Maid Insurance Renewal 2026: From $280, Steps & MOM Rules
Every two years, the renewal notice from MOM lands in your inbox: your helper's work permit is coming up for renewal. Most employers treat the insurance part as a formality to click through on the way to the renewal button. That is a mistake. The renewal is the one moment in each work permit cycle where a small admin error turns into a shortened work permit, a security bond that never reached MOM, or an uncovered hospital bill sitting entirely on your table.
This guide covers maid insurance renewal in Singapore exactly as it works in 2026: what MOM requires, what it really costs, the sequencing that trips up most families, and what to do if your policy has already lapsed. Every figure is checked against MOM's current rules and real 2026 insurer premiums, and if you want the wider picture on what the two compulsory policies actually cover, our full maid insurance guide goes deeper on the coverage side.
At a glance: the maid insurance renewal rules
Maid insurance renewal in 2026 costs $280 to $800 for a 26-month package, plus a $35 MOM work permit renewal fee. At every renewal MOM requires medical insurance and personal accident insurance, each with at least $60,000 cover valid for the full permit, and non-Malaysian helpers need a fresh $5,000 security bond. Start the insurance and bond about three weeks before the permit expires — the bond alone takes up to three working days to reach MOM.
Two compulsory policies at every renewal: medical insurance (MI) with at least $60,000 annual claim limit and personal accident insurance (PAI) with at least $60,000 sum assured. Both must be valid for the full period of the renewed work permit.
MOM sends the renewal letter about 8 weeks before the permit expires. The online renewal costs $35 and the outcome is immediate.
A 26-month renewal package costs $280 to $800 in 2026. Since 1 July 2025, helpers above 50 attract age-banded pricing — typically 15% to 45% more.
Non-Malaysian helpers need a new $5,000 security bond at every renewal, and your insurer needs up to 3 working days to transmit the bond details to MOM before you can renew the permit.
If the renewed insurance package is valid for less than 26 months, MOM shortens the renewed permit to end 2 months before the policy expires.
You cannot deduct the premium from your helper's salary — MOM makes insurance the employer's cost, and passing it on is an offence.
Why renewal timing matters more than the premium
The renewal is the only point in the two-year permit cycle where insurance and the security bond must be re-established in the right order. Get the sequence wrong and MOM will not shorten your helper's stay out of spite — the system simply caps the renewed permit at the date your policy ends, or refuses the renewal until the bond appears. The families who run into trouble are almost never the ones who paid too little; they are the ones who opened the renewal screen in the final week and found the bond transmission would not clear in time. Treat the letter as a three-week deadline, not a same-day task.
What MOM requires at every renewal
The renewal is not one task. It is six, and five of them have to be finished before you touch the renewal button in MOM's portal. Here is the checklist MOM actually enforces, with the part that catches employers out each cycle:
Requirement | What you need to do | What catches employers out |
Medical insurance (MI) | Extend the existing policy or buy a new one. Minimum $60,000 annual claim limit covering inpatient care and day surgery. | Every sub-limit must meet $60,000 on its own — a policy with $60,000 headline but $20,000 day-surgery cap does not comply. |
Personal accident insurance (PAI) | Extend or buy new; minimum $60,000 sum assured for permanent disability or death from accident. | Buy it from the same insurer as the security bond to keep the renewal to one transaction. |
Security bond ($5,000, non-Malaysian helpers only) | Take a new bond at every renewal. Your bank or insurer transmits the details to MOM electronically. | Transmission takes up to 3 working days — start this first, not last. The bond's effective date can be post-dated up to 1 day after the current permit expires, so there is no gap. |
Helper's passport | Scan the personal particulars page, including any amendment pages. | A full 2-year permit needs at least 25 months of passport validity — renew her passport before the permit, or MOM caps the duration. |
Medical examination | Check page 2 of MOM's renewal notification letter to see if she needs one; upload the doctor's signed form with the renewal. | Not every renewal requires an exam, but employers who never open page 2 find out at the submission screen. |
Work permit renewal fee | $35, paid online by card or PayNow. | The renewal itself is immediate — the waiting is always in the insurance and bond steps before it. |
Two details from MOM's renewal rules are worth memorising. First, the insurance must cover the full period of the renewed work permit — a policy that expires halfway through the new permit does not just create a gap, it shortens the permit itself. Second, the bond and both insurance policies can all be bought from the same insurer in one package, which is why almost every employer we work with ends up renewing all three together. Our security bond guide explains the $5,000 instrument in full, including why it is not cash out of your pocket.
