Finding a good maid agency in Singapore matters more than most families expect. The agency shapes who you meet, how well she is matched to your home, how smoothly the Work Permit goes through, and what happens if things do not work out in month two. This guide shows you what to check before you sign: the licence, the public records the Ministry of Manpower publishes, fees and refunds, training, paperwork and after-placement support.
Hiring a live-in helper involves a lot at once. There is paperwork, insurance and a security bond, and alongside all of that you are trying to find a person who fits your household’s routine, language and caregiving needs. A capable agency takes much of that weight off you. A weak one adds to it.
The good news is that you do not have to rely on advertising or gut feel. MOM publishes a directory of every licensed agency, with figures you can compare, and it sets clear rules on what agencies may charge and refund. Knowing those rules makes it much easier to spot the agencies worth talking to.
We have organised this around the checks we would make ourselves if we were the employer. Where a rule or figure comes from MOM, we link to the official page so you can confirm it.
Start with the MOM licence
The first check is the simplest. Every maid agency in Singapore must hold an Employment Agency (EA) licence from MOM, and MOM’s own guide to the steps to hiring a helper notes that using an unlicensed agency is an offence. That applies to you as the employer, not just to the agency.
You can look up any agency, and the individual consultants registered with it, in MOM’s EA Directory. Search by the agency’s name or licence number and confirm three things:
- the licence is current and the name matches the business you are dealing with;
- the person advising you is a registered EA personnel of that agency;
- the address on record is where the agency actually operates.
Licensed agencies should show their licence number on their advertising and website. Ours is 19C9763, and you are welcome to look us up. If an agency is vague about its licence, or a “consultant” wants to arrange things privately through a social media chat, walk away.
Read the agency’s scorecard in the EA Directory
Beyond the licence, the EA Directory shows a scorecard for each agency that places domestic workers. These figures are the closest thing to an official maid agency rating, and they are worth reading together rather than one at a time.
Placement volume
This is a number, not a percentage: how many Work Passes for domestic workers were approved for the agency over the latest one year period, shown beside an industry average. Higher volume usually means a larger operation with more resources if you need a replacement or temporary lodging for your helper. It does not, on its own, mean better matching.
Retention rate
Higher is better. MOM’s FAQ on retention rate defines it as the percentage of helpers placed by the agency who stayed with the same employer for at least one year. Check the measurement window stated on the directory itself, as it is the version that applies to the figure you see. Read retention alongside volume: a very small agency can post a perfect rate from a handful of placements, and some contracts end for reasons nobody controls, such as an employer relocating overseas.
Transfer rate
Lower is better. Not every helper suits every family, so some transfers are normal. A rate well above the industry average can suggest the agency is not matching or preparing helpers carefully.
Demerit points and the watchlist
MOM issues demerit points to agencies that breach the Employment Agencies Act, its rules or licence conditions. Under MOM’s demerit points system, an agency with 12 or more points is placed under surveillance, and at 24 points its licence may be suspended or revoked. Below 12 points, each point stays valid for 12 months from the date it was issued; once an agency reaches 12, its points clear only after 12 continuous months with no new points. MOM makes an agency’s surveillance status known on the EA Directory, so check it before you pay anything and treat an agency under surveillance, suspension or revocation as one to avoid. An agency with zero or very few points is the sensible starting point.
Understand the fees and the refund rules
Agency fees vary widely, and the cheapest quote is not always the cheapest outcome. Ask every agency on your shortlist for a written breakdown of the service fee, any training or admin charges, and the government and third party costs it will pass on, such as the Work Permit fees, insurance and medical examination. That lets you compare like for like. Our guide to maid agency fees in Singapore explains what each line usually covers.
Two MOM rules are worth knowing before you sign.
- Your service fee is partly protected. Under MOM’s rules on the refund of EA service fees, for contracts from 1 June 2022 an agency must refund at least 50% of the service fee if the helper’s employment ends within the first 6 months. This covers the original helper and up to two replacements. There are exceptions, for example where the employer broke the law or did not tell the agency in reasonable time, and the refund does not include costs like Work Permit fees and medicals. Agencies cannot write their own terms to get around it.
- The helper’s fees are capped. MOM’s reply on employment agency practices states that agencies may charge a helper at most one month of her fixed monthly salary for each year of service, capped at two months’ salary, and may not collect fees upfront before a placement is secured. A helper who starts work burdened by heavy, irregular fees is under real pressure, and that can affect how settled she is.
Beyond the statutory refund, ask about the agency’s own replacement policy: how long it lasts, what situations it covers, and whether an admin fee applies.
