- The overall cost of hiring a domestic helper ranges between S$6,470 to S$11,390 per year.
- This consists of your helper’s monthly salary, government levies, agency fees, orientation programmes and insurance.
- You also need to factor in expenses such as food and daily necessities.
Picture: BankBazaar.sg
As we get busier in our daily job, the need for hiring a domestic help to share our daily responsibilities becomes greater. Your domestic helper can become your ‘right-hand man’ to take care of your house, your children and your daily chores.
So how much does it cost you to hire a domestic help? To give our readers a better idea and better comparison basis, we did a summary of the average cost of hiring a domestic help.
Basic salary of domestic helper
The salary of any domestic helper is dependent on two factors: experience and nationality. The average basic salary for domestic helper is around S$516.75 per month.
Philippine domestic helpers command the highest pay among the four nationalities because of their natural language.
In general, Philippine domestic helpers can understand English much better than the rest. Indonesians are ranked second because of their ability to speak Bahasa and understand some English. Thus, compared to the Sri Lankan and Myanmar domestic helpers, it is much easier for you to communicate with a Filipino or Indonesian.
Apart from their nationality and language ability, the other factor that determines their salary is their experience.
Experienced domestic helpers can command anything between 5-20% premium in salary.
This is especially true if they have experience in taking care of children or the elderly. You might even want to find one that cooks well.
Foreign domestic worker levy
Although you do not have to make CPF contributions for your foreign domestic worker, you will need to pay a monthly levy. This levy will be paid to the Singapore government.
According to Ministry of Manpower, the levy rate is either S$60 (concessionary) or S$265 (normal) per month.
To qualify for the concessionary rate, you will need to meet one of the three criteria:
- If you have a Singapore citizen child or grandchild living with you that is below the age of 16 (Young child scheme/Young grandchild scheme);
- If you are aged 65 and above, or live with an elderly family member (Aged person scheme for employer, parent or grandparent);
- If you have a person with a medical condition who needs help with at least one activity of daily living (ADL) in your household (Persons with disabilities scheme).
Fees to be paid to the agency
There are several fees that your agency will charge you when sourcing for a new domestic helper.
The agency fee can range anything from S$100 to S$2,000.
It is important for you to check with your chosen agency on their fees before engaging them. It is important to always check with them on the itemised fees that you are paying for to ensure you do not overpay.
- If you are hiring a domestic helper that is working in Singapore for the first time, there is an additional S$75 settling-in programme fee.
- For first-time employers, you will also need to take a mandatory course known as Employers’ Orientation Programme. This will be a one-time fee of S$28-S$46 for the course.
Insurance for domestic helpers
The last cost that you need to take into consideration is insurance cost. Based on the Ministry of Manpower’s policy, you need to get insurance cover for your domestic helpers for the medical and personal accident. Medical coverage has to be at least S$15,000 per year. Personal accident coverage needs to be at least S$60,000 per year post-October (up from S$40,000 previously).
