Maid insurance protects you against unexpected expenses when you hire a new maid or renew your maid’s work permit. Such policies provide medical insurance and accident cover for your maid and issue a security bond to the Ministry of Manpower. In Singapore, when you hire a maid, Maid Insurance is a government-required insurance policy that you are required to purchase as an employer.

Maid insurance is an insurance policy which covers any work-related accidents and medical care charges sustained by your maid. A lump sum will be compensated to the family of your maid, if an unfortunate accident causes your maid’s death or she suffers from permanent disability.

A comprehensive Maid Insurance covers death and permanent disablement due to an accident, replacement expenses, wages and levy reimbursement, repatriation, personal belongings and insurance guarantee bond among other benefits.

There are two durations for Maid Insurance, a 14-month policy or a 26-month policy. While 14-month policies may seem cheaper, you can potentially save around 30% a year on your premiums on average if you purchase a 26-month policy. Since the contract term for a foreign maid is usually 2 years, most employers will get a 26-month policy.

You can expect to pay between $184 to $351 for a 14-month insurance term policy, and between $239 and $456 for a 26-month insurance term policy. 

• Comparison sites: You can compare Maid Insurance policies under the Maid Insurance tab to find the best Maid Insurance policy that suits your needs.
• Direct: You can buy Maid Insurance online from any insurance company that offers Maid Insurance.
• Maid agency: For employers hiring a maid through a maid agency, you can also opt to buy Maid Insurance through the agency.

A security bond is a binding pledge to pay the government (up to $5,000) if either you or your helper breaks the law or Work Permit conditions. You need to buy a security bond for every maid you employ, unless she is a Malaysian. Bonds usually take the form of an insurance where insurers guarantee to pay the government in case an employer or his helper breaks a law.

The insurance company acts as a guarantor by providing a Letter of Guarantee to MOM on behalf of you, the employer. In the event that the employer or domestic worker breached the MOM’s rules and conditions, MOM will call up the bond from the insurer who will then recover the cost from you.

To apply for maid insurance in Singapore, you need the following information in order to fill up the insurance application form :

• Your maid’s work permit number
• Your maid’s passport number
• SB transmission number (this is found on the top right portion of your in-principle approval or renewal letter from MOM)

As an employer of foreign domestic workers, you must meet the following requirements:

• Only employ foreign domestic workers who have a valid work pass.
• Pay your workers the fixed monthly salary (declared to MOM).
• Pay workers their salaries and the cost of their upkeep and maintenance, including the cost of medical treatment.
• Ensure foreign workers have proper housing.
• Buy and maintain a medical insurance with a minimum coverage of $15,000 a year for in-patient care and day surgery, and a personal accident coverage of $60,000 a year should be a compulsory part of the insurance policy you choose to purchase.
• Send your workers for a medical examination by a Singapore-registered doctor. If they are certified medically unfit, their Work Permit will be revoked.
• Pay the monthly foreign worker levy for each worker.
• Buy a security bond for each non-Malaysian worker.
• Not demand or receive any sum or other benefit from an employment agency or any other person in connection with the employment or change in employment of a foreign worker.

Firstly, you are also responsible for the repatriation of your maid to her home country. You also need to cancel the work permit online within 7 days of your maid’s departure from Singapore. Once the work permit is cancelled, you have to apply to the insurer for cancellation of the Maid Insurance. The insurer will then refund the insurance amount on a prorated basis. Do check with your insurer or read the policy documents for the exact cancellation terms.

The foreign domestic worker (FDW) levy is $300 for your first FDW. The levy for subsequent FDWs is $450. Families with a young child, elderly member or person with disability can apply for a levy concession, reducing your levy to $60 a month. This monthly FDW levy has to be paid by the employer every month using GIRO.

Firstly, you have to meet the eligibility criteria for hiring a foreign direct worker (FDW). To hire an FDW, you must:

• Be 21 years old and above.
• Not be an undischarged bankrupt.
• Have the mental capacity to fully understand and discharge your responsibility as an employer.

The Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) will also consider your financial ability to hire, maintain and upkeep the FDW in an acceptable accommodation. First time FDW employers also have to attend an Employer Orientation Programme (EOP) before you apply for an FDW.

Once deemed eligible, you can then start to find a suitable FDW that fulfills MOM’s maid eligibility requirements:

• Female between the ages of 23 to 50 years old at the time of application
• From approved source country including maids from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand.
• Unrelated to the employer and employed at your home address as stated on your NRIC
• She must be certified with the Settling-In-Programme if this is her first time seeking employment as a domestic worker in Singapore.

