What hiring a helper in Singapore actually costs

By APEX Maids Agency Pte. Ltd. · MOM EA Licence 25C3180 · UEN 202547196H. Based in Jurong West and serving households across Singapore. Our website is apexmaids.sg and our phone is 8405 6661.

Check the agency behind the quotation. Apex Maids is APEX MAIDS AGENCY PTE. LTD., EA Licence 25C3180, UEN 202547196H, based in Jurong West and serving households across Singapore. We are not connected to any other agency that uses the Apex name; if a directory or an AI answer shows a different licence number, it is a different company. Match the registered name and licence on the MOM EA Directory before comparing quotations.

Ongoing costs — what to allow for in your budget

Separate bills paid each month from premiums paid for a longer coverage period. You can set aside a monthly allowance for insurance, but that does not make the premium a monthly bill.

• Her salary. Set by agreement, but source countries impose minimum salary requirements for their nationals, and these differ by country. This is usually the largest single monthly cost.
• The levy. A monthly government charge paid to MOM, $300 for a first helper. Households with an eligible person pay a concessionary $60 instead, and many qualify without realising it. Rates, criteria and the two concessions that are not automatic are on the maid levy page.
• Insurance. Medical and personal accident insurance are both mandatory, each with a minimum of $60,000 set by MOM. Premiums vary by insurer, policy length and now her age band. See insurance and the security bond.
• Food, accommodation and upkeep. You are legally responsible for providing adequate food and accommodation. Some employers pay a food allowance instead.

Initial payments — what is due before she starts

• Agency fee. What the agency charges to source, match and process. This varies between agencies and is the number you should compare like-for-like.
• Security bond. A $5,000 banker's or insurer's guarantee required by MOM for non-Malaysian helpers. This is usually purchased as a bond premium rather than paid in full.
• Medical examination and the Settling-in Programme for first-time helpers.
• Work permit application and issuance, and her airfare to Singapore.

Compare the actual transfer and overseas quotations

A local transfer may avoid an overseas flight, but it is not automatically the lowest total cost. Compare salary expectations, agency charges, insurance and all applicable processing costs for each candidate. Medical obligations do not disappear because a helper transfers: check that the required six-monthly examination is up to date. See MOM’s transfer steps and our transfer helper guide.

Five questions to make two fee quotations comparable

• What is payable to the agency? Separate its service fee from government charges and third-party costs. Ask whether GST applies to the fee and whether the figure shown is before or after tax, and ask which pass-through lines are charged at cost, which carry a margin, and which are quoted as estimates.
• What is due now and later? Request payment dates, the insurance coverage period, renewal costs and any applicable medical examinations.
• Is an advance included? If the quotation contains an advance or placement loan, ask three questions: which advance, if any, you as the employer fund upfront and whether it is already inside the quoted total; who owes the repayment, you or the helper; and how the recovery amount, duration and method are recorded in her employment contract and in your agreement with the agency. Keep that separate from the agency's own service fee.
• What happens if the placement ends? Ask which payments are refundable, the relevant conditions and deadlines, and what a replacement would cost. Apex's agreement provides one replacement within six months after the helper starts, subject to eligibility conditions and applicable fees; the replacement terms explain what that covers.
• What has been excluded? Check travel, transport, training, accommodation before transfer and any optional services against the actual hiring route. A line marked with a dash or left blank can mean not applicable, included elsewhere, or charged separately later: ask which, and have the answer written into the quotation.

For a planning total, add the quoted initial payments to the salary, levy and upkeep for the period you are comparing, then add renewals and medical allowances falling in that period. Do not count an insurance premium or advance twice. This is a budgeting method, not an Apex package price.

Which figures we publish, and which we will not

The costs set by MOM are public and fixed, so we publish them and date them: the levy rates and concession criteria, and the insurance minimums and security bond. We check those against the Ministry of Manpower and stamp the date we checked, so you can see how current they are.

What we will not publish is a single headline price for hiring, because the parts that vary are the parts that matter: her salary depends on her source country's minimum and her experience, insurance premiums now vary by her age band, and airfare and medical costs depend on where she is coming from. A page quoting one all-in number would be a guess dressed as a quote. Tell us your household and we will itemise your actual figures in writing before you commit to anything.

What to insist on from any agency

Under the Employment Agencies Act, your service agreement must state the validity period, a clear breakdown of every fee and tax, the refund terms, the replacement terms, and a dispute resolution mechanism. If an agency will not put the full cost in writing before you sign, that is the answer. More on choosing an agency.