Helper rest day rules in Singapore: what MOM requires

MOM says your helper gets one rest day a week, on a day you both agree. If she agrees to work a rest day, you pay her at least 1 day's salary on top of her monthly pay. Since 1 January 2023, at least one rest day a month can't be paid away. Those are the helper rest day rules in short. Here's how to agree them, write them down and pay her correctly, with your baby's care planned around her day.

How to set up your helper's rest days, step by step

1. Ask her which day she'd like before you fix anything. MOM says you must agree the day together, and it can be any day of the week.
2. Agree how many rest days she'll take each month. Her entitlement is one a week, and MOM requires at least one a month that she actually takes off.
3. Choose a full day or two half days. MOM allows either, as long as you both agree.
4. Write the arrangement down and both sign it. The Work Pass regulations require a written agreement before she works any rest day for pay or a replacement day.
5. Update her rest days in MOM's FDW eService. MOM asks you to do this after you've talked it through with her.
6. Give a new helper her first rest day within 30 days. The regulations set this for new work permits issued from 1 January 2023, unless you both agree in writing to defer it.
7. Pay for each rest day she works with her next salary. MOM's rate is her monthly salary divided by 26, for each day worked.
8. Plan your baby's care for her rest days: swap with your spouse, ask the grandparents, or look at infant care. MOM urges families with caregiving needs to start this early.
9. Keep a monthly note of rest days taken, days worked and what you paid. Check it each time you pay her salary.

The rule at a glance

MOM's rules call your helper a migrant domestic worker (MDW). Some parts are fixed by MOM and the Work Pass regulations, and the rest you agree with her.

The monthly rest day is a mandatory requirement under the Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations, and MOM says it applies to all new and existing helpers. MOM also says employers who fail to provide it may face enforcement action.

Agreeing the day in her first week is easier than changing it later. Our new helper arrival checklist puts it alongside the other first-week tasks.

How to work out rest day pay

MOM uses one formula for every month: divide her monthly salary by 26, whatever the number of days in the month, and that's 1 day's salary. You pay at least that for each rest day she works, on top of her salary.

MOM's worked example uses a $650 salary, so 1 day's salary is $25:

• In a month with 4 rest days, she takes 2 and works 2. You pay $650 + $50 = $700.
• In a month with 5 rest days, she takes 1 and works 4. You pay $650 + $100 = $750.

MOM says this is an additional payment, not part of her basic salary, and the regulations say it goes out with her next monthly salary. If she'd rather have time than money, the regulations also allow a replacement rest day in the same month, agreed in writing.

For her full monthly cost, our cost of a domestic helper guide has the breakdown, and the maid levy calculator works out the levy.

What she does on her rest day

The rest day is hers. MOM's 2022 announcement says it lets helpers rest and recharge from work, and form networks of support outside the household.

MOM says she may choose to spend her rest day at home. If she does, MOM says employers should give her uninterrupted rest and not assign her household tasks. So if she's home and you'd like a hand with the baby, that's a worked rest day. It needs her agreement in writing first, and pay or a replacement day.

MOM's rest day pages don't set a curfew or a return time. They ask you to agree the arrangement together. If you need to plan the baby's day around her, agree when her rest day starts and ends, and add it to your written arrangement. You could say:

"What time would you like your rest day to start and finish? I'll sort out the baby's care around it."

If she'd like something to do, MOM points to courses and activities run by community partners such as FAST. For house rules and regular check-ins, see our guide on how to manage a domestic helper.

Public holidays and daily rest

MOM says helpers aren't covered by the Employment Act, because it isn't practical to regulate parts of domestic work such as hours of work and work on public holidays. So there's no set public holiday entitlement for her.

Under the Work Pass regulations, a public holiday counts as her rest day only if you both agree it does. If a festival matters to her, offer it as her rest day that week, and write it down.

On ordinary working days, the regulations say you must give her adequate rest daily. MOM hasn't fixed the hours. Its view is that set working or rest hours wouldn't be practical for every household. Build breaks into her day, such as when the baby naps, and talk it over if her load grows.

When to call MOM

• You can't agree on the arrangement. MOM says you can ask your employment agency, or use FAST's free mediation on 6509 1535 or 1800 339 4357. MOM also lists free dispute resolution at the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE).
• You have a question about the rule. MOM's hotline for rest day advice is 6438 5122, or you can use MOM's online feedback form.
• She tells you she's in distress. MOM's MDW Helpline is 1800 339 5505, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm. MOM says helpers who don't get their monthly rest day may call it too.
• If anyone is in danger, MOM tells helpers to call the Police at 999, and our family violence help guide lists other places to turn.

Frequently asked questions

How many off days for a maid in Singapore?

MOM says one rest day a week, so 4 or 5 in a month depending on the calendar. At least one of them must be a day she actually takes off. She works the others only if she agrees in writing first, and you pay her or give her a replacement day for each one.

Can I pay my maid instead of giving her an off day?

For some rest days, yes, if she agrees. MOM says at least one rest day a month can't be compensated away, and neither of you can ask to drop it in favour of pay. For her other rest days, agree in writing before she works them and pay at least 1 day's salary for each.

How is rest day compensation for a maid worked out?

MOM's rate is her monthly salary divided by 26 for each rest day she works, so on MOM's $650 example that's $25 a day. You pay it on top of her salary, with her next monthly pay.

Is a maid curfew on her off day allowed?

MOM's rest day pages don't set a curfew. They say you agree the rest day arrangement together, and that she may spend it at home if she chooses. If you need to know when she'll be back so you can plan the baby's care, ask her, and agree the start and end of her rest day together.

Do the helper rest day rules in Singapore cover public holidays?

Not as an automatic day off. MOM says helpers aren't covered by the Employment Act. Under the Work Pass regulations, a public holiday is her rest day only if you both agree it is.

What are the maid off day rules for a new helper?

The same weekly and monthly rules apply to her. For a new work permit issued from 1 January 2023, the regulations say her first rest day must come within 30 days of her start, unless you both agreed in writing to defer it. Talk about her rest day when she arrives, and update MOM's FDW eService.