Maid Agency Fees 2026: Full Cost Breakdown (From S$600)
If you are budgeting for a helper in Singapore, the number that causes the most confusion is the agency fee. One agency quotes you S$900, another quotes S$2,800, and both promise the same service. It is natural to assume the cheaper quote is the better deal — but agency quotes are rarely like-for-like. What separates a fair quote from an expensive one is not the headline figure. It is what sits inside it.
In this guide, we break down every cost you will actually pay a maid agency in 2026 — the service fee, the pass-through government and medical costs, and the charges that should never take you by surprise. We also cover the refund rules MOM enforces, so you know your rights before you sign anything.
At a glance: In 2026, a maid agency's own service fee in Singapore typically runs S$600 to S$1,500 for a new helper from overseas and S$800 to S$2,500 for a transfer helper already in Singapore. Add the standard pass-through costs — Work Permit (S$70), medical examination (S$50 to S$80), insurance (S$300 to S$600 for 26 months), the Settling-In Programme (about S$75) and airfare (S$200 to S$500) — and the typical all-in upfront total is S$1,300 to S$3,250. MOM caps what agencies can charge your helper, but not what they charge you, so an itemised quote is your main protection. Under MOM's service fee refund policy, agencies must offer at least a 50% refund if the employment ends within the first six months.
Why the agency fee matters more than you think
The agency fee is the single largest line in your first-year helper budget — often more than insurance, the Work Permit and the Settling-In Programme combined. For most Singapore households it is also the least transparent line: government fees are fixed and published, but the service fee is market rate, which means it varies three- to four-fold between agencies offering the same placement. For the wider picture — salary, food, insurance and the monthly levy on top of agency fees — see our guide to the full cost of a maid in Singapore.
It also matters because of timing. MOM's refund protections only apply within the first six months of placement, and only on the terms written into the paperwork you signed. What you agree before you pay determines your rights for the next two years — which is exactly why the fee question deserves an hour of your attention now, rather than a surprise on the invoice later.
What the agency service fee actually pays for
The service fee is the agency's own charge for finding and matching your helper, handling MOM paperwork, and supporting you after placement. A legitimate service fee covers candidate sourcing and screening, Work Permit application and issuance, coordination of medical examinations and insurance, registration for the Settling-In Programme, and the post-placement support period.
It should not be confused with the pass-through costs listed separately on your invoice — government fees, insurance premiums and course fees are third-party expenses the agency pays on your behalf. MOM's licence conditions require agencies to give employers a written breakdown of these third-party costs, so an agency that bundles everything into one opaque package price is not meeting that standard.
One more nuance worth knowing: for helpers from the Philippines, the Philippine government forbids placement-fee loans, which means the service fee sits entirely with the employer rather than being repaid from the helper’s salary. That is why Filipino placements often carry a higher service fee than Indonesian, Myanmar or Sri Lankan helpers, whose agencies may recover part of the fee through a salary deduction schedule. Our guide to helper loans and the four-to-six-month salary deduction cap explains how that recovery works in full.
The 2026 breakdown: new overseas hire vs transfer helper
Every agency quote you receive should be comparable against this structure. The figures below reflect the 2026 market range in Singapore for a standard placement.
Cost item | New helper (from overseas) | Transfer helper (in Singapore) |
Agency service fee | S$600 to S$1,500 | S$800 to S$2,500 |
Work Permit (application + issuance) | S$70 | S$70 |
Medical examination | S$50 to S$80 | S$50 to S$80 |
Insurance (26 months, incl. S$60,000 cover + bond waiver) | S$300 to S$600 | S$300 to S$600 |
Settling-In Programme (first-time helpers only) | About S$75 | Not required |
Air ticket | S$200 to S$500 | Not applicable |
Typical all-in upfront total | S$1,300 to S$2,800 | S$1,200 to S$3,250 |
Notice that transfer helpers are not automatically cheaper. Their service fee is often higher because the agency coordinates between the outgoing and incoming employer, but they arrive without airfare or settling-in costs. Over the first year, the two routes usually land within a few hundred dollars of each other — which is why the right question is not which route is cheaper, but which helper is the better fit for your household. We compare both routes in detail in our transfer maid versus new maid guide.
Every pass-through cost, explained
These are the costs an agency pays on your behalf. Each one has a known market rate, which makes them the easiest part of any quote to verify:
Work Permit: exactly S$70 in total — S$35 when the application is submitted and S$35 when the pass is issued. This is MOM's published rate; there is no legitimate variation. Any quote billing this higher is adding a markup.
