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What will a helper really cost us?

Helper true cost calculator

Add the salary, MOM levy, insurance, security bond, agency fee, upkeep and air tickets. See a live-in helper’s monthly and yearly cost, with the S$60 levy concession worked out for your household.

New to this? Read the short guide first →

Page updated · MOM levy and rules checked 12 October 2026

Step 1 Your numbers

Your household (for the levy)

Count children already born. Add a baby on the way below.

A Singapore citizen aged 67 or above, or a permanent resident aged 67 or above when you or your spouse is a citizen. Also a person with disability with an AIC recommendation. MOM sets the full rules.

For a parent, MOM gives the concession from the date the baby is born, not during pregnancy.

MOM starts the levy on a first-time helper's 5th day here, counting the arrival day, or the day after she arrives otherwise. Months before the baby's birth are charged at the standard levy.

Your helper

First-time helpers attend MOM's Settling-In Programme.

Malaysian helpers need no S$5,000 security bond.

From 50, no six-monthly medical examination.

A Work Permit is usually valid for 2 years.

Your estimates (change these)

Starting values are round placeholders, not market prices. Replace them with your contract, agency and insurer quotes.

What you agree in the contract. MOM sets no minimum salary.

By agreement only, at salary ÷ 26 a day. At least one rest day a month must be taken.

Food, toiletries and phone.

Extra utilities, bedding, any room costs.

Medical (at least S$60,000 a year), personal accident (at least S$60,000) and the security bond guarantee.

MOM lists providers at S$76.40, S$77.00 and S$92.65.

MOM requires the employer to pay this, with check-in luggage.

Tickets or allowance, if your contract or written agreement says you pay.

Nothing you enter leaves this device.

Step 2 Your result

All in, a helper costs your household about

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Each year
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MOM levy, average a month
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One-off costs
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Security bond
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Spread over the contract. Rows marked estimate are your numbers; rows marked MOM are official figures.
CostA month
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What this result assumes

An estimate, not a quote. MOM figures: levy S$300 a month for the first helper, S$450 for each further helper, S$60 with the concession, and daily rates for part months. The levy starts on a first-time helper's 5th day, counting the day she arrives, or the next day for other helpers. Work Permit fees S$35 plus S$35, the Settling-In Programme for first-time helpers and a medical examination on arrival and every 6 months. A S$5,000 security bond unless she is Malaysian. The concession comes only from what you choose above, and MOM's records decide your actual levy. Everything marked as an estimate is yours to change. Verify with MOM's levy concession page and levy rates. Figures checked .

Source: MOM levy rates ↗ (opens in new tab)Data period: from 8 July 2026Last checked:

Source: MOM levy concession ↗ (opens in new tab)Data period: page updated 7 July 2026Last checked:

Source: MOM Work Permit fees ↗ (opens in new tab)Data period: from 15 June 2026Last checked:

Source: MOM medical examinations ↗ (opens in new tab)Data period: from 29 August 2021Last checked:

Step 3 What next

Next in BabyWhen should I join preschool waitlists?Preschool waitlist timeline planner →Read the guideWhat does a helper really cost in Singapore? →

Common questions

When does the S$60 levy concession start for a new baby?

For the parent, MOM gives the concession from the date your Singapore citizen child is born. If your helper starts before the birth, you pay the standard levy until then; MOM confirmed in September 2025 that households hiring in the months before childbirth become eligible once the child is born. For anyone else in the household, it starts when the child is added as a household member on FDW eService.

Is the S$5,000 security bond a cost?

No, not unless a Work Permit condition is broken. What you pay is the premium for the banker's or insurer's guarantee, usually bundled with the helper's insurance. Malaysian helpers need no bond.

Why do one-off costs appear in the monthly figure?

The agency fee, insurance package, permit fees, medical examinations and the air ticket home are spread evenly over the contract. So the monthly figure is the all-in cost of each month you have a helper.