How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Domestic Helper in Singapore? (2026)
Hiring a domestic helper through We Are Caring costs about S$2,105 upfront if she is already in Singapore (a transfer). If she is hired from abroad, it costs S$2,595 to S$3,395. These totals cover our S$1,295 service fee plus GST and every third-party fee except her flight. Helpers pay nothing.
At a glance
- Our service fee
- S$1,295 + GST, the same for every origin
- Who handles your hiring
- One dedicated consultant, from first call to the end of her contract
- What helpers pay us
- S$0: no placement fee, no loan, no salary deductions
- Indonesian caregivers for elderly care
- S$2,295 + GST, or S$1,795 + GST until 31 December 2026; their training before they travel is passed on at cost. See the caregivers' costs
- Third-party fees
- Passed on at cost and itemised below
- Free replacement
- Within 2 months, for any reason; 6 months with the extended guarantee (S$99 + GST)
- Service fee refund
- At least 50% of our S$1,295 service fee if employment ends within 6 months and the conditions set by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) are met
- Searching in our app (optional)
- 30-day passes from S$19.98; VIP shortlisting S$69.98 (incl. GST)
- Prices last checked
- 3 October 2026
What does it cost upfront to hire a helper through We Are Caring?
The upfront cost depends on where your helper is now. The same We Are Caring service fee applies in every case. What changes are the third-party fees for a helper coming from abroad: her pre-deployment check-up in Singapore, embassy documentation and, for the Philippines and Indonesia, our partner agency's fees.
The same for every origin
- We Are Caring service fee
- 1,295.00
- GST at 9% on our fee
- 116.55
- Ministry of Manpower (MOM) work permit application and issuance
- 70.00
- Maid insurance: medical (S$60,000 hospitalisation cover a year, no co-payment), personal accident, and the security bond guarantee
- 624.00
Transfer (already in Singapore)
- Total
- 2,105.55
From the Philippines
- Pre-deployment medical check-up and transport in Singapore
- 290.00
- Documentation abroad (embassy or home-country documents)
- 200.00
- Partner agency fees abroad, including medical check-up
- 800.00
- Total
- 3,395.55
From Indonesia
- Pre-deployment medical check-up and transport in Singapore
- 290.00
- Documentation abroad (embassy or home-country documents)
- 200.00
- Partner agency fees abroad, including medical check-up
- 800.00
- Total
- 3,395.55
From Myanmar
- Pre-deployment medical check-up and transport in Singapore
- 290.00
- Documentation abroad (embassy or home-country documents)
- 500.00
- Total
- 2,895.55
From any other country
- Pre-deployment medical check-up and transport in Singapore
- 290.00
- Documentation abroad (embassy or home-country documents)
- 200.00
- Total
- 2,595.55
See all costs in one table
| Cost (S$) | Transfer (already in Singapore) | From the Philippines | From Indonesia | From Myanmar | From any other country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| We Are Caring service fee | 1,295.00 | 1,295.00 | 1,295.00 | 1,295.00 | 1,295.00 |
| GST at 9% on our fee | 116.55 | 116.55 | 116.55 | 116.55 | 116.55 |
| Ministry of Manpower (MOM) work permit application and issuance | 70.00 | 70.00 | 70.00 | 70.00 | 70.00 |
| Maid insurance: medical (S$60,000 hospitalisation cover a year, no co-payment), personal accident, and the security bond guarantee | 624.00 | 624.00 | 624.00 | 624.00 | 624.00 |
| Pre-deployment medical check-up and transport in Singapore | — | 290.00 | 290.00 | 290.00 | 290.00 |
| Documentation abroad (embassy or home-country documents) | — | 200.00 | 200.00 | 500.00 | 200.00 |
| Partner agency fees abroad, including medical check-up | — | 800.00 | 800.00 | — | — |
| Total | 2,105.55 | 3,395.55 | 3,395.55 | 2,895.55 | 2,595.55 |
First-time helpers also attend the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Settling-In Programme (SIP), a one-day course, at S$76.40 including GST. We enrol her and take her there.
Every amount in this table is either the We Are Caring service fee or a third-party fee we pay on your behalf at cost. We add no margin to third-party fees and no charges that are not listed here.
Not in this table: her flight. For a helper hired from abroad, the one-way flight to Singapore is paid by you as the employer. The fare depends on her route and travel date, so it is quoted separately. Transfers need no flight.
What does the We Are Caring service fee include?
The service fee pays for people, not paperwork. One dedicated We Are Caring consultant handles your hiring from your first call and stays your point of contact throughout her employment. Behind them is a team that has held a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) employment agency licence for 10 years and had 1,081 helper work permits approved in the past 12 months (Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Employment Agencies Directory, 7 Oct 2025 – 7 Oct 2026).
- Your dedicated consultant, who knows your household, answers your questions and handles every step for you
- The employment contract, safety agreement and all hiring documentation
- Work permit application and issuance with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
- Arranging her maid insurance, including the security bond guarantee
- Coordination with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the relevant embassy, our partner agency abroad and the insurer
- Support for you and your helper throughout her employment
- A free replacement if the employment ends within 2 months, for any reason (see below)
Optional: finding your helper in the We Are Caring Hire Helper app
If you search for a helper yourself, the We Are Caring Hire Helper app shows candidate profiles with videos. To contact candidates, you choose a 30-day pass. Passes are one-off purchases and do not renew automatically. Prices include GST. Every new user gets a first Starter pass free for 30 days; after that, a new pass can be bought, or Premium or VIP added, at any time.
| 30-day pass | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | S$19.98 | Contact helpers located abroad |
| Premium | S$39.98 | Everything in Starter, plus helpers already in Singapore |
| VIP | S$69.98 | Everything in Premium, plus a shortlist handpicked by our team, so you only interview top matches |
A pass is separate from the service fee. You buy it while you are still searching, before any service agreement is signed, so it is not part of the service fee refund. With a pass, you agree that the hiring is handled by We Are Caring, licensed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) under EA licence 15C7788; the costs above then apply.
