Helper Cost Calculator Singapore: Monthly and First-Year Cost
Enter your helper's salary and your own estimates to split the cost into monthly and one-off amounts, with MOM's levy and fees and maid insurance premiums from 17 plans.
Helper and household
Required. Singapore sets no minimum wage for helpers, so enter the salary you have agreed.
Check the concession criteria in the levy calculator.
A first-time helper attends MOM's one-day Settling-in Programme (SIP) within 7 days of arrival, excluding Sundays and public holidays.
MOM-appointed providers, fees GST-inclusive, listed A to Z.
Insurers price premiums in these two bands. MOM does not require the six-monthly medical exam for a helper aged 50 or above.
Your own figures
MOM does not set these. Leave any blank to count it as S$0.
The six-monthly medical exam is done at a clinic; MOM sets no fee and the employer pays. Leave blank for a helper aged 50 or above (exempt).
Counted once per 24-month Work Permit period, per helper.
Maid insurance
17 plans compared, premiums as of 01 Oct 2026. With no plan selected, the estimate uses the range across them.
Listed by lowest published 26-month premium first. Coverage for the plan appears with the results; each plan page lists its exclusions.
Nothing you enter is stored or sent. Everything runs in your browser.
Enter your helper’s monthly salary to see the monthly, upfront, first-year and Work Permit period cost.
This is an estimate, not a quote, worked out from the figures you enter. Agency, clinic and household costs vary, and insurers price each policy at the point of sale.
What this calculator assumes, and what it does not model
- Levy and fees per MOM as of 23 Oct 2026: Work Permit application S$35 and issuance S$35 per helper, a 24-month Work Permit period, a six-monthly medical exam.
- Insurance premiums as of 01 Oct 2026, for a 26-month policy, paid and counted once upfront, so it is not part of the monthly figure.
- Each helper has the same salary and the same user-entered costs.
- SGfi assumes six-monthly exams fall due 6, 12 and 18 months after arrival: one in the first year and three in a 24-month permit period. MOM sends a letter when each one is due.
- The partial first month of levy (the levy starts a few days after arrival) and levy waivers.
- The medical exam within 14 days of arrival, rest-day compensation, salary increases, the Work Permit renewal fee and medical costs above the insurance cover.
- Insurance riders, co-payments on claims and purchase rewards.
- User-entered costs vary by agency, clinic and household.
Levy and fees per MOM as of 23 Oct 2026 · premiums as of 01 Oct 2026 · estimate, not a quote.
Maid insurance in this estimate
17 plans compared, premiums as of 01 Oct 2026: S$401.36 to S$838.22 for a 26-month policy (median S$483.47). Every plan meets MOM’s minimum medical and personal accident cover; limits, co-payment and exclusions differ by plan (see each plan page).
- Medical / year
- S$60,000
- Personal accident
- S$60,000
- Co-payment
- 25% > S$15k
- Medical / year
- S$100,000
- Personal accident
- S$100,000
- Co-payment
- None
Each insurer’s plans
Plans marked [Affiliate] earn SGfi a referral commission if you buy through these links. Order is not influenced by this; plans are listed by lowest published 26-month premium first.
- FromFWD Maid insuranceEssentialS$401.3626-month policy
- Medical / year
- S$60,000
- Personal accident
- S$60,000
- Co-payment
- 25% > S$15k
Helper aged 50 and below · premium as of 01 Oct 2026All FWD plans and coverageView plan[Affiliate] - FromMSIG MaidPlusStandard PlanS$409.7326-month policy
- Medical / year
- S$60,000
- Personal accident
- S$60,000
- Co-payment
- 25% > S$15k
Helper aged 50 and below · premium as of 01 Oct 2026All MSIG plans and coverageView plan[Affiliate] - FromMaid Protect360 PROBasicS$415.7426-month policy
- Medical / year
- S$60,000
- Personal accident
- S$60,000
- Co-payment
- 25% > S$15k
Helper aged 50 and below · premium as of 01 Oct 2026All HL Assurance plans and coverageView plan[Affiliate] - FromGREAT Maid ProtectSilverS$416.8226-month policy
- Medical / year
- S$60,000
- Personal accident
- S$60,000
- Co-payment
- 25% > S$15k
Helper aged 50 and below · premium as of 01 Oct 2026 - FromS$478.5726-month policy
- Medical / year
- S$60,000
- Personal accident
- S$60,000
- Co-payment
- 20% > S$15k
Helper aged 50 and below · premium as of 01 Oct 2026All AIG plans and coverageView plan[Affiliate]
The S$5,000 security bond and the insurer guarantee
MOM requires a S$5,000 security bond for each helper, except Malaysian helpers. It is a binding pledge to the government, given as a banker’s or insurer’s guarantee, and it has to be in effect when the helper arrives. Every maid insurance plan compared on SGfi includes the insurer guarantee in its premium, so the bond adds nothing to the cost above.