Medical examination: S$50 to S$80 for the pre-employment check, and the same range for the six-monthly examinations that continue throughout her employment.
Insurance: S$300 to S$600 for a 26-month integrated policy covering at least S$60,000 in hospital and surgical expenses, personal accident cover, and the S$5,000 security bond waiver that spares you from depositing the bond in cash.
Settling-In Programme: about S$75, required for first-time helpers within seven days of arrival. Transfer helpers who have already completed it are exempt.
Air ticket: S$200 to S$500 for a new overseas helper, depending on her home country. Transfer helpers are already in Singapore, so no fare applies.
Employer Orientation Programme: S$35 to S$60, one-time, for first-time employers only.
Which fees MOM regulates — and which are market rate
This is the part of the fee structure most employers do not know about, and it changes how you should read a quote.
What | The rule in 2026 |
Fees charged to your helper | Capped by MOM: no more than one month's fixed salary per year of service, capped at two months in total. Charging more is an offence. |
Fees charged to you (the service fee) | No MOM cap. MOM removed the cap for employer-side fees, assuming employers have the bargaining power — so comparing itemised quotes is your protection. |
Written breakdown | Your agency must provide a written breakdown of each third-party cost. This is a licence condition, not a courtesy. |
Service agreement | MOM publishes a recommended Services & Fees Schedule that sets out every fee, the replacement entitlement, and refund terms. Sign it before any payment. |
Refund policy | If the employment ends within the first six months, your agency must offer at least a 50% refund of the service fee (for up to three helpers placed with the same employer), or a replacement where that option exists. |
Receipts | Agencies must issue receipts for all monetary transactions. No receipt means no paper trail — walk away. |
Security bond | S$5,000 for non-Malaysian helpers, but in practice it is covered by bond-waiver insurance within your policy (about S$60 to S$80 a year), not paid as cash. |
How the refund policy works in practice
The six-month refund rule exists because MOM wants agencies to take matching seriously. Three details matter when you claim it. First, you must inform your agency before you terminate the helper's employment — the refund route runs through the agency, not around it. Second, the refund applies when the employment ends within the first six months regardless of who decided to stop, but there are carve-outs: agencies are not required to refund when they were engaged only to do administrative work, when the employer has breached employment law or committed an offence against the helper, or when a caregiver role is no longer needed. Third, you can usually choose between a refund and a replacement helper — and if the match was nearly right, a replacement is often the faster path back to a settled home.
Termination itself carries its own costs — notice periods, salary settlements and repatriation — which we break down in our guide to terminating a maid in Singapore. Factor those in before treating any refund as a full recovery.
Charges that should never surprise you
A transparent agency has nothing to hide in its invoice. These are the line items that most often inflate a final bill, and what a fair quote looks like instead:
Charge | Typical size | Why it is a flag |
Vague admin or processing fee | S$100 to S$300 | Should have a receipt or MOM reference behind it |
Government fees billed above MOM rates | S$50 to S$200 above actual | The Work Permit costs exactly S$70 — nothing to interpret |
Insurance resold above market price | S$60 to S$180 extra | Policies can be bought directly from insurers |
Expedited processing or rush fee | S$200 to S$500 | MOM processing timelines are fixed; speed is rarely purchasable |
Replacement admin fee | S$200 to S$1,000 | Should be covered by the replacement guarantee you paid for |
Unclear deposit terms | Varies | Fine print can make the deposit effectively unrecoverable |
None of these charges are automatically dishonest — some agencies genuinely pay for rush courier or extended support. The test is simple: every line on the final invoice should be traceable to a receipt, an MOM published rate, or a term in your signed Services & Fees Schedule. If an agency cannot explain a charge in one sentence, treat it as negotiable.
How to compare agency quotes like a pro
When you collect two or three quotes, compare them on this basis rather than on the headline number:
Ask for the itemised Services & Fees Schedule before paying anything, and compare line by line rather than package by package.
Check which route you are comparing. A new-hire quote and a transfer quote will never match on paper — compare like with like.
Verify the government pass-throughs against MOM's published rates. Work Permit S$70, security bond S$5,000 covered by waiver insurance, levy S$300 a month for a first helper or S$60 with the concession.
Read the replacement and refund terms closely: how many replacements, over what period, and what triggers a refund.
Confirm the agency is licensed. MOM publishes a public register of licensed employment agencies — check the licence type and reference number before signing.