You can either apply for a work permit for your foreign domestic worker (FDW) on your own or through an employment agency. To apply on your own, you can do so online on the MOM website. You will incur a cost of $70 for the Work Permit, paying $35 when you submit an application and another $35 when you get the Work Permit issued.

A maid work permit will cost $35 per renewal.

• Coverage offered
• Duration of the policy
• Exclusions
• Add-ons
• Cost of premiums

You can also read this guide to Maid Insurance which covers what to look out for and how to find the best plan.

To submit a claim, contact the insurance company which you bought the maid insurance from as soon as possible. This will typically require you to submit a claims form.

You can click on the respective links to submit your claim:

• Etiqa Insurance claims
• FWD Maid Insurance claims
• MSIG Maid Insurance claims
• HL Assurance: Submit the claim form, along with the supporting documents to claims@hlas.com.sg

• Find out if your helper has any pre-existing conditions
• Decide on the coverage you require for your maid
• Consider the optional add-ons available
• Compare premiums across insurers
• Look out for promotions, discounts and offers

On the Singsaver website, under the Insurance tab, click on Maid Insurance. You can sort your selection based on:

• Hospital and surgical coverage
• Outpatient support
• Third Party Liability
• Premium

Alternatively, you can also select based on your preferred insurance provider. Currently, Singsaver carries maid insurance offered by FWD, MSIG, HL Assurance and Etiqa TIQ.

Maid Insurance protects the employer against unexpected expenses incurred when your foreign domestic worker gets into an accident or falls ill. For your maid, it protects them by compensating their family a lump sum if she suffers from permanent disability or passes away due to an accident.

At an additional premium paid to the insurer, the reimbursement of indemnity/waiver of counter indemnity reduces your $5,000 bond liability to $250, if the breach of the bond is not due to your negligence or fault.

The wages and levy reimbursement is a feature under some maid insurance policies that covers your helper’s wages should she be hospitalised and is unable to work. This is paid daily for a specified amount of time, capped at a certain limit such as $30 per day, depending on the policy.

Compulsory coverage: A medical insurance policy with a minimum coverage of $15,000 a year for in-patient care and day surgery, and a personal accident coverage of $60,000 a year.

Whether this compulsory coverage is enough differs from employer to employer. It depends how much you think will be sufficient to protect yourself against any accident your maid gets into. With the add-ons available for Maid Insurance, you can potentially save more money in the long run, should an accident befall your domestic helper. However, it also depends on your financial ability to pay for the premiums as some Maid Insurance policies with higher coverage are costlier than others.

A security bond is a binding pledge to pay the government (up to $5,000) if either you or your helper breaks the law or Work Permit conditions. You need to buy a security bond for every maid you employ, unless she is a Malaysian. Bonds usually take the form of an insurance where insurers guarantee to pay the government in case an employer breaks a law.

You should buy the bond before your maid arrives in Singapore.

Upon completion of your maid’s services and cancellation of the work permit, you can get your deposit back once your domestic helper has returned home successfully (assuming you did not breach any of the conditions of the security bond). The bond deposit will usually be discharged 7 days after the foreign domestic helper has left Singapore.

The security bond may be forfeited if you or your helper violates any of the conditions of the Work Permit or security bond. It may also be forfeited if you don’t pay your helper's salary on time or you fail to send your helper home when her Work Permit is expired, revoked or cancelled. Lastly, it will also be forfeited if your helper goes missing.

However, you will not be liable for your helper’s violations if you can prove that you have informed her of the Work Permit conditions she must comply with and reported a violation when you first become aware of it.

Employers can protect their bond deposit by purchasing a waiver of indemnity from insurance companies. The waiver of indemnity is an optional feature that protects employers in the event that the security bond is forfeited. This can limit your liability on the bond deposit to just $250 (instead of $5,000), with the insurer covering the balance payment if the breach of the bond was not due to your negligence or fault.

You can compare Maid Insurance policies online, which can help to save you both time and money. Select the best Maid Insurance policy that suits your needs based on factors such as:

• Policy duration
• Coverage
• Premiums
• Insurer

You should buy Maid Insurance for your foreign domestic helper before she arrives in Singapore.

No, she will only be covered when she is in Singapore.