What maid insurance renewal costs in 2026
Now the numbers employers actually want. Premiums are quoted for a 26-month package — 24 months to match the work permit, plus the 2-month buffer MOM requires. Since 1 July 2025, insurers price in two age bands, 50 and below versus above 50, and the older band runs meaningfully higher.
Cost item | You renew yourself | Through an agency | Notes |
Medical + PAI insurance (26 months) | $280 – $800 | Often bundled into the service fee | Basic MOM-compliant plans start from about $280. Comprehensive plans with outpatient or dental riders run $400 to $800. |
Security bond fee (non-Malaysian) | Usually inside the insurance package | Usually inside the package | The bond is a guarantee, not $5,000 of cash. You pay a fee, typically a few hundred dollars inside the package. |
MOM work permit renewal fee | $35 | $35 | Identical either way — it is MOM's fee. |
Agency renewal service fee | — | $300 – $400 | This is the line you pay to avoid the admin, not a MOM requirement. |
Age surcharge (helper above 50) | +15% to +45% | +15% to +45% | Age-banded pricing since 1 July 2025. A standard plan that costs $531 for a helper aged 50 and below costs about $769 above 50. |
Two honest caveats on those figures. The first is the 25% co-payment on large claims: for hospital bills above $15,000, the insurer pays 75% and you pay 25%, so a $60,000 bill leaves $11,250 with you. The second is that the cheapest compliant plan is not always the cheapest outcome — claim service and sub-limits matter more than a $40 saving. We break both down, with worked claim examples, in the maid insurance cost guide, and if you are budgeting the whole helper arrangement rather than just the renewal, the monthly cost breakdown has insurance sitting inside the full monthly number.
The sequencing trap: insurance and bond first, permit second
This is where renewals go wrong. The permit renewal in MOM's portal is the fastest part of the whole exercise — the waiting is always in the steps before it, and employers who leave those to the final week end up with a permit they cannot legally renew. This is the working sequence:
Step | When | Why the timing matters |
MOM renewal letter arrives | About 8 weeks before the permit expires | It tells you whether she needs a medical examination. Nothing else opens until this arrives. |
Buy or extend MI + PAI, and take the new security bond | The same week the letter arrives | Your insurer transmits the bond details to MOM — this takes up to 3 working days (insurers typically transmit on weekday afternoons). |
Check her passport validity | Before you renew the permit | Under 25 months left, and MOM caps the renewed permit at 1 month before the passport expires. |
Renew the work permit online | Once the bond and insurance are confirmed with MOM | $35, immediate outcome, permit valid up to 2 years. |
Compare the permit duration with the policy expiry | Immediately after renewal | If the insurance package was valid for less than 26 months, the permit ends 2 months before the policy expires — and your next cycle starts early. |
The last row is the quiet one. A cheaper 14-month policy or a policy bought late in the cycle does not save money — it moves your next renewal forward and adds another round of admin to pay for within the year. And if the permit expires before the insurance is sorted, she is working without valid cover, which is a breach of MOM's requirement and leaves any hospital bill in that window entirely on you.
Extend with your current insurer, or switch at renewal?
Renewal is also the one moment each cycle where you are free to move. MOM does not require you to stay with the same insurer — extend the existing policies or buy new ones, as long as the cover meets the current minimums. Use this to decide:
Your situation | Extend with your current insurer | Switch to a new insurer |
Claims were simple and premiums stayed fair | The easiest path — one call, same policy number, no gap | Unnecessary admin |
Premium jumped after age banding or a claim history | Pay the increase and review the cover limits | Often cheaper — but re-check that every sub-limit still meets the $60,000 minimum |
You want outpatient or dental cover for the first time | Add a rider at renewal | Compare bundled packages — riders on a new plan are frequently better value |
Your helper is above 50 | Expect the higher age band | Age bands apply industry-wide, so compare on service and co-payment terms, not just price |
The policy has already lapsed | Ask about reinstatement, but timing is tight | A new policy is usually the faster route back to compliance |
One disclosure point before you switch: insurers ask whether you have ever had a security bond forfeited or been refused cover, and it affects eligibility. Answer honestly, and read the fine print on exclusions — since 1 July 2025 MOM has standardised which exclusions insurers are allowed to write. If a claim happens mid-cycle, our guide to what happens when your helper gets sick walks through admission, notification and the 25% co-payment in detail.
The five-step renewal sequence, in order
Step 1 — Open page 2 of MOM's renewal letter and check whether she needs a medical examination. If yes, book it early; the signed form is uploaded with the renewal.
