW eService before your helper arrives.
- Consider a transfer helper. A transfer helper is already working in Singapore, so you avoid flying her in, and a helper who has worked here before does not need to attend the Settling-in Programme again. She also tends to need less time to learn local routines.
- Use the levy waiver. If she takes overseas leave of at least 7 consecutive days, you can apply for a levy waiver after she returns, capped at 60 days a calendar year.
- Plan rest days in writing. Agreeing early whether she will rest or be compensated on her compensable rest days avoids surprise costs and disputes.
- Get an itemised estimate. Ask any agency to list every one-off and recurring item, and what its fee includes, before you commit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to hire a maid in Singapore in 2026?
In our experience, the all-in cost over a two-year contract for most families falls between roughly $23,000 and $35,000, or about $970 to $1,450 a month averaged out, with the levy concession and the helper’s salary as the biggest variables; these are indicative figures, so confirm current salary ranges and fees with your agency.
What is the maid levy and who pays it?
The levy is a monthly charge the employer pays to MOM: $300 for a first helper, $450 for each additional helper, or $60 at the concessionary rate for eligible households, due on the 17th of the following month, and it is the employer’s responsibility, not the helper’s.
Is the security bond a fee I lose?
No, the $5,000 security bond is a guarantee that is usually discharged about a week after your helper leaves Singapore, provided you have not breached its conditions, and most families buy it as a small insurance premium rather than paying $5,000 in cash; MOM states you cannot ask your helper to pay for it.
Which costs can I not pass on to my helper?
MOM states you cannot ask your helper to pay for the security bond or pass on the cost of her medical insurance, the levy is the employer’s charge, you pay for her Settling-in Programme, six-monthly medicals and repatriation air ticket, and her food and accommodation are part of your obligations as employer, so if you are unsure whether a cost can be shared, assume it cannot and check MOM’s pages.
Do I have to pay my helper a minimum salary?
MOM sets no minimum salary for helpers, but you must pay the amount declared in the Work Permit application and pay it no later than 7 days after the end of each salary period, and market rates vary by nationality and experience, so ask your agency for current indicative ranges before you budget.
Conclusion
The cost of a helper is easier to plan once you separate the fixed government items from the market ones. Levy, bond, insurance minimums, Work Permit fees and course fees are set by MOM and apply to everyone. Salary, placement fees and food are where your choices make the difference, and the levy concession is the single biggest lever on the total. Budget for the full contract rather than the monthly figure, because the one-off costs land early and the repatriation ticket lands at the end.
Rules and market rates change, so check MOM’s pages before you finalise anything, and treat the indicative ranges here as a starting point. If you would like a full-time helper, our full-time helper service page explains how we work.
If you would like us to go through the numbers for your own household, we are glad to help. You can get in touch with the Femme5 team to discuss your family’s needs, read more about how we work with employers, or explore what a good placement looks like.
The Femme5 Team
Maid placement specialists, Femme5 Maid Agency
Our consultants work with Singaporean and expatriate families on helper matching, contracts and MOM compliance, and we verify the regulatory guidance in our articles directly against the Ministry of Manpower’s published requirements.