Under the insurers’ policy wording (not an MOM rule), the insurer pays MOM if the bond is forfeited, then recovers the amount from the employer under a counter-indemnity. Some plans waive that recovery or sell a rider that does, usually leaving an excess. MOM can forfeit the bond when:
- You or your helper breaks a Work Permit or security bond condition
- You pay your helper’s salary late
- You do not send your helper home after the Work Permit has expired, been revoked or been cancelled
- Your helper goes missing
The bond is discharged after the Work Permit is cancelled and the helper has left Singapore with no breach, usually one week after departure.
Source: MOM, Security bond, as of 23 Oct 2026. Each insurer’s recovery terms: maid security bond guide.
Which figures MOM sets
MOM sets the levy, the Work Permit fees (S$35 on application and S$35 on issuance), the 24-month Work Permit period and the six-monthly medical exam requirement. It publishes the Settling-in Programme fees of its appointed providers (attended within 7 days of arrival, excluding Sundays and public holidays). It sets minimum insurance cover but not premiums. Salary, agency fee, clinic fee, food and airfare are yours to enter. For the reasoning behind each line, see the cost of hiring a maid in Singapore guide, or work out the levy alone in the maid levy calculator.
Compare 17 maid insurance plans from 5 insurers by premium and coverageHelper cost: common questions
What does a domestic helper cost per month in Singapore?
The recurring monthly cost is the salary you agree, the levy (S$300 for a first helper, S$450 for each subsequent helper, S$60 at the concessionary rate), and food and upkeep. The insurance premium for the 26-month policy is paid upfront, so the calculator shows it with the one-off costs. Singapore sets no minimum wage for helpers, so the calculator starts empty until you enter the salary.
What are the one-off costs of hiring a helper?
Per helper: the Work Permit application fee (S$35) and issuance fee (S$35), the maid insurance premium paid upfront and any agency fee. MOM also requires a medical exam within 14 days of arrival (a clinic fee the calculator leaves out). The six-monthly medical exams are a recurring cost, not a one-off. A first-time helper also attends the Settling-in Programme, which MOM-appointed providers charge S$76.40 to S$92.65 for, GST-inclusive.
How much is maid insurance for a 26-month policy?
For a helper aged 50 and below, the published premiums across the 17 plans compared on SGfi run from S$401.36 to S$838.22 as of 01 Oct 2026. The lowest published premium among the 17 plans compared as of that date is FWD Maid insurance Essential. Coverage limits, co-payment and exclusions differ by plan.
Is the S$5,000 security bond an extra cost?
MOM requires a S$5,000 security bond for every helper except Malaysian helpers, given as a banker's or insurer's guarantee rather than paid in cash. Every maid insurance plan compared on SGfi includes the insurer guarantee in its premium. It becomes a cost only if MOM forfeits it.
How long is a Work Permit for a helper?
MOM states the Work Permit is usually valid for 2 years. It is shorter when the insurance package has less than 26 months of validity (it ends 2 months before the insurance expires) or when the helper turns 60. Renewal costs S$35.
Does a transfer helper cost less upfront?
A helper already working in Singapore does not attend the Settling-in Programme, so that fee drops out. The previous employer pays the levy up to the date your Work Permit for the helper is issued. Work Permit fees, insurance and the security bond apply in the same way.
MOM figures from mom.gov.sg as of 23 Oct 2026; premiums as of 01 Oct 2026. MOM is cited as a source only; SGfi is not affiliated with MOM.