Confinement nanny vs domestic helper: MOM's two permits compared

The confinement nanny vs domestic helper choice mostly comes down to how long you need help. MOM's Work Permit for confinement nanny covers a Malaysian nanny for up to 16 weeks from your baby's birth, and it can't be renewed. A helper's Work Permit lasts up to 2 years and can be renewed. If you already have a helper, you can add a nanny for the first weeks, and MOM bills the two levies together.

How to choose between them, step by step

1. Count the weeks of help you want, with your family's custom in mind. HealthHub notes that Chinese families here keep confinement for 30 days, Malay families for 44 and Indian families for 40, all inside MOM's 16-week nanny permit.
2. Decide whether you'll want help after the confinement month, because only a helper's permit runs past it: up to 2 years, and it can be renewed.
3. Check that the woman you have in mind fits MOM's rules for that permit. A nanny must be Malaysian, at least 23 and below 70; a helper must be 23 to below 50 when you apply, from an approved source country, with 8 years of formal education.
4. Work out where a live-in helper would sleep, because MOM says to give her a separate room, or enough space and privacy if you can't, and never a room shared with a male adult or teenager.
5. Price the levy for each one using MOM's rates. The nanny's is $60 a month for a Singapore citizen baby and $300 if not; a first helper's is $300, or $60 at the concession rate for families with a young child.
6. Add the one-off costs to your budget: $35 to apply for the nanny's permit, and for a helper, a $5,000 security bond unless she's Malaysian. A helper who has never worked here before also attends MOM's Settling-in Programme within 7 days of arrival.
7. Apply for the nanny's permit inside MOM's window, which opens 4 weeks before your due date and closes 16 weeks after the birth. MOM processes it within 1 week unless it needs more information.
8. Agree her daily tasks in writing, since MOM's permits don't list them: nights, cooking, laundry and cleaning. Our guide to what a confinement nanny does helps you draft the list.
9. Cancel the nanny's permit within 1 week of the day she leaves Singapore if she stops working for you before it runs out, as MOM requires.

The two permits side by side

Every row below comes from MOM's own pages, read 8 Nov 2026. Our confinement nanny work permit guide has the nanny rules in full, and how to hire a maid with MOM has the helper's hiring steps.

MOM gives the nanny a Work Permit letter instead of a card, since the job is short. Her levy follows your baby's citizenship, while a helper's depends on how many helpers you have and who lives with you. What a helper's policy has to cover is in our guide to helper insurance.

Can your helper do confinement?

She can help with the baby, as long as you plan for it. MOM notes that a new helper from a rural area may have different practices in taking care of children, and it suggests taking time to train her in her first weeks with you. If the birth is still a few weeks off, use them: our helper baby care training plan goes task by task.

She keeps her one rest day a week under MOM's rules, so decide who covers the baby and your meals that day. If she agrees to work on a rest day, you pay her at least 1 day's salary, and at least one rest day a month can't be paid away. Her levy may drop too, since MOM's $60 concession rate applies to families with a young child. Check your rate in our maid levy calculator.

HealthHub says some mothers find a confinement nanny, or an experienced female friend or relative, helps them settle in during the first weeks. If your helper is new to newborns and no relative can step in, one way to split it is a nanny for you and the baby while your helper keeps the house. Once the nanny leaves, our guide to raising a baby with a helper covers how to share care.

Having a helper and a nanny at the same time

You can. MOM's nanny page says that if you also have a helper registered under your name, you get a combined monthly levy deducted by GIRO. At MOM's rates, a Singapore citizen baby and a helper on the concession rate come to $60 plus $60, or $120 a month. If the baby isn't a citizen and your first helper is on the normal rate, it's $300 plus $300, or $600 a month.

Space is the harder part in an HDB flat. If both live in, you need two places to sleep, and MOM's room rules for your helper still apply. Our confinement nanny arrival checklist covers her room and the first-day agreements. Split the work in writing too: who takes night feeds, who cooks your confinement meals and who does the family's laundry.

To see the whole monthly budget, put the nanny's quote into our confinement nanny cost calculator and check the helper's side in our domestic helper cost breakdown. Agency prices for nannies are in our confinement nanny hiring guide.

What happens after the 16 weeks

The nanny's permit ends. MOM says it runs up to 16 weeks from the birth and can't be renewed, and it's shorter if you applied after the baby was born. If she leaves early, cancel it within 1 week of her departure, and her levy stops 1 day before the cancellation. You don't need to cancel a pass that has expired, MOM says, but she must leave Singapore before her visit pass runs out.

If you still need help, MOM points you to a different permit: beyond the 16 weeks, you apply for a Work Permit for a migrant domestic worker instead. That brings the helper rules with it:

• She must be 23 to below 50 when you apply. Helpers aged 50 and above can only renew until they turn 60.
• She needs at least 8 years of formal education with a recognised certificate.
• If you've never employed a helper, you register for MOM's Employers' Orientation Programme first.
• If she's never worked here as a helper, she attends the Settling-in Programme within 7 days of arriving, not counting Sundays and public holidays.
• You buy a $5,000 security bond unless she's Malaysian, plus her medical and personal accident insurance.
• She sees a Singapore-registered doctor within 2 weeks of arrival, then every 6 months.

Our new helper arrival checklist puts these steps in date order. If you're also weighing infant care or grandparents for the months after, see our infant care, helper or grandparents comparison.

Where to get help

• MOM's own pages on the Work Permit for confinement nanny and the Work Permit for migrant domestic worker, for permit and levy questions.
• Our guide to checking an agency's licence walks you through MOM's EA Directory before you pay anyone. To compare agencies, see how to choose a confinement nanny agency.
• If the nanny you hired isn't working out, the list of confinement nanny red flags helps you decide what to raise.
• Your doctor or polyclinic for any worry about your recovery or your baby's health.
• If low moods go on for more than two weeks, HealthHub says this can become postnatal depression, and to speak with your doctor, who may recommend counselling. Our postnatal depression guide lists where to get help.

Frequently asked questions

Confinement nanny vs maid in Singapore: what's the main difference?

They come on different MOM permits with different time limits. A confinement nanny is a Malaysian on the Work Permit for confinement nanny, which lasts up to 16 weeks from the birth. A maid, or domestic helper, is on a Work Permit of up to 2 years that can be renewed, and what either one does each day is what you agree with her in writing.

Confinement nanny vs helper: whose levy is higher?

That depends on your baby's citizenship and who lives with you. The nanny's levy is $60 a month for a Singapore citizen baby and $300 if not. A first helper's is $300 a month, or $60 at the concession rate for families with a young child, and each extra helper is $450.

Can my helper do confinement?

Yes, if you plan for it before the birth. MOM notes that a new helper from a rural area may care for children differently from you, and it suggests you train her early. She keeps her weekly rest day, so line up cover for that day.

Can I have a helper and a confinement nanny at the same time?

Yes. MOM's nanny page says that if a helper is also registered under your name, you get one combined monthly levy by GIRO. For a Singapore citizen baby and a helper on the concession rate, that comes to $120 a month in levies.

What happens after the 16 weeks?

The nanny's permit ends and can't be renewed, and she has to leave Singapore before her visit pass runs out. If you still need help after that, MOM says to apply for a Work Permit for a migrant domestic worker instead.

Can my Malaysian confinement nanny stay on as our helper?

Only on a new permit. Past the 16 weeks, MOM points you to the helper Work Permit, so she has to meet its rules: 23 to below 50 when you apply, and 8 years of formal education with a recognised certificate. Malaysia is on MOM's list of source countries, and the $5,000 bond doesn't apply to Malaysian helpers.