Look at screening and training
A good agency checks that each candidate meets MOM’s eligibility rules for domestic workers before she is put forward. She must be female, aged 23 to below 50 when the Work Permit is applied for, have at least 8 years of formal education with a recognised certificate, and come from an approved source country or region. An agency that is careless about age or documents creates problems that land on you, so ask how it verifies them and what background and reference checks it actually does.
Training is the next layer. Many helpers receive training in their home country before arriving. A good agency adds preparation that is specific to Singapore homes and to your household, such as caring for young children or an elderly parent, local cooking and how a typical HDB or condominium home runs. First-time helpers must also complete MOM’s Settling-in Programme within 7 days of arrival, excluding Sundays and public holidays, before they start work.
At Femme5 we pre-train helpers before placement, focusing on the needs a family tells us about, such as childcare, eldercare, cooking or pet care. You can read how we pre-train helpers in more detail. A well-prepared helper still needs time to learn your routines, but you spend far less of those first weeks coaching from scratch.
Check how the agency matches and handles paperwork
Matching is where agencies differ most. A careful consultant asks about your home, your working hours, who needs care, dietary needs, pets and the languages spoken at home, before showing you any profiles. Be specific about your routine so the agency can match you properly. If an agency sends a stack of profiles before asking anything, that tells you how the rest of the process will go.
Ask what the agency will handle for you. A good agency guides you through the Work Permit application, insurance and the security bond, arranges the medical examination and Settling-in Programme, and reminds you when renewals are coming up. It should also make sure you complete the Employers’ Orientation Programme if you are a first-time employer, since MOM requires it at least 2 working days before the Work Permit application. Our step by step guide to the domestic helper Work Permit application shows what is involved.
If you are weighing whether you need an agency at all, MOM allows direct hiring and notes it can be more affordable but requires more effort. We compare the two routes honestly in agency versus direct hiring.
Ask about support after placement
The real test of an agency comes after your helper arrives. Personality differences, homesickness and misunderstandings about duties are common in the first months, and they are usually fixable with a calm conversation and clear expectations.
Ask each agency what it does when things get difficult. Does it mediate between employer and helper? Is there a named consultant you can call? If the placement truly cannot continue, how does replacement or transfer work, and where does the helper stay in between?
Those practical questions are why we run a boarding house for helpers between placements, and offer helper transport for airport runs, medical appointments, embassy visits and repatriation. If a placement ends, we can also help you consider a transfer maid who is already in Singapore.
How to find a good maid agency: questions to ask before you sign
Once you have a shortlist of two or three agencies, a short conversation with each will tell you a lot. Ask:
- What is your licence number, and is the person advising me registered with you?
- What are all the fees, and what does each one cover? Can I have that in writing?
- How do you apply MOM’s service fee refund rule, and what is your own replacement policy?
- How do you screen helpers, and what checks do you do on documents and references?
- What training will the helper have before she starts with us?
- Who do I contact if there is a problem, and how do you handle disputes?
Then read the service agreement properly before signing. Avoid choosing purely on price. Compare the overall value and the support you will actually get.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if a maid agency in Singapore is licensed?
Search for the agency by name or licence number in MOM’s EA Directory, which lists every licensed employment agency and its registered personnel, and confirm the licence is current and the details match the business you are dealing with.
What do demerit points mean for a maid agency?
MOM issues demerit points to agencies that breach employment agency laws or licence conditions; at 12 or more points an agency is placed under surveillance, at 24 points its licence may be suspended or revoked, and an agency’s surveillance status is shown on the EA Directory.
Will I get a refund if my helper leaves in the first few months?
For contracts from 1 June 2022, MOM requires agencies to refund at least 50% of the employer’s service fee if the helper’s employment ends within the first 6 months, subject to conditions such as the employer having complied with the law and told the agency in reasonable time.
Is a bigger maid agency always better?
Not necessarily, because a larger placement volume can mean more resources for replacements and lodging, but the quality of matching shows in the retention and transfer rates read alongside volume, plus the care a consultant takes to understand your household.
Can I hire a helper without an agency?
Yes, MOM allows employers to hire a helper directly, which can cost less but means you handle the search, paperwork and checks yourself, and using an unlicensed middleman is an offence.
Conclusion
A good agency is licensed, transparent and patient. Check the licence and scorecard in MOM’s EA Directory, avoid anything on the watchlist, get every fee in writing, understand the 50% service fee refund rule, and ask hard questions about screening, training and support after placement. Agencies that answer those questions clearly are usually the ones that handle problems well later.
Rules and directory figures change, so confirm current requirements on the MOM website before you commit. Time spent choosing the agency carefully is time you will not spend fixing a poor match.
If you would like to talk through what you need from an agency and a helper, we are happy 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.