Step 2 — Buy or extend the insurance package first: MI, PAI and the new security bond in one transaction, ideally with the same insurer. Check the $60,000 limits on the schedule before paying.
Step 3 — Wait for the bond transmission to reach MOM — up to 3 working days. Do not start the permit renewal before this, or the portal will block you.
Step 4 — Renew the work permit online: upload the passport scan and medical form if required, pay the $35, and the outcome is immediate.
Step 5 — Check the dates on the new permit against the policy expiry. A full 2-year permit needs an insurance package of at least 26 months and a passport valid at least 25 months — if either is short, the permit is shortened to match.
Common mistakes to avoid
Even employers who read the rules carefully slip up on these five. Each one has cost a real family money or a shortened permit.
Letting the bond wait until the last day — the $5,000 bond can take up to three working days to reach MOM, so start it first, not last.
Assuming the $60,000 headline cover is enough — every sub-limit, including day surgery, must independently meet the $60,000 floor.
Buying insurance that expires before the permit — if the package is valid for less than 26 months, MOM shortens the permit to end before the policy lapses.
Forgetting passport validity — a full two-year permit needs at least 25 months of passport validity left, so renew her passport first.
Trying to deduct the premium from your helper's salary — MOM makes insurance the employer's cost, and passing it on is an offence.
What if the policy has already lapsed?
Do not panic, and do not simply renew as if nothing happened. A lapsed policy means a stretch without cover, and if your helper needed hospital care in that window you would carry the cost. Contact your insurer first — many will reinstate or backdate within a short grace period. Then renew the medical and personal accident cover to MOM's current minimums and confirm the security bond before touching the permit renewal. If the lapse is long or a claim has already happened, talk to us before you submit anything; getting the sequencing right at this stage is what protects both your helper and your wallet.
The bottom line
Maid insurance renewal in 2026 is a $280 to $800 decision plus a $35 MOM fee, and it takes about a week if you start when the letter arrives. The employers who get into trouble are not the ones who paid too much — they are the ones who left the bond transmission and the insurance until the permit was days from expiring, or let a policy lapse and discovered what an uninsured hospital bill actually costs. Renew early, keep the two $60,000 minimums in front of you, and treat the bond as step one, not step last. If you would rather hand the whole sequence to someone who runs it every day, that is exactly what we do — and the contract renewal guide covers the salary and notice side of the same renewal conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I renew my maid's insurance?
Renew it together with your helper's work permit, before the permit expires. MOM's renewal letter arrives about 8 weeks before expiry, and the policy you buy or extend must be valid for the full period of the renewed work permit — ideally at least 26 months so the permit gets its full 2-year duration.
How much does maid insurance renewal cost in Singapore in 2026?
A compliant 26-month package costs $280 to $800, depending on the plan tier and your helper's age. Basic MOM-compliant plans start from about $280, and helpers above 50 pay roughly 15% to 45% more under the age-banded pricing introduced in July 2025. MOM's work permit renewal fee is $35 on top.
Do I need a new security bond every time I renew?
Yes, for non-Malaysian helpers. MOM requires a new $5,000 security bond at each renewal, and your bank or insurer must send the bond details to MOM before you can renew the permit — this takes up to 3 working days. The bond's effective date can be post-dated up to one day after the current permit expires, so there is no gap in cover.
What happens if my maid insurance policy lapses?
MOM requires medical and personal accident insurance to be maintained throughout the work permit, so a lapsed policy blocks the renewal until it is fixed, and any hospitalisation in the gap falls on you in full. Lapses also affect future applications — insurers ask about lapsed policies, forfeited bonds and refusals of cover when you next apply.
Can I switch insurers at renewal instead of extending?
Yes. MOM allows you to either extend the existing policies or buy new ones at renewal, as long as the cover meets the current minimums — $60,000 medical, $60,000 personal accident, with every sub-limit meeting the $60,000 floor. Compare on sub-limits, claim service and co-payment terms, not just the premium.
How long does maid insurance renewal take?
Realistically about a week end to end. Insurers often issue the policy the same day online, the bond transmission to MOM takes up to 3 working days, and the work permit renewal itself is immediate with a $35 fee. Start in the first week of the 8-week renewal window and there is no rush.
If your helper's renewal is coming up and you would rather not juggle the insurer and MOM yourself, that is what we do every day. WhatsApp us on 8042 6581 and we will walk you through the whole sequence — from the bond transmission to the final date check.
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