And resist the temptation to simply take the cheapest quote. A difference of S$300 to S$500 on the service fee is worth comparing properly, but an unusually low fee usually means lighter candidate vetting, items excluded and billed later, or a thin replacement guarantee. The cost of a bad match — starting the search again two months in — is far larger than the saving. If you would like to see how a direct hire without an agency compares, we cover that route separately.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Paying before you have seen the itemised schedule. A licensed agency can produce its Services & Fees Schedule in writing before you commit a dollar. If it will not, that is your answer.
Comparing quotes on the headline fee alone. Two quotes of S$1,200 can differ by S$800 once pass-through costs, insurance and airfare are included. Compare the total first-year outlay instead.
Assuming a transfer helper is automatically cheaper. Their service fee is often higher; what they save you is airfare and settling-in time, not the agency's cut.
Treating an unusually low fee as a bargain. A fee far below the market range usually means lighter candidate vetting, costs billed later, or a weak replacement guarantee — the expensive kind of cheap.
Skipping the refund clause. MOM's six-month rule protects you, but only if you inform the agency in writing and the placement ends under the covered conditions. Read that clause before you sign, not after.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a maid agency charge in Singapore in 2026?
A maid agency's own service fee typically runs S$600 to S$1,500 for a new helper from overseas and S$800 to S$2,500 for a transfer helper. Once the pass-through costs are added — Work Permit (S$70), medical examination (S$50 to S$80), insurance (S$300 to S$600 for 26 months), Settling-In Programme (about S$75) and airfare for overseas hires (S$200 to S$500) — the typical all-in upfront total is S$1,300 to S$3,250.
Are maid agency fees refundable?
Under MOM's service fee refund policy, your agency must offer at least a 50% refund of the service fee if the helper's employment ends within the first six months, for up to three helpers placed with the same employer. A replacement helper can be offered instead. You must inform the agency before the termination, and the refund does not apply if you engaged the agency purely for administrative work, if you breached employment law, or if a caregiving need no longer exists.
Do I have to pay the helper's placement loan?
It depends on her nationality and what you agreed. Indonesian, Myanmar and Sri Lankan helpers are commonly granted a placement loan that is recovered through a salary deduction capped at four to six months of salary. Filipino helpers cannot take placement loans under Philippine government rules, which is why their service fees sit higher with the employer. If you agree in writing to pay part of her placement fee, that amount should appear as its own line in your Services & Fees Schedule.
Is there a limit on what an agency can charge me?
MOM caps the fees agencies can charge workers — a maximum of one month's fixed salary per year of service, capped at two months — but the cap on employer-side fees was deliberately removed, on the basis that employers have the bargaining power. Your protections are the mandatory written breakdown of third-party costs, the signed Services & Fees Schedule, receipts for every payment, and MOM's licensed-agency register.
Is a transfer helper's agency fee cheaper than a new helper's?
Not necessarily. Transfer placements often carry a higher service fee, because the agency coordinates between the outgoing and incoming employer, but they save on airfare and the Settling-In Programme. The two routes usually land within a few hundred dollars of each other over the first year, so the decision should come down to the helper's fit for your household rather than the upfront price.
How do I check that a maid agency is licensed?
MOM publishes a public register of licensed employment agencies. Check the agency's licence type — you want a comprehensive licence covering foreign domestic workers — and its EA reference number, both of which should appear on its website and invoices. Also verify that it issues receipts for every payment and is willing to sign MOM's recommended Services & Fees Schedule before you commit.
The Bottom Line
Budget S$600 to S$1,500 for a new overseas helper's service fee in 2026, or S$800 to S$2,500 for a transfer, then add the pass-through costs on top. Compare agencies on the total first-year figure and on how openly they itemise it — not on the headline number.
A fee schedule you can read line by line is not just a better deal. It is the first sign of an agency that will still answer your messages in month eight, when a Work Permit renewal or a salary question comes up. That support is what you are really paying for.
At iHome Agency, we believe every family deserves a fee schedule they can read line by line. If you would like a copy of our itemised Services & Fees Schedule, or an honest conversation about what hiring a helper really costs your household, message us on WhatsApp at 8042 6581. iHome Agency is a MOM-licensed employment agency (EA Licence No. 26C3446), and we specialise in families in Punggol and the Northshore area.
Contact iHome Agency:
📲 WhatsApp: 8042 6581
📜 EA License: 26C3446
📍 Punggol & Northshore Specialist
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