Security Bond for Domestic Helpers 2026: S$5,000 Rules
Before a non-Malaysian helper sets foot in Singapore, there is one more payment that catches many employers off guard: the S$5,000 security bond. It is not a fee that disappears into an agency pocket. It is a guarantee held against your name, and it can be taken from you if Work Permit conditions are broken. Most employers first hear about it in passing, at the point of hiring, and do not think about it again until something goes wrong.
This guide explains what the bond is, who must buy it, how discharge works when your helper employment ends, and exactly which situations can cost you the S$5,000. Every figure below is based on the Ministry of Manpower current rules for migrant domestic workers.
At a Glance
At a glance: - The MOM security bond is S$5,000 for every non-Malaysian helper; Malaysian helpers are exempt. - The employer must pay it. You cannot ask your helper to pay, and you cannot deduct it from her salary. - It must be in effect on the day she arrives, or the immigration officer will not let her enter Singapore. - It is discharged only when the Work Permit is cancelled, she has returned home, and no bond conditions were breached. Usually about one week after she leaves. - There are four main forfeiture triggers. Paying salary on time and reporting violations promptly are what protect you.
Why the Security Bond Matters More Than You Think
Most employers first hear about the security bond when their helper's Work Permit application is already in motion, and the timing pressure is real. If the bond is not in place on the day your helper arrives, the immigration officer at Changi Airport will not let her enter Singapore. That single detail turns what seems like a routine insurance purchase into the most time-sensitive piece of paperwork in the entire hiring process.
The bond also protects you in ways that are easy to overlook. When everything goes smoothly, the S$5,000 is discharged back to you within about a week of your helper leaving. But if something goes wrong, that same S$5,000 can be forfeited to the government. Understanding the rules upfront is what separates employers who get their bond back cleanly from those who do not. If you are still working through the hiring process, the Work Permit application guide walks you through every step including where the bond fits in.
What the Security Bond Actually Is
A security bond is a binding pledge to pay the Singapore government if either you or your helper breaches her Work Permit conditions. In practice, it takes the form of a banker guarantee or an insurer guarantee: the bank or insurance company promises MOM that it will pay the S$5,000 on your behalf if the worst happens. You are not depositing S$5,000 with MOM yourself, but you are financially responsible for it.
MOM requires the bond for every helper you employ except Malaysian helpers, and the full amount is set by law. For context on where this sits in your overall budget, our real cost breakdown walks through every monthly and one-time figure a Singapore employer pays in 2026.
Requirement | MOM rule for 2026 |
Who needs a bond | Every employer of a non-Malaysian helper. Malaysian helpers are exempt. |
Amount | S$5,000 for each helper you employ. |
Who pays | The employer. You cannot ask your helper to pay it or deduct it from her salary. |
Form | A banker guarantee or an insurer guarantee, bought from any bank or insurance company. |
Bundling | May be bought separately or as a package with medical and personal accident insurance. |
Timing | Must take effect on the day your helper arrives in Singapore. |
How to Buy the Bond and Register It with MOM
You can buy the bond at any bank or insurance company, and most employers bundle it with the mandatory medical and personal accident insurance in one purchase. What matters is the sequence: once the bond is bought, your bank or insurer must send the bond details to MOM, and that takes up to three working days. MOM then records the bond against your helper Work Permit.
Two practical details trip up first-time employers. First, you need your helper Foreign Identification Number (FIN) to buy the bond. It appears on her in-principle approval letter, and for new helpers it is assigned within three working days of the Work Permit being approved. If the FIN is not showing yet, regenerate the IPA letter to get it. Second, the bond effective date must match her arrival date. If the bond is not in effect when she lands, the immigration officer will not allow her to enter, MOM cannot backdate the bond, and you will have to send her home immediately.
Households choosing between a bank and an insurer are usually deciding how they prefer to handle cash. Both are equally valid to MOM; the difference is in the cash flow.
