The cost of employing a maid in Singapore has been increasing over the years. So much so, that employing a maid has become a luxury than a neccessity.
If your family is small and you can deal with the household chores, my advice is not to employ a maid. Or, if you really need some help, consider a part-time “aunty” to help with the cleaning. Always consider other alternatives before you consider employing a maid because the cost of employing a maid may just be not worth it.
Firstly, let’s assume that you’re a first-time employer and you are employing a new maid from Indonesia or the Philippines. Below are your possible costs (depending on agency and package). Please note that all figures are estimates and can be vastly differently due to agencies, seasonalities and time period. The information below is for the year 2017.
1. Agency fee (assuming the agency covers everything from thumbprinting, fetching the girl, air ticket, etc.) = $800 to $1,600
2. Payment to overseas supplier and the maid’s loan (you can deduct from maid’s salary for 6-9 months) = $2,200 to $3,200
3. Maid’s salary, monthly = $500 (Indonesian) to $600 (Philippines) or more. Generally, higher.
4. Maid’s levey, monthly = $265 (can be lower for citizens, depending on criteria)
5. Settling-In Program for the maid = $75
6. Employers Orientation Program for the employer = $20-$30 (you can do online for $30 for convenience)
7. Insurance – personal accident for the girl (for 2 years, and depending on package) = $170 to $350
8. Insurance – 5k performance bond (for 2 years) = $100 (if your $5,000 is forfeited, the insurance company will pay the bulk of it)
9. Food, Toiletries, Medical, monthly = $200 to $500 (not necessarily paid to the helper)
10. If the girl completes her 2 years contract, an air-ticket back home for home leave = $160 to $500
11. Home leave expenses (agency fee, insurance) = $250 to $500
Monthly expenses on the low end = $800 (possibly this amount)
One-off expenses on the low end = $4,500 (probably higher than this)
Let’s assume that you are an experienced employer and you are getting a transfer maid who has no maid’s loan liability. Your possible expenses are below. Please note that all figures are estimates and can be vastly differently due to agencies, seasonalities and time period. The information below is for the year 2017.
1. Agency fee = $450 to $800
2. Maid’s salary, monthly = $500 (Indonesian) to $600 (Philippines) or more. Generally, higher.
3. Maid’s levey, monthly = $265 (can be lower for citizens, depending on criteria)
4. Insurance – personal accident for the girl (for 2 years, and depending on package) = $170 to $350
5. Insurance – 5k performance bond (for 2 years) = $100 (if your $5,000 is forfeited, the insurance company will pay the bulk of it)
6. Food, Toiletries, Medical, monthly = $200 to $500 (not necessarily paid to the helper)
7. If the girl completes her 2 years contract, an air-ticket back home for home leave = $160 to $500
8. Home leave expenses (agency fee, insurance) = $250 to $500
Monthly expenses on the low end = $900 (probably higher than this since transfer maids tend to have slightly higher salaries)
One-off expenses on the low end = $1,100 (probably higher than this)
Assuming that the total monthly cost of employing a maid in Singapore is about $900 (salary $600, levy $265, food etc.), you will have to consider whether the value that she brings to your home is worth the $900. We are no longer talking about hard cost here but whether she can improve the quality of your family’s life.
You will have to think about juggling office work and household chores and taking care of the children, etc. and whether having a live-in helper is a better alternative to engaging a part-time “aunty”.
The fact is if your family is big and there are a lot of household chores to be done, getting a maid may be a good idea. If there is really not much work to be done, then getting a maid may be a luxury rather than a neccessity. Not that the employer should work the helper 24/7. She should be given adequate rest as well.
If you need a maid to take care of your children, consider sending your children to a childcare centre. While the centre may be more expensive, nothing beats a good education for your children. A maid cannot be a good teacher and is probably not the best care-giver for your children, although she can help in many ways when caring for your children. No matter what, the children’s parents are still the best care-givers.
At the end of the day, you should compare whether the hard cost of employing a maid is really worth the improvement that she may bring to your family’s life. In other words, consider her as an investment and whether she brings a worthwhile ROI to your family’s life. Perhaps, this will help better when evaluating Singapore maid cost.
If you want sound advice Expat Choice suggests you contact 121 Personnel Services Pte Ltd
