Every employer who brings a foreign domestic worker to Singapore needs maid insurance before the work permit is issued. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) sets what the cover has to include. Insurers build their plans around that minimum. The plans then differ in what they add on top and what they charge.
This guide walks through what a maid insurance plan does, part by part. It covers who the policy is for, the main things it pays for, the usual exclusions and how a claim is paid. It ends with how to read a plan on the comparison page.
The cover exists for a plain reason. A helper lives and works in the employer's home, usually far from her own family. MOM places the cost of her medical care, and the risk of a serious accident, on the employer. The security bond adds a further layer. It ties the employer to the conditions of the work permit.
1. Who the policy is for
The employer buys the policy, not the helper. MOM requires employers to buy medical and personal accident cover, and a S$5,000 security bond, before the work permit is issued. All of it has to be in place before the helper arrives in Singapore. The employer cannot pass the cost on to her.
The helper is the person insured. The hospital cover pays her bills. The personal accident benefit goes to her or to her family. The household benefits indirectly, because the policy takes on costs that would otherwise fall on the employer.
Plans are sold for 14 or 26 months. Work permits run for one or two years. The extra two months cover the time between applying and the permit being issued. If the insurance and bond last less than 26 months, the permit ends 2 months before they do. That is why new helpers are usually covered for 26 months, and one-year renewals for 14 months.
2. Hospital and surgical bills
This is the part of the policy most often used. It pays for hospital stays and day surgery. MOM sets a minimum annual limit of at least S$60,000. Every plan shown on this site meets that minimum.
Larger bills are shared. On a bill above S$15,000, the insurer pays 75% and the employer pays 25%. A long stay or a complex operation can cross that line. Once it does, the employer's share grows with the size of the bill.
Hospital and surgical limits differ between plans. A higher limit means fewer bills for the employer if the helper has a long hospital stay. These limits are worth comparing on the maid insurance quote page alongside the premium.
3. Personal accident cover and repatriation
Personal accident cover pays a lump sum if an accident leaves the helper permanently disabled or she dies. MOM requires at least S$60,000. The money is paid to the helper, or to her family. It is separate from the hospital cover and does not depend on a medical bill.
Plans also include repatriation. This pays for the helper's return home if she passes away or must return home. Arranging this from Singapore at short notice can be costly and complicated for a household. The plan is designed to carry that cost, within its own terms.
4. The security bond and the bond waiver
MOM asks for a S$5,000 security bond for each helper, unless she is Malaysian. The bond is a written undertaking from a bank or an insurer. Every maid insurance plan on this site includes it. When the employer buys a plan, the insurer sends the bond to MOM.
MOM can take the bond if the employer breaks the work permit conditions. Examples include paying the helper's salary late, or not sending her home when her permit ends. A bond can also be lost if the helper goes missing.
This is where the bond waiver matters. If MOM forfeits the bond, the insurer pays it. Without a waiver, the insurer can ask the employer to repay that S$5,000. With a waiver, it usually cannot. Plans are priced both with and without the waiver, so the two can be set side by side.
5. What the policy does not cover
Maid insurance has a short list of standard exclusions. The plans on this site do not cover:
- Conditions found at the helper's pre-employment medical exam
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Cosmetic and routine dental treatment
- Self-inflicted injury
The first exclusion links back to the medical exam a helper takes before she starts work. A condition found then is already known before cover begins. The plan does not treat it as a new risk.
The other exclusions are common across this kind of insurance. Planned or elective care, such as a routine dental visit, sits outside the plan. The exact wording differs between insurers. The policy document sets out the precise terms, and it is the document a claim is judged against.
6. How a claim is paid
Each part of the policy pays out in its own way. For a hospital bill, the insurer pays up to the plan's limit. On a bill above S$15,000, it pays 75% and the employer pays the remaining 25%.
The personal accident benefit is a lump sum. It goes to the helper or, if she dies, to her family. The bond works differently again. If MOM forfeits it, the insurer pays MOM. Whether the employer then repays the insurer depends on whether the plan has a bond waiver.
Each insurer sets its own claim forms and supporting documents. Keeping hospital bills, the policy schedule and work permit papers together makes a claim easier to prepare. The Claims page explains how claims are handled for policies bought through this site.
7. How to read a plan on the comparison page
The quote page asks a few questions about the helper and the cover needed. Every plan shown meets MOM's minimum medical and personal accident cover. Each one includes the S$5,000 security bond. Plans are ranked by premium only, so the order says nothing about limits or extras.
Four details shape a quote:
- The period, either 14 or 26 months
- The bond waiver, included or not
- The helper's age, with separate prices for helpers under and over 50
- The hospital and surgical limits, which differ between plans
Today's examples show how wide the spread can be. For a new helper aged 32, with 26 months of cover and a bond waiver, 14 insurers price it. Premiums run from about S$448 to about S$1,340 on the new helper price page. For a renewal of 14 months without a waiver, helper aged 38, 11 insurers price it. Premiums run from about S$280 to about S$792 on the renewal price page. Both examples assume no claims in 3 years. They are prices as of 27 October 2026, not what any one employer will pay.
After choosing, the purchase is finished on the insurer's own site, with the answers already filled in. Cover should start before the helper starts work and last as long as the work permit. Two insurers can also be set side by side on the compare page.
In summary
Three points matter most. First, MOM sets the floor: hospital cover with an annual limit of at least S$60,000, personal accident cover of at least S$60,000, and a S$5,000 security bond. Second, the bond waiver decides whether the employer can be asked to repay that S$5,000 if MOM forfeits the bond. Third, the exclusions, starting with conditions found at the pre-employment medical exam, mark where the plan stops paying. With those in mind, the limits, waiver and period of each plan can be compared on the maid insurance page.