Feature | Banker guarantee (bank) | Security bond insurance (insurer) |
Typical cost | Bank usually issues the guarantee against a fixed deposit, plus an admin fee | Annual premium, typically about S$50 to S$80 a year for the bond portion |
Cash flow | Your fixed deposit stays locked up for the bond period | No large deposit locked up; you pay the yearly premium only |
Registration with MOM | Bank sends bond details to MOM, up to 3 working days | Insurer sends bond details to MOM, up to 3 working days |
Suits households that | Have idle cash they do not need liquid | Prefer to keep their cash working elsewhere |
When the Bond Is Discharged: What Happens When the Work Permit Ends
This is the question employers search for most often, and the answer is simpler than people expect. Your bond liability is not lifted the moment your helper stops working. It is lifted only when MOM has confirmed three things: you have cancelled the Work Permit, your helper has returned home to her home country, and you did not breach any of the security bond conditions. When all three are met, the bond is usually discharged about one week after your helper leaves Singapore, and MOM notifies you by post.
The practical implication is that the order of operations matters. Cancel the Work Permit within one week of her last day of work, pay for her repatriation flight, and make sure she actually departs. MOM requires her to leave within two weeks of the cancellation. Miss the steps and the bond, which would otherwise be released, can be forfeited. Our termination guide sets out the full sequence, step by step.
Step | When | What to do and why |
Agree the last day of work | Before you cancel anything | Both sides must agree the end date; this determines the notice or payment in lieu. |
Cancel the Work Permit | Within 1 week of her last day | Cancelling late keeps the bond live and you keep paying the levy. |
Helper departs Singapore | Within 2 weeks of cancellation | You pay the repatriation flight to the port of entry nearest her hometown. |
Bond discharged | About 1 week after she leaves | Only when all three MOM conditions are met; you are notified by post. |
When the Bond Will Be Forfeited
Forfeiture is where the bond stops being paperwork and becomes a real S$5,000 loss. MOM lists the situations that trigger it, and they fall into four groups: violations of Work Permit or bond conditions by you or your helper, late salary payment, failing to send your helper home when her Work Permit is expired, revoked or cancelled, and your helper going missing. In the missing-helper situation, you must file a missing person police report and cancel her Work Permit within one week of realising she is gone. Levy continues to accrue until you cancel. If she is not found within one month after cancellation, the bond is forfeited. Only half, about S$2,500, is forfeited if you can show reasonable effort to locate her, and if she is later found you can apply for a refund of the forfeited amount within three months of the bank or insurer demand letter.
There is an important protection built into the rules. You are not liable for your helper violations. Pregnancy is the most commonly cited example. If you can prove that you informed her of the Work Permit conditions she must comply with and reported the violation to MOM as soon as you became aware of it, the bond is protected. The same logic protects you in reverse: if you knew about a violation and said nothing, the bond can be forfeited. If your helper has already gone missing, our runaway helper emergency guide covers the first 72 hours.
Forfeit trigger | What happens | How to protect yourself |
Work Permit or bond conditions violated | Full S$5,000 at risk | Inform your helper of the conditions in a language she understands; report any violation to MOM immediately. |
Salary not paid on time | Full S$5,000 at risk | Pay salary by the agreed date every month; set up GIRO or a standing calendar reminder. |
Helper not sent home when Permit is cancelled, revoked or expired | Full S$5,000 at risk | Book the repatriation flight and confirm her departure within 2 weeks of cancellation. |
Helper goes missing | Bond forfeited if not found within 1 month of cancellation | Police report and cancel Permit within 1 week; only about S$2,500 forfeited with reasonable effort; refund possible within 3 months if found. |
Helper becomes pregnant | Bond is NOT forfeited | She must return home; inform MOM promptly. You stay protected if you informed her of the conditions and reported it. |
Five Habits That Keep Your Bond Safe
None of this requires anything heroic. Employers who keep their bond intact tend to do the same small things consistently:
Pay salary on time, every month. The single most common avoidable forfeiture trigger.
