TL;DR
- Yes, you need it. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) requires medical cover, personal accident cover and a S$5,000 security bond before the work permit is issued.
- Every plan we compare meets the MOM minimum, and each one includes the S$5,000 security bond.
- What changes between plans is the hospital limit, whether there is a bond waiver, and the price.
- It won't pay for conditions found at her pre-employment medical exam, pregnancy and childbirth, cosmetic or routine dental work, or self-inflicted injury.
- Today's examples for a new helper on 26 months with a bond waiver run from about S$448 to S$1,340. Your price depends on your helper and the plan.
Is maid insurance actually compulsory, or is it an optional add-on?
It's compulsory. MOM requires every employer of a foreign domestic worker to buy medical insurance, personal accident insurance and a S$5,000 security bond. You must have all of it before your helper arrives in Singapore. You also can't pass the cost on to her.
So for most of us, the real question isn't whether to get it. It's which version fits your household.
One thing it depends on is where your helper is from. The S$5,000 bond is needed for each helper unless she is Malaysian. The medical and personal accident parts still apply either way. If your helper is Malaysian, ask the insurer how the plan treats the bond part.
We're hiring our first helper. What does the policy actually do for us?
It covers the things MOM says you're responsible for, so the work permit can go through. In practice, that's four things:
- Hospital and surgical bills, at or above the MOM minimum. MOM sets an annual limit of at least S$60,000 for hospital stays and day surgery.
- Personal accident cover of S$60,000, paid to your helper or her family if an accident leaves her permanently disabled or she dies.
- The S$5,000 security bond, which the insurer puts up for you. When you buy, the insurer sends the bond paperwork to MOM.
- Repatriation if your helper passes away or must return home.
New helpers are usually covered for 26 months. A work permit usually lasts two years. The extra two months cover the time between applying and the permit being issued. If your insurance and bond last less than 26 months, the permit ends two months before they do.
What it depends on: her start date. Cover should start before your helper starts work and last as long as the work permit. For a sense of today's prices, the new helper example uses a 32-year-old helper with a bond waiver. Fourteen insurers price it, from about S$448 to S$1,340. The younger helper example, aged 24, shows the same spread today. These are today's examples, not what you will pay.
Our helper is staying on for another year. Do we buy again?
Yes, the renewed permit needs its own cover, usually for 14 months. Work permits run for one or two years. A one-year renewal gets the same two-month buffer, which is where the 14 months comes from. The MOM minimum and the list of exclusions work the same way as for a new hire.
Today's renewal example is a 38-year-old helper on 14 months, with no bond waiver and no claims in three years. Eleven insurers price it, from about S$280 to S$815.
What it depends on: her age and whether you want a waiver. The price pages split helpers into under 50 and over 50. Compare 14 months with waiver, under 50 against 14 months with waiver, over 50 to see how age shifts things.
What if our helper ends up in hospital for a long stay?
The medical part pays her hospital and surgical bills up to the plan's limit, but you may still share a big bill. Under the MOM minimum, on a bill above S$15,000 the insurer pays 75% and you pay 25%. Hospital and surgical limits also differ between plans. A higher limit means fewer bills for you if your helper has a long stay.
If the worst happens and she passes away, or she must return home, the plan covers repatriation. If it comes to a claim, start at our Claims page.
What it depends on: how much of a large bill your household could cover on its own. Two plans can look alike until a long ward stay shows the gap in limits.
What happens if our helper goes missing?
This is where the bond waiver matters. MOM can take the S$5,000 bond if you break the work permit conditions. Its examples include paying her salary late or not sending her home when her permit ends. A helper going missing is another case where the bond can be lost.
If MOM forfeits the bond, the insurer pays it. Without a waiver, the insurer can ask you to repay that S$5,000. With a waiver, they usually cannot.
What it depends on: whether you would rather pay more upfront or carry that S$5,000 risk yourself. Put 26 months with waiver, under 50 next to 26 months without waiver, under 50 to see the difference. Then read each plan's waiver wording.
Will it pay if she's pregnant or has a condition from her medical check?
No. These are on the list of things maid insurance does not cover:
- Conditions found at your helper's pre-employment medical exam
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Cosmetic and routine dental treatment
- Self-inflicted injury
So a routine scale-and-polish at the dentist near your HDB block is not something this policy pays for. Neither is treatment for a condition flagged at her pre-employment check.
What it depends on: each plan's exact wording. Exclusions are written a little differently from insurer to insurer. Read them before you pay, not after a bill arrives.
What should we ask ourselves before comparing plans?
A few questions about your own household, not about the insurer. Your answers decide which price page is the right one to look at.
- Is she a new hire or a renewal, so 26 months or 14?
- Is she under 50 or over 50?
- Is she Malaysian, which changes the bond question?
- If the bond were forfeited without a waiver, could we repay S$5,000 ourselves?
- If she had a long hospital stay, how much of a large bill could we handle?
- When does she start work, and will cover begin before that date?
What to do next
- Enter your helper's details on the maid insurance page to see plans priced for your situation.
- Put two plans side by side on the compare page and check the hospital limit and the waiver.
- Browse the maid price pages and the current promotions, or read more on the guides page.