Maid insurance in Singapore: what MOM requires employers to buy

Maid insurance in Singapore is required by law. Before your domestic helper arrives, MOM requires you to buy medical insurance covering inpatient care and day surgery up to at least $60,000 a year, personal accident insurance of at least $60,000, and, unless she is Malaysian, a $5,000 security bond. You cannot pass any of these costs to your helper, and you remain responsible for her necessary medical bills even beyond what the insurance pays. Our guide to the cost of a domestic helper in Singapore puts these next to the levy, salary and one-off fees.

This guide sets out what the law requires, from MOM's pages and the work pass regulations read on 11 October 2026. It does not compare or recommend insurance products.

What MOM requires, at a glance

Medical insurance

You must buy medical insurance before your helper arrives in Singapore, covering inpatient care and day surgery, with an annual claim limit of at least $60,000. If a policy has sub-limits, each one must meet that $60,000 minimum. The rule applies to every helper, including those hired for confinement, and there is no exemption: MOM calls it a legal requirement and a work pass condition.

MOM raised the minimum from $15,000 to $60,000 for policies bought or renewed from 1 July 2023, after finding that more than 5% of bills exceeded the old limit. It estimated that more than 99% of bills would fall within the new cover. Above the first $15,000 of a claim, the insurer pays 75% and you pay 25%. An older $15,000 policy could run until it expired, so if you are renewing now, the new policy must meet the $60,000 minimum.

For policies starting on or after 1 July 2025, MOM added three more rules: insurers may exclude only the treatments and conditions on MOM's standard list, premiums can differ by just two age bands (50 and below, and above 50), and insurers pay hospitals directly once a claim is admitted.

What a policy is allowed to exclude

MOM's list of allowable exclusions includes, among others:

• Pregnancy and childbirth.
• Conditions your helper had and knew about before the cover began, within her first 12 months with you.
• Psychiatric and mental disorders.
• Treatment received outside Singapore.
• Dental treatment not caused by an accident, cosmetic surgery, vaccinations and ambulance fees.
• Injuries caused by a malicious or unlawful act of the employer or a member of the employer's family.

You pay her medical bills, insured or not

Insurance does not cap your responsibility. MOM says you must bear all the costs of maintaining your helper, and that this includes any medical cost necessary for her health. That covers outpatient treatment as well as hospital stays, and illness or injury on her rest day.

You cannot ask your helper to pay any part of her medical expenses. That holds for the part above what the insurance pays as well. If a hospital bill is larger than the policy limit, or falls under an exclusion, the balance is yours.

Personal accident insurance

Personal accident insurance pays out if your helper is permanently disabled or dies in an accident. It must have a sum assured of at least $60,000 a year, and the payout must go to your helper or her beneficiaries. The policy cannot add exclusions beyond those in the work pass regulations, and it covers accidents on or off duty, in Singapore or abroad.

If an accident happens, the regulations require you to make the claim on her behalf within 30 days. This cover exists because helpers are not covered by the Work Injury Compensation Act: MOM explains that they live and work on the same premises as their employers, so personal accident insurance pays whether or not the accident was work-related.

The $5,000 security bond

For every helper except Malaysians, you must buy a $5,000 security bond, as a guarantee from a bank or insurer, and you cannot ask your helper to pay for it. Buy it before she arrives: the bank or insurer sends the details to MOM, which takes up to 3 working days. If the bond is not in effect when she lands, the immigration officer will not let her enter Singapore.

MOM can forfeit the bond if you or your helper break the work permit or bond conditions. Its examples include:

• You do not pay her salary on time.
• You do not send her home when her work permit expires or is revoked or cancelled.
• She goes missing.

If your helper breaches a condition herself, you are not liable if you told her the work permit conditions she must follow and reported the breach as soon as you knew of it. Once her permit is cancelled and she has gone home with no breach, the bond is usually discharged a week after she leaves Singapore. Our guide to transferring a domestic helper or sending her home sets out MOM's steps and deadlines.

Renewing a work permit and why policies run 26 months

When you renew your helper's work permit, you buy a new insurance package: security bond, medical insurance and personal accident insurance. The bond can start up to one day after the current permit expires. A work permit is usually valid for 2 years, but if the insurance package lasts less than 26 months, the permit ends 2 months before the package expires. That is why insurance packages are commonly sold for 26 months.

If you do not buy the insurance

Not buying the required medical insurance breaches the work pass conditions. MOM says an employer found in breach faces a fine and may be barred from employing helpers. You also remain liable for her medical costs either way.

Other costs of employing a helper

Insurance and the bond sit alongside the monthly levy. Our maid levy calculator works out the levy, including the $60 concession for eligible households, and the upfront cost of a helper. If you are still deciding between a helper, grandparents and a centre, our guide to infant care vs a helper vs grandparents compares them, and our infant care guide covers centre fees and subsidies. Our childcare leave guide covers the leave each parent gets.

Frequently asked questions

Is maid insurance compulsory in Singapore?

Yes. MOM requires medical insurance of at least $60,000 a year for inpatient care and day surgery, personal accident insurance of at least $60,000, and a $5,000 security bond for non-Malaysian helpers, all in place before she arrives.

What is the minimum medical insurance for a helper?

An annual claim limit of at least $60,000 for inpatient care and day surgery, for policies bought or renewed from 1 July 2023. Above $15,000, the insurer pays 75% of the claim and you pay 25%.

Can I make my helper pay for her insurance or medical bills?

No. You cannot pass on the cost of the insurance or the bond, and you cannot make her pay any medical expenses, even amounts above the insurance limit.

Does maid insurance cover pregnancy?

Insurers are allowed to exclude pregnancy and childbirth under MOM's standard list of exclusions for policies starting from 1 July 2025.

Do I need a security bond for a Malaysian helper?

No. The $5,000 security bond is required for every helper except Malaysians. Medical and personal accident insurance still apply.