What will you pay every month?
After hiring, a family in Singapore has two fixed monthly costs: the helper's salary and the levy paid to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). You also provide her food, accommodation and daily needs.
| Monthly cost | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Helper's salary | Agreed between you and your helper. See what helpers actually earn in our open salary dashboard | Your helper, at the end of each month |
| Ministry of Manpower (MOM) levy, first helper | S$300 | Ministry of Manpower (MOM) |
| Ministry of Manpower (MOM) levy, concessionary rate | S$60, if an eligible person lives with you: a Singapore-citizen child under 16, or an elderly Singapore citizen aged 67 or above. Other eligible cases on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) site | Ministry of Manpower (MOM) |
| Ministry of Manpower (MOM) levy, each additional helper | S$450 | Ministry of Manpower (MOM) |
| Food, accommodation and daily needs | Provided by you | — |
What helpers earn: see our open salary dashboard.
Does the helper pay anything to We Are Caring?
No. Helpers placed by We Are Caring pay no placement fee, take on no loan and have no deductions from their salary. She receives her full salary from her first month. That protects her from debt, and it is the point families and helpers mention most often in our reviews.
Why this matters to you as an employer. Singapore allows agencies to collect from a helper up to one month of her fixed monthly salary for each year of service, capped at two months (Ministry of Manpower (MOM)). In practice, the family often advances these fees and recovers them by withholding the helper's salary for her first months.
That makes the start of the job harder for everyone. A helper who works for months without pay is under real financial pressure, since she still needs to support her family at home. That leaves her more exposed to illegal moneylenders, and the relationship is harder to settle.
At We Are Caring, 73.29% of helpers stay with the same employer for at least six months, against an industry average of 62.81% (Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Employment Agencies Directory, 7 Oct 2025 – 7 Oct 2026).
Are there hidden fees?
No. The only amounts you pay We Are Caring are the service fee and GST shown above, plus an app pass if you choose to search in our app. Third-party fees are passed on at cost. Everything else you pay directly, and it is all listed here:
- your helper's monthly salary
- the levy paid to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
- her food, accommodation and daily needs
- for a helper hired from abroad, her one-way flight to Singapore
- for a first-time helper, the Settling-In Programme
Is a transfer helper cheaper than hiring from abroad?
Yes, upfront. A transfer helper costs about S$2,105 through We Are Caring, compared with S$2,595 to S$3,395 from abroad, plus her flight. The difference is that there is no documentation abroad, no partner agency fee and no flight. Transfer helpers already know Singapore and can usually start sooner. They also tend to earn more: see our open salary dashboard.
More: Hiring a transfer helper · Hiring a helper from overseas
What happens if it does not work out?
Free replacement. If your helper's employment ends within 2 months, for any reason, including if she resigns, We Are Caring finds you a replacement with no service fee. Third-party fees still apply. You can extend this guarantee to 6 months for S$99 + GST when you hire.
The only exception is if the employer has breached the work permit conditions. Examples: having the helper work at another address or for a business, not paying her salary, or abuse that has led to a police case.
Service fee refund. Separately, Singapore law requires agencies to refund at least 50% of the service fee if a helper's employment ends within her first six months and the conditions set by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) are met. At We Are Caring, this applies to our S$1,295 service fee; transport and fees paid to our partner agency abroad are not part of it. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) sets these conditions, not the agency: see the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) refund rules.
How do I get started?
Book a free consultation. We will confirm the exact costs for your situation and walk you through the process before you commit to anything.
FAQ
Is the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) levy included in We Are Caring's fees?
No. The levy is a monthly charge that the employer pays directly to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for as long as the helper is employed. It is S$300 a month for a first helper, S$60 at the concessionary rate and S$450 for each additional helper. We Are Caring's fees cover hiring only.
Do I have to pay the S$5,000 security bond in cash?
No. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires a S$5,000 security bond for every non-Malaysian helper, and it cannot be charged to the helper. But nobody pays it in cash. The maid insurance policy that We Are Caring arranges includes a letter of guarantee to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for the bond, on your behalf, and its cost is part of the insurance premium in our table.
Does it cost more to hire a first-time helper?
Slightly. A helper who has never worked in Singapore must attend the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) one-day Settling-In Programme, which costs S$76.40 including GST. We Are Caring enrols her and takes her there as part of our transport in Singapore.
I found a helper myself. Can I still use We Are Caring?
Yes. We Are Caring can handle the hiring for a helper you found yourself. The fees are the ones in the table above, based on where she is now.
I found a helper on the We Are Caring Hire Helper app. Do I have to hire through you?
Yes. Helpers listed on the We Are Caring Hire Helper app are hired through We Are Caring, so the hiring process and the fees on this page apply. This is part of the terms of every app pass.
What happens if the helper leaves in the first months?
If the employment ends within 2 months for any reason, including her resignation, We Are Caring provides a replacement with no service fee; third-party fees still apply. The guarantee can be extended to 6 months for S$99 + GST. Separately, Ministry of Manpower (MOM) rules entitle employers to a refund of at least 50% of We Are Caring's S$1,295 service fee if employment ends within six months and the conditions set by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) are met.