Explain the Work Permit conditions to your helper when she arrives, in her own language, and keep a record that you did.
Report violations to MOM the day you learn about them. The protection only applies if you acted on the information.
Cancel the Work Permit within one week of her last day, and send her home within two weeks of cancellation.
Never accept repayment of the bond or any bond-related sum from your helper. MOM prohibits it outright.
Do these five things and, in the normal course of things, the bond simply expires at the end of the employment and the guarantee is released. For the insurance side of the same picture. The S$60,000 medical cover that must sit alongside the bond. See our maid insurance guide.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Letting the bond lapse during a renewal gap. If your helper stays on beyond the original bond period, the new bond must be in place before the old one expires. A one-day gap can mean a new S$5,000 commitment with no refund of the first.
Assuming your helper can pay her own bond. MOM rule is explicit: the employer pays. Asking your helper to contribute, even voluntarily, puts you in violation and can void the bond entirely.
Forgetting to file the police report when something goes wrong. If your helper breaches permit conditions, the police report is what protects half the bond from forfeiture. Without it, the full S$5,000 is at risk.
Cancelling the Work Permit before confirming discharge. The order of operations matters. If you cancel first and the discharge conditions are not yet met, you could be waiting weeks for the refund with no bond protection in the meantime.
Buying the bond from an unlicensed insurer. MOM only accepts bonds from approved banks and insurers. A bond from an unrecognised provider is not a bond at all, and your helper will not be allowed to enter Singapore.
What If It Still Does Not Work?
Even when you do everything right, there are situations where the bond process does not go smoothly. Maybe a discharge is taking longer than expected, or MOM has flagged a condition you were not aware of. If that happens, do not panic and do not blame yourself. These situations are more common than you think, and there is usually a clear next step. If your helper's contract is ending and you want to understand your options for renewal, replacement, or simply letting the bond run its course, the end-of-contract guide covers every scenario in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MOM security bond for domestic helpers?
It is a S$5,000 guarantee that an employer buys for every non-Malaysian helper, in the form of a banker or insurer guarantee. It pledges that MOM will be paid if the employer or the helper breaches Work Permit conditions. The employer buys it and remains financially responsible for it.
Do I need a security bond for a Malaysian helper?
No. Malaysian helpers are the only exemption from the MOM security bond requirement. For every other nationality, including Filipino, Indonesian, Myanmar, Indian and Sri Lankan helpers, the S$5,000 bond is mandatory.
Can I ask my helper to pay the security bond?
No. MOM rule is explicit: you cannot ask your helper to pay for the bond, and you cannot deduct it from her salary. The bond is an employer obligation, full stop.
What happens to the security bond when my helper work permit ends?
It is discharged once three conditions are all met: the Work Permit is cancelled, your helper has returned home, and no bond conditions were breached. When that happens, MOM usually discharges the bond about one week after she leaves Singapore and notifies you by post. Cancel the Permit within one week of her last day to start this clock.
When will my S$5,000 bond be forfeited?
Four main situations: a breach of Work Permit or bond conditions by you or your helper, late salary payment, failing to send your helper home when her Work Permit is cancelled, revoked or expired, and your helper going missing without the required police report and timely cancellation. In the missing-helper case, only about S$2,500 is forfeited if you made reasonable effort to find her.
Is the security bond forfeited if my helper runs away or gets pregnant?
Pregnancy does not forfeit the bond, but your helper must return home and you must inform MOM. A runaway helper can cost you the bond if she is not found within one month of the Work Permit cancellation. Even then only half is forfeited if you filed the police report and acted with reasonable effort, and you can apply for a refund within three months of the demand letter if she is found.
The Bottom Line
Whether your helper Work Permit is expiring or you are ending an employment and want the bond discharged without surprises, the paperwork rewards being done in the right order. iHome Singapore handles Work Permit renewals, bond and insurance renewals, and end-of-contract employment for families in Punggol and the Northshore area.
Contact iHome Agency:
📲 WhatsApp: 8042 6581
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